1 Samuel 16:11 (GNV)

Passage

Finally, Samuel said vnto Ishai, Are there no more children but these? And hee sayde, There remaineth yet a litle one behinde, that keepeth the sheepe. Then Samuel saide vnto Ishai, Sende and set him: for we will not sit downe, till he be come hither.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:9 Then Ishai made Shammah come. And he said, Neither yet hath the Lord chosen him.

1 Samuel 16:10 Againe Ishai made his seue sonnes to come before Samuel: and Samuel saide vnto Ishai, The Lord hath chosen none of these.

1 Samuel 16:11 Finally, Samuel said vnto Ishai, Are there no more children but these? And hee sayde, There remaineth yet a litle one behinde, that keepeth the sheepe. Then Samuel saide vnto Ishai, Sende and set him: for we will not sit downe, till he be come hither.

1 Samuel 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in: and he was ruddie, and of a good countenance, and comely visage. And the Lord saide, Arise, and anoynt him: for this is he.

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel tooke the horne of oyle, and anoynted him in the middes of his brethren. And the Spirit of the Lord came vpon Dauid, from that day forwarde: then Samuel rose vp, and went to Ramah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "finally", "samuel", "said", "vnto", "ishai", "children", and "sayde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "finally", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Againe Ishai made his seue sonnes to..." into verse 12's "And he sent and brought him in...", so "sheep" and "finally" 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 "finally" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.