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Samuel

Samuel was a prophet and the last judge of Israel before the establishment of the monarchy, who anointed both Saul and David as kings.

The name Samuel means “heard of God; asked of God”

MaleProphetTribe of LeviUnited Monarchy eraOld & New Testaments7 books157 verses

Summary

A prophet from the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1 Samuel 1:20; referred to as Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל) or Samuel (Σαμουήλ); a son of Elkanah and Hannah; father of Joel and Abijah.

Profile

Samuel lived at the end of the time of the judges and helped lead Israel into the time of kings. He was Israel’s last judge (1 Samuel 7:6, 15–17). Samuel is often seen as Israel’s first prophet (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24; 13:20). He served as a priest (see 1 Samuel 2:18). He was a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:32).

Samuel was born because his mother Hannah prayed for him. Samuel’s parents traveled each year from Ramah to the sanctuary at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3). At the sanctuary, Hannah, who could not have children, prayed for a son and promised to dedicate him to God for full-time service (1 Samuel 1:9–11). God answered her prayer, and Samuel was born (1 Samuel 1:19–20). When Samuel was old enough, Hannah took him to serve in the sanctuary with Eli, the high priest (1 Samuel 1:24–28; 2:11).

Eli's sons were wicked, but Samuel served the Lord. It soon became clear that God spoke more closely with Samuel than with Eli. God warned Samuel about the disaster coming to Eli's family (1 Samuel 3:1–18). This prophecy came true when the Philistines defeated Israel, killed Eli's sons, and took the ark of the covenant (1 Samuel 4:1–22). Later, under Samuel's leadership, the people repented for their idolatry (worship of false gods) and won an important battle against the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:3–17).

As Samuel grew older, it became clear he had the same weakness as Eli. Samuel’s sons were evil (1 Samuel 8:1–3), and the people did not want them to lead the nation. Instead, they asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead them in battle against their enemies (1 Samuel 8:4–5). Samuel then anointed Saul as Israel's first king (1 Samuel 9:1–10:24).

The change from the time of the judges to having kings was difficult. Samuel, as a priest, prayed for the people. As a prophet, he criticized Saul for being impatient and disobedient (1 Samuel 13:5–14; 15:12–35). When God rejected Saul as king, Samuel anointed David as God's chosen one (1 Samuel 16:1–13) and protected David from Saul (19:18–24).

Through prayer and determination, Samuel was a faithful leader (Jeremiah 15:1; Hebrews 11:32). He cared deeply for his people and bravely corrected kings and elders. He united Israel from tribal divisions into a strong nation and established a system of rule by kings. He likely wrote The Record of Samuel the Seer (1 Chronicles 29:29). He wrote down how a good king should rule (1 Samuel 10:25). When he died, all of Israel mourned him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown (1 Samuel 25:1).

Passages for Further Study

1 Samuel 1:19–2:11; 3:1–4:1; 7:3–16:13; 19:18–24; 25:1; 28:1–25; Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1; Acts 3:24; 13:20; Hebrews 11:32

Glossary entries

Samuel (Person) Shemuel

Family members

Father

Elkanah

Mother

Hannah

Children

Abijah Joel

Alternative names

Mentions

157 verses

Includes 36 verses that refer to Samuel without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

