1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
LORD	יְהוָ֜ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Samuel	שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל she.mu.'El	H8050	Shemuel · proper noun, a man's name
Look	תַּבֵּ֧ט ta.Bet	H5027	to scan · verb, hiphil jussive, 2nd person masculine singular
countenance	מַרְאֵ֛הוּ mar.'E.hu	H4758	a view (the act of seeing) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
height	גְּבֹ֥הַּ ge.Vo.ah	H1364	elevated (or elated) · adjective, masculine singular construct
stature	קוֹמָת֖וֹ ko.ma.To	H6967	height · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
refused	מְאַסְתִּ֑יהוּ me.'as.Ti.hu	H3988	to spurn · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
man	הָאָדָ֔ם ha.'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
seeth	יִרְאֶה֙ yir.'Eh	H7200	to see · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
man	הָֽאָדָם֙ ha.'a.Dam	H120	ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
looketh	יִרְאֶ֣ה yir.'Eh	H7200	to see · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
appearance	לַעֵינַ֔יִם la.'ei.Na.yim	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine dual absolute
LORD	וַיהוָ֖ה va.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · conjunction + proper noun, a title
looketh	יִרְאֶ֥ה yir.'Eh	H7200	to see · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
heart	לַלֵּבָֽב la.le.Vav	H3824	the heart (as the most interior organ) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

John 7:24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among…
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
1 Peter 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the s…
Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Psalms 147:10-11 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 16:6-13

If the sons of Jesse were told that God would provide himself a king among them (as he had said, Sa1 16:1), we may well suppose they all made the best appearance they could, and each hoped he should be the man; but here we are told, I. How all the elder sons, who stood fairest for the preferment, were passed by. 1. Eliab, the eldest, was privately presented first to Samuel, probably none being present but Jesse only, and Samuel thought he must needs be the man: Surely this is the Lord's anointed, Sa1 16:6. The prophets themselves, when they spoke from under the divine direction, were as liable to mistake as other men; as Nathan, Sa2 7:3. But God rectified the prophet's mistake by a secret wh…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 16:6

Samuel said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him--Here Samuel, in consequence of taking his impressions from the external appearance, falls into the same error as formerly (Sa1 10:24).

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 16:7

Man looketh on the outward appearance - And it is well he should, and confine his looks to that; for when he pretends to sound the heart, he usurps the prerogative of God. In what way were these communications made from God to Samuel? It must have been by direct inspirations into his heart. But what a state of holy familiarity does this argue between God and the prophet! I believe Moses himself was not more highly favored than Samuel.

John Gill on 1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel,.... By a secret impulse upon his mind, as if he had spoken with an articulate voice to him: look not on his countenance; which was comely and majestic: or on the height of his stature; which was like that of Saul's; and because the Lord had chosen him, who was superior to the people in this respect, Samuel thought he meant to have such an one now anointed king: because I have refused him; or it is not my pleasure that he should be king; though Ben Gersom thinks this refers to Saul, that the Lord had rejected him, though of an high stature, and therefore Samuel should not look out for such a person to be king; and Abarbinel refers it to the height of stature it…

Dictionary and topics

Bethlehem — House of bread. (1.) A city in the “hill country” of Judah. It was originally called Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11). It was also called Beth-lehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2), Beth-lehem-judah (1…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Church And State · .Withdraws support and anoints a succes — .Withdraws support and anoints a succes
First Born, The · Instances of superseded: David’s brothers — Instances of superseded: David’s brothers
Jesse · Samuel visits, un — Samuel visits, un
King · .David and the Davidic dynasty — .David and the Davidic dynasty
Secret · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Samuel 16:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 16:6-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 16:6

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 16:7

John Gill on 1 Samuel 16:7

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 16:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 16:6-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 16:6

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 16:7

John Gill on 1 Samuel 16:7

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 16:6-7

Rashi on 1 Samuel 16:7