1 Samuel 16:11 (DRB)

Passage

And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:9 And Isai brought Samma, and he said of him: Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

1 Samuel 16:10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these.

1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

1 Samuel 16:12 He sent therefore and brought him. Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he.

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward: and Samuel rose up, and went to Ramatha.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "samuel", "said", "isai", "here", "sons", "answered", and "remaineth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "samuel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Isai therefore brought his seven sons before..." into verse 12's "He sent therefore and brought him Now...", so "sheep" and "samuel" 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 "sheep" and "samuel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.