1 Samuel 2:26 Meaning: Growing in Favor
The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Yahweh and also with men.
And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.
And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men.
And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and is good both with Jehovah, and also with men.
And the boy Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with Jehovah and also with men.
Meaning in one sentence
What does it mean to be good before God and people? The story of young Samuel in a corrupt household shows us a different kind of growth.
Context
This verse sits in the middle of a dark chapter. Eli’s sons, the priests Hophni and Phinehas, were corrupt men who despised God’s offerings and seduced women at the sanctuary. Their father Eli rebuked them weakly, but they would not listen. Right beside this unraveling, the narrator mentions Samuel two separate times, first in verse 18, then again here, growing, serving, gaining favour. The contrast is deliberate. Samuel was a child, maybe ten or twelve, living in the same tabernacle where so much was wrong. Yet he kept growing in a different direction, like a green shoot in rocky ground.
Key Words
The Hebrew behind this verse has a quiet motion to it. Three verbs in a row: holekh (going), gadel (growing up), and tov (being good). The first two describe a journey, Samuel did not arrive finished; he kept moving forward, kept getting bigger. But the third verb surprises us. Tov means to be pleasant, beneficial, right. It is the same word used in Genesis 1 when God saw that the light was “good.” Samuel was not merely gaining height or reputation. He was becoming the kind of person who pleases.
The phrase “in favour” is not a separate word; it is the verb tov stretched into a relationship: good with Yahweh, good with people. The preposition im (with) appears twice, carrying the sense of side-by-side goodness, not performance. Samuel did not manufacture favour. He walked, he grew, and he became good, and others experienced that goodness.
How Christians Read This Verse
Nearly every commentator notes the echo of Luke 2:52, where Jesus increased in favour with God and men. Christians have long seen Samuel as a type of Christ, a faithful servant in a failing house, pointing ahead to the perfect servant. But the parallel also works in reverse. If even Jesus grew in favour, then favour is not a sudden gift; it deepens through ordinary years. Other traditions highlight the contrast with Eli’s sons. The Baptist commentator Gill observes that Samuel’s growth made the corruption of Hophni and Phinehas look even blacker. Anglican writers, like the Cambridge Bible, emphasise that Samuel’s progress and the priests’ decline happen at the same time, in the same place. Both readings agree: goodness is not automatic. It is formed slowly, often in very imperfect settings.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers hear “favoured by God and men” and think Samuel was popular, a natural leader everyone liked. In fact, the word tov is not about popularity. It describes a life that is good, pleasant, beneficial to both God and neighbour. The favour of people here probably came because Samuel was honest and kind while others were exploitative. He was not liked for being charming; he was trusted for being steady.
Living This Out
You may be living in a situation where the people around you are cutting corners, cheating, or dismissing what is right. Maybe at work, in your family, or even in your church. This verse does not ask you to fix them. It asks you to keep growing, to keep going, keep becoming, keep being good. Not good in a showy way, but good with God and good with whoever crosses your path. That kind of goodness, built over months and years, makes a difference even when you cannot see it.
Main takeaway: Being good before God and people is not a static status; it is a slow, steady growth that happens when integrity meets ordinary time.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Samuel was a boy who helped in God’s house. He did not do bad things like the grown-up men around him. He just kept being kind and good, and God was happy with him.
For ages 9, 12
Samuel lived in a place where two older men were doing terrible things. He could have copied them or become discouraged. Instead, he kept growing in a different way. He became good not just in God’s eyes but in people’s eyes too. That did not happen overnight. He just kept choosing what was right, day after day, until his whole life looked that way.
Questions People Ask
What does 'increased in favor' mean in this verse?
The Hebrew word behind 'favor' here is 'tov', which means good, pleasant, or beneficial. Samuel was becoming good in his relationship with God and with other people. It is not about being popular; it is about being the kind of person others can trust and God delights in.
How is Samuel’s growth in 1 Samuel 2:26 similar to Jesus in Luke 2:52?
Luke 2:52 says Jesus 'increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.' The wording is very close to the Greek translation of 1 Samuel 2:26. Most Christian commentators see this as intentional. Samuel’s faithful growth in a corrupt household foreshadows Jesus’ perfect growth. The same pattern of slow, steady increase describes both.
Why is this verse placed right between the story of Eli’s wicked sons?
The narrator sets Samuel side by side with Hophni and Phinehas to make a strong contrast. They grew older but worse; Samuel grew older and better. The placement tells us that goodness is a choice, not a result of environment. Even in a broken situation, a child can keep becoming good.
Does this verse mean Samuel never sinned or made mistakes?
No. The verse says he was growing in favor, not that he was sinless. Samuel later made mistakes as a parent (his own sons turned out corrupt, 1 Samuel 8:1-3). Being good with God and people is a direction, not a perfection. The emphasis is on a life that is generally pleasing and trustworthy, not flawless.
How can I apply this verse if my home or work environment is unhealthy?
The same way Samuel did: keep going, keep growing, keep being good. You do not have to fix everyone else. Focus on your own walk with God and your own kindness to people. Over time, that quiet goodness will stand out, and God will see to the rest.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study