The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. The word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
"And the word of the Lord was rare in those days." The Hebrew text here reads "precious" instead of "rare." "The word of the Lord was precious is the correct translation, and it is not clear why the RSV should have altered it."[8]  This is another instance in which the KJV is superior to the RSV.  This is an example of translators substituting what they CONCEIVE to be the meaning for what the sacred text says.  It is a fact, of course, that the word of the Lord was indeed rare at that time, but this truth is actually a deduction.  The word of the Lord was precious because it was rare!