Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
1 Samuel 3 Bible study: Your servant hears
Eli told Samuel to say, "Speak, LORD; for your servant hears" (3:9), but Samuel answered, "Speak; for your servant hears" (3:10). And the chapter that opens with "The LORD’s word was rare in those days" (3:1) closes with the LORD revealing himself to Samuel "by the LORD’s word" (3:21).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“The LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.””
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Samuel's answer to the LORD didn't include the LORD's name, though Eli had told him to say it.”
Is that in 1 Samuel 3, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A rare word, and a lamp not yet out
The chapter opens with Samuel as chapter 2 described him: "The child Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli" (3:1), as "The child served the LORD before Eli the priest" (2:11). Then it says what those days were like: "The LORD’s word was rare in those days. There were not many visions, then" (3:1) (tap rare and visions). Eli was lying down in his place, "now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see" (3:2), "and God’s lamp hadn’t yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down in the LORD’s temple where God’s ark was" (3:3) (tap lamp). The chapter doesn't give the hour. It says only that the lamp hadn't yet gone out, and later that "Samuel lay until the morning" (3:15).
Where it leads to Jesus
The prophets from Samuel
1 Samuel 3:20leads toActs 3:24
"All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD" (3:20). In Solomon's porch (Acts 3:11), Peter told the people that God "has glorified his Servant Jesus" (Acts 3:13). After quoting Moses (Acts 3:22-23), he went on from Samuel: "Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, also told of these days" (Acts 3:24).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 1 Samuel 3
That was a taste
The rest of 1 Samuel 3 is waiting in Favor
- Three times to Eli
- The first word Samuel is given
- Established to be a prophet
- The word against Eli's house, kept
- Samuel, remembered beside Moses
- 7 questions as you read
- 13 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 3 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
דָּבָרdavarsay da-VAR
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "speech, word", and also "matter, affair, thing about which one speaks". It comes nine times in this chapter, and it opens it: "The LORD’s word was rare in those days" (3:1). Samuel hadn't yet received it: "neither was the LORD’s word yet revealed to him" (3:7). The WEB has thing when the LORD says, "I will do a thing in Israel" (3:11), and when Eli asks, "What is the thing that he has spoken to you?" (3:17). It is the words none of which fell to the ground (3:19), and it closes the chapter: "the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the LORD’s word" (3:21). The next chapter opens with it too: "The word of Samuel came to all Israel" (4:1).
For your group
1 Samuel 3 Bible study questions
- 1Samuel took the LORD's call for Eli's three times, until "Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child" (3:8) and told him what to say (3:9). Who has helped you recognise God speaking, and how?
- 2Samuel "was afraid to show Eli the vision" (3:15), but he "told him every bit, and hid nothing from him" (3:18). When have you had to tell someone something hard and true? What helped you do it?
- 3"Speak; for your servant hears" (3:10). What might it look like for you to pray that this week, and then listen?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads 1 Samuel 3 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read 1 Samuel 3 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 3 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with 1 Samuel 3
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home