1 Samuel 16:7 (WEB)

Passage

But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 16:5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 When they had come, he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely Yahweh’s anointed is before him.”

1 Samuel 16:7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see 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. He said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”

1 Samuel 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "When they had come he looked at..." into verse 8's "Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him...", so "yahweh" 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 "yahweh" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.