And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.
Parallel translations
- WEB The servant said to him, “Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says surely happens. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
- BSB “Look,” said the servant, “in this city there is a man of God who is highly respected; everything he says surely comes to pass. Let us go there now. Perhaps he will tell us which way to go.”
- NKJV And he said to him, “Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”
- NASB But he said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; everything that he says definitely comes true. Now let’s go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.”
- NLT But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”
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 servant proposes consulting a respected man of God in the city, whose words always come true.
Overview
The servant's suggestion to seek a true prophet reflects confidence that God speaks reliably through His man. This honored 'man of God' is Samuel, though they do not yet know it. The detail that his words 'surely happen' affirms the trustworthiness of genuine prophecy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Kgs 13:1And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
- Deut 33:1And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
- 1 Tim 6:11But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
- Zech 1:5–6Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
- 1 Sam 2:27And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
- Isa 44:26That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
- 1 Th 5:13And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
- 1 Th 2:10Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:
- 1 Sam 3:19–20And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
- Matt 24:35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
- 2 Kgs 6:6And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
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 9:6 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.