Samuel

the boy who listened

Who was Samuel?

Son of Hannah, who asked God for him. As a boy he served the Lord at Shiloh, with Eli the priest. 1 Samuel 1:20, 27-28; 1 Samuel 2:11
One night the Lord called him by name, and Samuel answered that he was listening. 1 Samuel 3:10
He was a prophet and judge of Israel. At the Lord’s command he anointed Saul as king, and later David. 1 Samuel 3:20; 1 Samuel 7:15; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13

The name: Samuel means “name of God.” His mother gave him that name because she had asked the Lord for him. 1 Samuel 1:20; NAB note on 1 Sam 1, 20
Also called: The seer, as prophets were called back then 1 Samuel 9:9, 19
From: Ramah, in the hill country of Ephraim. His father’s name was Elkanah 1 Samuel 1:1, 19
Occupation: Prophet and judge of Israel 1 Samuel 3:20; 1 Samuel 7:15
Feast day: August 20: Saint Samuel, prophet

What the Bible says

1 Samuel 1:20, 27-28; 1 Samuel 2:11

²⁰And it came to pass when the time was come about, Anna conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel: because she had asked him of the Lord. ²⁷For this child did I pray, and the Lord hath granted me my petition, which I asked of him. ²⁸Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord all the days of his life, he shall be lent to the Lord. And they adored the Lord there. And Anna prayed, and said:

1 Samuel 3:10

And the Lord came and stood: and he called, as he had called the other times: Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:20; 1 Samuel 7:15; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13

And all Israel from Dan to Bersabee, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Samuel

Before Jesus. His mother, Hannah, had no children. She promised the Lord that if he gave her a son, she would give him to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:2, 11
Before Jesus. When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the sanctuary at Shiloh and left him with Eli the priest. 1 Samuel 1:24-28
Before Jesus. One night the Lord called him three times. Samuel thought it was Eli calling him. 1 Samuel 3:4-8
With Jesus. On Eli’s advice, the next time Samuel answered the Lord that he was listening. 1 Samuel 3:9-10
With Jesus. All Israel knew that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3:20
With Jesus. He judged Israel all his life. Every year he went around to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, and came back to his home in Ramah. 1 Samuel 7:15-17
With Jesus. When Samuel was old, the people asked him for a king. Samuel prayed to the Lord and, at the Lord’s command, anointed Saul. 1 Samuel 8:4-7; 1 Samuel 10:1
Afterward. At the Lord’s command he went to Bethlehem and anointed David. He died in Ramah, and all Israel mourned him. 1 Samuel 16:1, 13; 1 Samuel 25:1

Words of Samuel

“Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.” 1 Samuel 3:10

As a boy, in the sanctuary, when the Lord called him by name.

“If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth: and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3

When he spoke to all the people of Israel.

“Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

When Saul disobeyed the Lord’s command.

What they were like

He listened: he answered the Lord as soon as he knew it was the Lord calling him. 1 Samuel 3:10
He told the truth even when it was hard: he told Eli everything the Lord had said to him, hiding nothing. 1 Samuel 3:17-18
He prayed for his people: when they asked him for a king, he brought it before the Lord. 1 Samuel 8:6, 21

The greatest thing they did

He called Israel to put away foreign gods and to serve the Lord alone, and the people listened to him. 1 Samuel 7:3-4
He anointed the first two kings of Israel: Saul and David. 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13

Not to be confused with

Saul: Saul was the first king of Israel; Samuel was the prophet who anointed him. A NAB note explains that “Saul” means “asked for,” the word Hannah uses when she names Samuel. 1 Samuel 10:1; NAB note on 1 Sam 1, 20
There are two Books of Samuel. They bear his name, but they also tell the story of Saul and David, even after Samuel’s death. In the Douay-Rheims they are called “First and Second Kings.” 1 Samuel 25:1; 2 Samuel 5:4

In the Church today

Feast day: August 20, Saint Samuel, prophet (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

In art, recognized by: The horn of oil for anointing kings From 1 Sam 16, 13; this is how Christian art shows him

What people ask

Why did Samuel not recognize the voice of God?

The Bible says he did not yet know the Lord: the Lord’s word had not yet been revealed to him. 1 Samuel 3:7

Was Samuel a priest?

The Bible calls him a prophet and a judge. He also built an altar to the Lord in Ramah. 1 Samuel 3:20; 1 Samuel 7:15, 17

Did Samuel want Israel to have a king?

He was not pleased. He prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him to listen to the people. 1 Samuel 8:6-7, 22

What does the Church say about Samuel?

According to the Catechism, he learned from his mother how to stand before the Lord, and from Eli how to listen to his word. Catechism 2578

Daily life Every year he went around to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah to judge Israel. 1 Samuel 7:16 His home was in Ramah. He judged there too, and he built…

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Who Samuel is connected to

Saul · anointed him king
David · anointed him king
Jesus · the prophets from Samuel on
Mary · the song of Hannah
Hannah · mother and son
Eli · taught him to listen

More people

All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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