So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him. “He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. He said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”
- KJV And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
- NKJV Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”
- NASB So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “He is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
- NLT So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Samuel tells Eli everything, and Eli humbly submits, saying, 'It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.' God's people are called to bow before His righteous will.
Overview
Samuel withholds nothing, and Eli responds with remarkable resignation to God's sovereign justice. His words express acceptance of God's righteous decree, though they fall short of repentance that might have averted disaster. Eli's submission illustrates reverence for God's sovereignty, the same trust perfectly displayed by Christ in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 39:8But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
- Job 2:10“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
- Judg 10:15“We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”
- 1 Pet 5:6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
- Job 1:21saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
- Ps 39:9I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.
- Lam 3:39Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
- 2 Sam 16:10–12But the king replied, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses me because the LORD told him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why did you do this?’”
- Gen 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 3:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.