1 Samuel 16:8 (GNV)

Passage

Then Ishai called Abinadab, and made him come before Samuel. And he saide, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:6 And when they were come, hee looked on Eliab, and saide, Surely the Lordes Anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said vnto Samuel, Looke not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature, because I haue refused him: for God seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord beholdeth the heart.

1 Samuel 16:8 Then Ishai called Abinadab, and made him come before Samuel. And he saide, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "ishai", "abinadab", "come", "before", "samuel", "saide", and "neither". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "ishai", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "But the Lord said vnto Samuel Looke..." into verse 9's "Then Ishai made Shammah come And he...", so "called" and "ishai" 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 "called" and "ishai" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.