1 Samuel 16:7 (DRB)

Passage

And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:5 And he said: It is peaceable: I am come to offer sacrifice to the Lord, be ye sanctified, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Isai and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord's anointed before him?

1 Samuel 16:7 And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.

1 Samuel 16:8 And Isai called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. And he said: Neither hath the Lord chosen this,

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "said", "samuel", "look", "countenance", "height", "stature", and "rejected". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And when they were come in he..." into verse 8's "And Isai called Abinadab and brought him...", so "lord" and "said" 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 "lord" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.