Verse
1 Samuel 16:7 — But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the…
“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
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Read it in context
The verses around 1 Samuel 16:7.
5And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.
7But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
Verse explanation
The idea that God looks “on the heart,” not on appearance, is said right after Samuel had already been impressed by the height of Eliab, David’s oldest brother — the verse exists to correct the prophet’s own first wrong impression.
From the 1 Samuel 16 study in Bible in Stories.
1 Samuel 16:7 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
Porém o Senhor disse a Samuel: Não attentes para a sua apparencia, nem para a altura da sua estatura, porque o tenho rejeitado, porque o Senhor não vê como vê o homem, pois o homem vê o que está diante dos olhos, porém o Senhor olha para o coração
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
E o SENHOR respondeu a Samuel: Não olhes à sua aparência, nem à sua grande estatura, porque eu o rejeito; porque o SENHOR olha não o que o homem olha; pois que o homem olha o que está diante de seus olhos, mas o SENHOR olha o coração.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
Pero el Señor le dijo a Samuel: “No te fijes en su aspecto exterior ni en su altura porque lo he rechazado. Porque el Señor no mira como los seres humanos. Los seres humanos sólo ven con sus ojos lo que está en el exterior, pero el Señor mira la forma de pensar de las personas en su interior”.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (1 Samuel 16:7) · Español (1 Samuel 16:7)
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