Bible Verses About Samuel: 12

"The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." … The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. … But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.""

— 1 Samuel 3:10, 19; 16:7 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about Samuel want Scripture on Shemuel — Hannah's son, the boy who heard the Lord call in the night, the prophet who set up the Ebenezer stone, prayed for Israel, and anointed David — not only listening alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about Hannah, Bible verses about David, Bible verses about listening, Bible verses about calling, Bible verses about obedience, Bible verses about prayer, Bible verses about prophets, Bible verses about leadership, and Bible verse of the day. Samuel here means the son of Elkanah and Hannah in 1 Samuel — distinct from generic listening lists.

Word study (lead theme). In Hebrew, שְׁמוּאֵל Shemuel (Strong's H8050; Bible Hub H8050) — Samuel. Hannah named him "because I asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20). In 1 Samuel 3 the Lord calls him by name four times. This list tracks that Samuel inventory — not a listening-alone twelve.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 3 dwells on the Lord calling the child Samuel and Eli teaching him how to answer (Bible Hub MHC 1 Samuel 3; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 3). (Listening and calling pages live elsewhere; this list centers Samuel the prophet.)

12 Bible verses about Samuel

1. 1 Samuel 1:20. "So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him."" Asked of the Lord. See Bible verses about Hannah.

2. 1 Samuel 2:26. "And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people." Growing in favor.

3. 1 Samuel 3:8-9. "A third time the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place." Eli teaches the answer. See Bible verses about calling.

4. 1 Samuel 3:10. "The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."" Speak, for your servant is listening. See Bible verses about listening.

5. 1 Samuel 3:19-20. "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord." None of his words fell to the ground. See Bible verses about prophets.

6. 1 Samuel 7:12. "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."" Ebenezer — thus far the Lord has helped us.

7. 1 Samuel 8:6-7. "But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king."" Not you they have rejected. See Bible verses about leadership.

8. 1 Samuel 12:23. "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." Never stop praying for them. See Bible verses about prayer.

9. 1 Samuel 15:22. "But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."" To obey is better than sacrifice. See Bible verses about obedience.

10. 1 Samuel 16:7. "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."" The Lord looks at the heart.

11. 1 Samuel 16:13. "So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah." Samuel anoints David. See Bible verses about David.

12. Hebrews 11:32-33. "And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised." Named among the faithful. See Bible verses about Gideon.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need Samuel — not twelve as a grind. If you want to hear God, start at 1 Samuel 3:8–10. If you are looking back on God's help, open 1 Samuel 7:12. If you are tempted to judge by appearances, open 1 Samuel 16:7. If you lead or pray for others, open 1 Samuel 12:23. For his mother's prayer, open Bible verses about Hannah. For listening in general, open Bible verses about listening. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about Samuel?

1 Samuel 3:10 — "Speak, for your servant is listening" — is the clear starting place; 1 Samuel 16:7 says "the Lord looks at the heart."

How many times did God call Samuel?

The Lord called Samuel four times in 1 Samuel 3. The first three times Samuel ran to Eli; the fourth time he answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10).

What Hebrew word sits under Samuel?

Shemuel (H8050) — Samuel. Hannah gave the name "because I asked the Lord for him" (1 Samuel 1:20).

What does Ebenezer mean?

In 1 Samuel 7:12 Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

How is Samuel different from listening alone?

Listening pages gather Scripture on hearing God and others in general. This list centers Samuel the man — the night call, the Ebenezer stone, his prayers for Israel, and the anointing of David.