1 Samuel 16:9 (LSB)

Passage

Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.”

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.”

1 Samuel 16:9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.”

1 Samuel 16:10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen these.”

1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the young men?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is shepherding the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not turn around until he comes here.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "next", "jesse", "shammah", "pass", "said", "yahweh", "chosen", and "either". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "next" and "jesse", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him..." into verse 10's "Thus Jesse made seven of his sons...", so "next" and "jesse" 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 "next" and "jesse" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.