Bible Strands
1 Samuel 3:18
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.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Samuel speaks to Eli after receiving a night vision, fulfilling Eli’s prior command to disclose the entire message without concealment. The moment marks Samuel’s transition from boy to prophet as he delivers the divine judgment to the priest.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיַּגֵּד (va-yaggēd) means “he told” or “he declared,” paired with כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים (kol-ha-dəḇārîm), literally “all the words.” This lexical pairing emphasizes Samuel’s complete transparency in relaying the divine message.
The thread — The theme of submitting to God’s will appears in Job 2:10, Isaiah 39:8, and Judges 10:15, where figures acknowledge divine sovereignty regardless of outcome. These references collectively frame Eli’s response as a posture of unconditional acceptance rather than theological speculation.
Why it lands — The text demands immediate obedience to revealed truth without filtering or reservation. It requires the reader to accept divine declarations as they are delivered, relinquishing personal control over the outcome.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- 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.
- Isaiah 39:8 But 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.”
- Judges 10:15 “We have sinned,” the Israelites said to the LORD. “Deal with us as You see fit; but please deliver us today!”
- 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
- Job 1:21 saying: “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.”
- Psalms 39:9 I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.
- Lamentations 3:39 Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?
- Genesis 18:25 Far 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?”
- 2 Samuel 16:10 But 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?’”