  1. 1 Samuel 1:20
    So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
  2. 1 Samuel 2:18
    Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
  3. 1 Samuel 2:21
    So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
  4. 1 Samuel 2:26
    And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
  5. 1 Samuel 3:1
    And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce.
  6. 1 Samuel 3:3
    Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located.
  7. 1 Samuel 3:4
    Then the LORD called to Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
  8. 1 Samuel 3:5Referred to, not named
    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.
  9. 1 Samuel 3:6
    Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
  10. 1 Samuel 3:7
    Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
  11. 1 Samuel 3:8
    Once again, for the third time, the LORD called to Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.
  12. 1 Samuel 3:9
    “Go and lie down,” he said to Samuel, “and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
  13. 1 Samuel 3:10
    Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
  14. 1 Samuel 3:11
    Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of all who hear it will tingle.
  15. 1 Samuel 3:15
    Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
  16. 1 Samuel 3:16
    …but Eli called to him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel.
  17. 1 Samuel 3:17Referred to, not named
    “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
  18. 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.”
  19. 1 Samuel 3:19
    And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
  20. 1 Samuel 3:20
    So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.
  21. 1 Samuel 3:21
    And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.
  22. 1 Samuel 4:1
    Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
  23. 1 Samuel 7:3
    Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
  24. 1 Samuel 7:5
    Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.”
  25. 1 Samuel 7:6
    When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
  26. 1 Samuel 7:8
    …and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
  27. 1 Samuel 7:9
    Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.
  28. 1 Samuel 7:10
    As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.
  29. 1 Samuel 7:12
    Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
  30. 1 Samuel 7:13
    So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
  31. 1 Samuel 7:15
    So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
  32. 1 Samuel 7:16Referred to, not named
    Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places.
  33. 1 Samuel 7:17Referred to, not named
    Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.
  34. 1 Samuel 8:1
    When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
  35. 1 Samuel 8:2Referred to, not named
    The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.
  36. 1 Samuel 8:3Referred to, not named
    But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
  37. 1 Samuel 8:4
    So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
  38. 1 Samuel 8:5Referred to, not named
    “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.”
  39. 1 Samuel 8:6
    But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.
  40. 1 Samuel 8:7
    And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.
  41. 1 Samuel 8:8Referred to, not named
    Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
  42. 1 Samuel 8:9Referred to, not named
    Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.”
  43. 1 Samuel 8:10
    So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.
  44. 1 Samuel 8:11Referred to, not named
    He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots.
  45. 1 Samuel 8:19
    Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us.
  46. 1 Samuel 8:21
    Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
  47. 1 Samuel 8:22
    “Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”
  48. 1 Samuel 9:14
    So Saul and his servant went up toward the city, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the high place.
  49. 1 Samuel 9:15
    Now on the day before Saul’s arrival, the LORD had revealed to Samuel,
  50. 1 Samuel 9:16Referred to, not named
    “At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
  51. 1 Samuel 9:17
    When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My people.”
  52. 1 Samuel 9:18
    Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”
  53. 1 Samuel 9:19
    “I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. And when I send you off in the morning, I will tell you all that is in your heart.
  54. 1 Samuel 9:21Referred to, not named
    Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”
  55. 1 Samuel 9:22
    Then Samuel took Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall, and seated them in the place of honor among those who were invited—about thirty in all.
  56. 1 Samuel 9:23
    And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”
  57. 1 Samuel 9:24
    So the cook picked up the leg and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Here is what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat, for it has been kept for you for this occasion, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul dined with Samuel that day.
  58. 1 Samuel 9:25Referred to, not named
    And after they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house.
  59. 1 Samuel 9:26
    They got up early in the morning, and just before dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way!” So Saul got ready, and both he and Samuel went outside together.
  60. 1 Samuel 9:27
    As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay for a while, and I will reveal to you the word of God.” So the servant went on.
  61. 1 Samuel 10:1
    Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
  62. 1 Samuel 10:2Referred to, not named
    When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
  63. 1 Samuel 10:8Referred to, not named
    And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
  64. 1 Samuel 10:9
    As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day.
  65. 1 Samuel 10:14
    Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the donkeys,” Saul replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
  66. 1 Samuel 10:15
    “Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
  67. 1 Samuel 10:16
    And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
  68. 1 Samuel 10:17
    After this, Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah
  69. 1 Samuel 10:18Referred to, not named
    …and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
  70. 1 Samuel 10:20
    Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.
  71. 1 Samuel 10:21Referred to, not named
    Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him.
  72. 1 Samuel 10:24
    Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
  73. 1 Samuel 10:25
    Then Samuel explained to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home.
  74. 1 Samuel 11:7
    He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the land of Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not march behind Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out together as one man.
  75. 1 Samuel 11:12
    Then the people said to Samuel, “Who said that Saul should not reign over us? Bring those men here so we can kill them!”
  76. 1 Samuel 11:14
    Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
  77. 1 Samuel 12:1
    Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king.
  78. 1 Samuel 12:2Referred to, not named
    Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
  79. 1 Samuel 12:3Referred to, not named
    Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
  80. 1 Samuel 12:4Referred to, not named
    “You have not cheated us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”
  81. 1 Samuel 12:5Referred to, not named
    Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.
  82. 1 Samuel 12:6
    Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is the One who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
  83. 1 Samuel 12:7Referred to, not named
    Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.
  84. 1 Samuel 12:11
    So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.
  85. 1 Samuel 12:12Referred to, not named
    But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.
  86. 1 Samuel 12:17Referred to, not named
    Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”
  87. 1 Samuel 12:18
    So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
  88. 1 Samuel 12:19
    They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
  89. 1 Samuel 12:20
    “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
  90. 1 Samuel 12:23Referred to, not named
    As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.
  91. 1 Samuel 13:8
    And Saul waited seven days for the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to desert Saul.
  92. 1 Samuel 13:10
    Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
  93. 1 Samuel 13:11
    “What have you done?” Samuel asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,
  94. 1 Samuel 13:13
    “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
  95. 1 Samuel 13:15
    Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
  96. 1 Samuel 15:1
    Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.
  97. 1 Samuel 15:10
    Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,
  98. 1 Samuel 15:11
    “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.
  99. 1 Samuel 15:12
    Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”
  100. 1 Samuel 15:13
    When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”