In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

1 SAMUEL 3:12KJV
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1 Samuel 3:12 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 3:12 mean?

1 Samuel 3:12 means that God is declaring He will carry out everything He has warned about Eli and his family, and when He starts this judgment, He will see it through to completion. God is making it clear that His earlier words of warning will soon become reality, and nothing will stop the process once it begins.

In this verse, God is speaking to the boy Samuel during the night, revealing that the time has come to fulfill the warnings given to Eli, the high priest, about his household. The verse marks a turning point where God moves from warning to action, emphasizing His determination to fully carry out what He has said regarding Eli’s family because of their persistent wrongdoing.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 3:12

  • "perform" (קוּם, qum): This word often means "to arise" or "to stand," but here it carries the sense of God actively bringing something to pass or making it happen. It highlights God’s personal involvement in making sure His words are fulfilled.
  • "begin" (חָלַל, chalal): This word can mean "to start" or "to begin," but it sometimes also carries a sense of "profaning" or "breaking open." Here, it simply marks the starting point of God’s actions, showing that once He initiates judgment, He will not stop partway.
  • "end" (כָּלָה, kalah): This word means "to complete" or "to finish." It stresses that God’s actions will not be left unfinished; what He starts, He will bring to its full conclusion.

Why 1 Samuel 3:12 matters

  • This verse clears up any doubt that God’s warnings are not empty threats—He will do exactly what He has said, and nothing will prevent Him from finishing it.
  • 1 Samuel 3:12 connects directly to earlier warnings given to Eli, showing that God’s patience has limits and that consequences eventually arrive.
  • The verse helps the reader see the seriousness of God’s words and the certainty of His actions, setting the stage for the events that follow in Eli’s story.

Where else these words appear

“Eli” Hebrew H5941 · used in 30 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
  • 1 Samuel 2:20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home.
  • 1 Samuel 3:15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

“concerning” Hebrew H413 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
  • Exodus 8:25 And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land.
  • 1 Samuel 4:21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

“begin” Hebrew H2490 · used in 131 verses

  • Genesis 4:26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
  • Judges 20:31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
  • Jeremiah 16:18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.