Bible Strands
1 Samuel 3:5
He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Samuel runs to Eli after hearing a voice, mistakenly believing Eli summoned him. Eli denies calling and instructs the boy to return to his place of rest.
The words — The text records Samuel’s response using הִנְנִי (hi.nni), literally “here I am,” and קָרָאתָ (qa.ra.ta), meaning “you summoned.” These terms frame Samuel’s immediate readiness and his misattribution of the divine call to Eli.
The thread — The phrase “Here I am” recurs when Abraham responds to God’s call in Genesis 22:1 and when Isaiah volunteers in Isaiah 6:8. Samuel’s pattern of immediate response establishes a prophetic posture repeated throughout the biblical narrative.
Why it lands — The passage requires a reader to distinguish between human authority and divine summons before acting. It demands attentive discernment rather than automatic obedience to every perceived voice.
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 he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.