1 Samuel 16:7

Contextual Overview

⁶ And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him. ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the Lord 's anointed!" ⁶ And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, "Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him." ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, "Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king!" ⁶ And it came to pass when they had come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed [is] before him. ⁶ It happened, when they had come, that he looked at Eliab, and said, Surely Yahweh's anointed is before him. ⁶So it happened, when they had come, he looked at Eliab [the eldest son] and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." ⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord 's anointed is before him." ⁶ And whanne thei hadden entrid, he siy Eliab, and seide, Whether bifor the Lord is his crist?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Look not: 1 Samuel 9:2, 1 Samuel 10:23, 1 Samuel 10:24, 2 Samuel 14:25, Psalms 147:10, Psalms 147:11, Proverbs 31:30

seeth not: Job 10:4, Isaiah 55:8, Isaiah 55:9, Luke 16:15, 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 3:4

looketh: John 7:24, 2 Corinthians 10:7, 2 Corinthians 10:10

outward appearance: Heb. eyes

on the heart: 1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalms 7:9, Psalms 139:2, Proverbs 15:11, Proverbs 16:2, Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 17:10, Jeremiah 20:12, Acts 1:24, Hebrews 4:13, Revelation 2:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 48:17 - displeased him Deuteronomy 1:17 - shall not Judges 7:4 - I will 1 Samuel 16:12 - of a beautiful countenance 1 Samuel 17:28 - I know 2 Samuel 7:3 - all that 2 Samuel 7:20 - knowest 1 Chronicles 17:2 - Do all 1 Chronicles 17:18 - thou knowest 1 Chronicles 29:17 - triest the heart 2 Chronicles 1:11 - this was 2 Chronicles 25:2 - but not Job 9:32 - not a man Psalms 45:13 - all glorious Psalms 51:6 - inward Proverbs 21:2 - the Lord Proverbs 24:12 - doth not he that Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember Isaiah 11:3 - and he shall not Zechariah 7:6 - did not ye eat for Matthew 23:28 - ye also John 2:24 - because John 4:24 - must John 8:15 - judge John 8:16 - yet Acts 15:8 - which Romans 2:29 - which 1 Corinthians 4:3 - it is

Cross-References

Genesis 20:1
From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 20:1
And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 20:1
Abraham left Hebron and traveled to southern Canaan where he stayed awhile between Kadesh and Shur. When he moved to Gerar,

Genesis 20:1
Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident in Gerar,

Genesis 20:1
And Abraham journeyed from thence towards the south country, and dwelt between Kadash and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 20:1
Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He sojourned in Gerar.

Genesis 20:1
Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the Negev (the South country), and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he lived temporarily in Gerar.

Genesis 20:1
Abraham yede forth fro thennus in to the lond of the south, and dwellide bitwixe Cades and Sur, and was a pilgrym in Geraris;

Genesis 20:1
And Abraham journeyeth from thence toward the land of the south, and dwelleth between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourneth in Gerar;

Genesis 20:1
Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 itself, that God had rejected that, and laid it aside as a qualification of a king, or as a rule to judge of a proper person to be a king; but no doubt it respected Eliab:

for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; man only sees what is without, but the Lord sees what is within; only the outward visible form of the body is seen by man, but the inward qualifications and endowments of the mind are seen by the Lord:

for man looketh on the outward appearance; the comeliness of a man's person, the majesty of his countenance, the height of his stature, and size of his body, things which recommended men to be kings among the nations of the world; :-, or "to the eyes" a; the liveliness, and briskness, and sharpness of them, thereby to judge of the sagacity and penetration of the mind, as physiognomists do; who guess at the disposition of men by them, when they are small or great, watery or dry, of this or the other colour b;

but the Lord looketh on the heart; and knows what is in that, what wisdom and prudence, justice and integrity, mercy and goodness, and other princely qualifications are in that. The Jewish writers conclude from hence that the heart of Eliab was not right; it may be, full of wrath, pride, envy, &c. which disqualified him for government.

a לעינים "ad oculos", Montanus. b Vid. Schotti Thaumaturg. Physic. par. 4. l. 7. c. 8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 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 favoured than Samuel.