1 Samuel 16:10 kjv
Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
1 Samuel 16:10 nkjv
Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."
1 Samuel 16:10 niv
Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these."
1 Samuel 16:10 esv
And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."
1 Samuel 16:10 nlt
In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."
1 Samuel 16 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 16:7 | But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance... for the LORD sees not as man sees..." | God looks at the heart, not outward appearance. |
| Ps 78:70-71 | He chose David his servant... took him from the sheepfolds... | God's choice of David from obscurity. |
| Ps 89:20 | I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him. | God sovereignly chooses and anoints. |
| Acts 13:22 | And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king... | God's divine hand in king-making. |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways..." | God's ways are higher than human ways. |
| 1 Cor 1:27-28 | But God chose what is foolish in the world... what is weak... to shame the strong... | God uses the lowly and overlooked. |
| Matt 20:16 | "So the last will be first, and the first last." | Reversal of human expectations. |
| John 6:44 | "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." | Divine election and sovereign drawing. |
| Rom 9:11-16 | ...not because of works but because of his call... so it depends not on human will... | God's sovereign choice, not human merit. |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. | Reliance on God's wisdom over human. |
| Jer 9:23-24 | ...let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me... | True boast is in knowing God, not human attributes. |
| Zech 4:6 | "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. | God's work is by His Spirit, not human strength. |
| Ps 147:10-11 | His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man... | God values fear of Him, not physical might. |
| Lk 1:52 | He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. | God's pattern of exalting the humble. |
| Jas 4:6 | "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | Grace for the humble. |
| 1 Pet 5:5 | ...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | Call to humility, mirroring God's choice. |
| Ex 33:19 | "...I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." | God's sovereignty in choosing. |
| Deut 7:7 | "It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you..." | God chooses not based on outward size or status. |
| Matt 11:25 | "...You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children..." | God's wisdom is revealed to the simple, not the proud. |
| Lk 16:15 | "...For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." | Human standards are often opposed to God's. |
| Rom 11:5 | So too at the present time there has come to be a remnant, chosen by grace. | Divine election based on grace. |
| Eph 1:4 | ...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world... | God's pre-ordained sovereign choice. |
1 Samuel 16 verses
1 Samuel 16 10 Meaning
This verse highlights the continued procession of Jesse's sons before Samuel. It explicitly states that seven of them, presumably all those who were outwardly eligible and present, have now been brought forth by Jesse and rejected by God. It underscores the narrative tension and divine patience in a sequence of rejections, preparing for the unexpected revelation of God's true chosen one. The implication is that humanly speaking, all the likely candidates have been exhausted.
1 Samuel 16 10 Context
First Samuel chapter 16 begins with God sending Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king for Israel, after rejecting King Saul due to his disobedience. Samuel is in mourning over Saul, but God urges him to look forward. Upon arriving at Jesse's house, Samuel meets Jesse's sons. Each time Jesse brings a son, Samuel, influenced by outward appearance (as he initially was with Eliab in 1 Sam 16:6), anticipates that this must be the one. However, each time, the Lord explicitly tells Samuel that this is not His choice, emphasizing that "man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). Verse 10 specifically details that this process has been repeated, with seven sons having now passed before Samuel and God having rejected each one. This builds intense suspense, as human expectation of finding the king from among the eligible, presented sons has been completely overturned, making way for the introduction of David.
1 Samuel 16 10 Word analysis
- Again: This word signifies repetition and persistent divine refusal. It highlights that this is not an isolated event, but a deliberate process where God continually overrides human expectation. The narrative suspense builds with each repetition, emphasizing the thoroughness of God's rejection of conventional choices.
- Jesse: יִשַׁי (Yishai). He is presented as the father from whom God's chosen king will emerge. He obediently presents his sons to Samuel, yet he himself, like Samuel, does not initially perceive God's unexpected choice. Jesse represents ordinary humanity attempting to fulfill a divine directive with human understanding.
- made seven: וַיַּעֲבֵר שִׁבְעָה (vayya'aver shiv'ah). "Made...pass" signifies Jesse bringing his sons forth for inspection. The number seven (שִׁבְעָה, shiv'ah) is highly symbolic in biblical literature, often denoting completeness, perfection, or a divine work cycle. Here, it implies that the full count of Jesse's available and apparently suitable sons, according to human assessment, has been presented. It marks the exhaustion of all natural possibilities, making God's subsequent choice even more profound and clearly divine.
- of his sons: These are Jesse's offspring, expected heirs, representing human lineage and natural succession. Their repeated rejection demonstrates that God's selection criteria transcend biological privilege or typical family seniority.
- pass before Samuel: Samuel, as the prophet and God's agent, is the observer and instrument of God's choice. This phrase indicates the solemn ceremony and divine scrutiny occurring through the prophet's discerning presence. Samuel acts as a funnel for God's divine word of approval or rejection.
Words-group analysis
- "Again, Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel." This phrase collectively emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the human process of elimination under divine direction. It reveals the inadequacy of all humanly chosen or likely candidates and reinforces the theme of God's distinct and surprising choice, preparing the audience for the revelation of someone entirely unexpected and overlooked. The 'again' highlights the persistent overturning of human expectation.
1 Samuel 16 10 Bonus section
The repetitive nature of God's rejections in this chapter foreshadows a recurring biblical pattern where God bypasses the prominent and powerful to choose the obscure and seemingly insignificant. This pattern finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, who came not with worldly splendor but as a humble servant (Phil 2:7), overlooked and rejected by many, yet chosen by God as the King of Kings. This narrative reinforces that divine election is always a work of grace, not based on human merit or human expectation. The sequence of rejections in 1 Sam 16 also serves as a pedagogical tool for Samuel, retraining him to rely on divine insight rather than superficial judgment, a lesson essential for his prophetic ministry.
1 Samuel 16 10 Commentary
This verse, though short, is profoundly significant within 1 Samuel and the broader biblical narrative. It acts as a pivot, marking the culmination of rejections that clear the stage for David. It reiterates a fundamental theological principle: God's selection criteria are utterly distinct from human ones. While humans evaluate external attributes like stature, appearance, and societal standing, God judges the inner person, the heart (1 Sam 16:7). The rejection of all seven seemingly eligible sons highlights God's sovereign freedom and His counter-intuitive method of choosing the unexpected and the humble to fulfill His purposes. It teaches us not to lean on our own understanding or judgment of people, for God sees what we cannot.