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Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
1 Samuel 9:15 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,
  • KJV Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
  • NKJV Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying,
  • NASB Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel, saying,
  • NLT Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day,

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

The narrator reveals that the LORD had told Samuel a day earlier that Saul would come.

Overview

God had prepared Samuel in advance for this exact meeting. This insight shows that the seemingly chance encounter was wholly planned by the LORD. It assures the reader that Saul's path was directed by divine purpose, not coincidence.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Acts 13:21Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them forty years under Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin.
  • 1 Sam 15:1Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.
  • 2 Sam 7:27For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, ‘I will build a house for you.’ Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.
  • Job 33:16He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings
  • Ps 25:14The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
  • Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
  • 1 Sam 20:2“Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”
  • Mark 14:13–16So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him,
  • Acts 27:23For just last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me
  • 1 Sam 9:17When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My people.”
  • Mark 11:2–4and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 9:15YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 9:15 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.