1 Samuel 3:17He said, "What is the thing that Yahweh has spoken to you? Please don't hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you."
The setting
Shiloh, Israel ~1070 BC. Eli grabs Samuel firmly, looking into his eyes. The oath formula 'God do so to you' was the strongest possible demand for truth in ancient Israel...
The emotion here: documenting a man's desperate courage to face his own judgment
The original word
kachad (כָּחַד) — to hide, conceal, specifically to withhold something that should be revealed
Why it matters
The oath formula Eli uses was legally binding and carried the threat of divine punishment if broken
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 3:17
Eli knows this vision is about his own family's downfall — he's demanding to hear his own death sentence
Common misconceptionPeople think Eli is being harsh with Samuel. Actually, Eli suspects this vision concerns his own family and he's courageously demanding to hear God's verdict on his failures.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Samuel 3:17
Bible Genome reading
1 Samuel 3:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Samuel 3:17 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the judges period. These words are attributed to Eli. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include truth, transparency. Notable phrases: don't hide it from me. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 1 Samuel 3:17 mean to you, today?
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