1 Samuel 16:6 (DBY)

Passage

And it came to pass when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:4 And Samuel did what Jehovah said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him, and said, Dost thou come peaceably?

1 Samuel 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah. Hallow yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he hallowed Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 And it came to pass when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:7 But Jehovah said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man seeth; for man looketh upon the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh upon the heart.

1 Samuel 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has Jehovah chosen this one.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "pass", "come", "looked", "eliab", "said", "surely", and "jehovah's". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "pass", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And he said Peaceably I am come..." into verse 7's "But Jehovah said to Samuel Look not...", so "came" and "pass" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "pass" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.