Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,
- BSB Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
- 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 13:21And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
- 1 Sam 15:1Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
- 2 Sam 7:27For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
- Job 33:16Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
- Ps 25:14The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
- Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
- 1 Sam 20:2And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
- Mark 14:13–16And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.
- Acts 27:23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
- 1 Sam 9:17And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
- Mark 11:2–4And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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.