And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.

1 SAMUEL 16:6KJV
Know the Bible

1 Samuel 16:6 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 16:6 mean?

1 Samuel 16:6 describes how, when Jesse’s sons arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought that Eliab must be the one God had chosen to be king. Samuel assumed, based on Eliab’s appearance, that he was the LORD’s anointed successor to Saul.

Samuel, the prophet, was sent by God to anoint a new king from among Jesse’s sons in Bethlehem. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, he immediately believed Eliab looked like the right choice for king. This moment sets up the lesson that God’s choice is not based on outward appearance, which is revealed in the following verses.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 16:6

  • "come" (בּוֹא, bo’): This word signals the arrival of Jesse’s sons, marking the start of Samuel’s evaluation.
  • "looked" (רָאָה, ra’ah): This word means to see or look at, and here it highlights that Samuel’s judgment was based on what he saw with his eyes.
  • "said" (אָמַר, amar): Samuel’s internal thought or spoken words show his expectation that God’s chosen king would be obvious.
  • "LORD'S" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God, emphasizing that the choice of king is God’s alone.
  • "anointed" (מָשִׁיחַ, mashiach): This word refers to someone chosen and set apart by God, often a king or priest, and is the root for the word “Messiah.”

Why 1 Samuel 16:6 matters

  • 1 Samuel 16:6 shows that even a prophet like Samuel could make assumptions based on outward appearances, which prepares the reader for God’s correction in the next verse.
  • The verse introduces the idea that God’s standards for leadership are different from human expectations, an important theme in the story of David’s anointing.
  • This moment connects to the wider passage by setting up a contrast between human judgment and God’s deeper insight, which is a key lesson in the selection of David as king.

Where else these words appear

“Eliab” Hebrew H446 · used in 20 verses

  • Numbers 1:9 Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.
  • Numbers 16:12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
  • 1 Chronicles 2:13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third,

“anointed” Hebrew H4899 · used in 38 verses

  • Leviticus 4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
  • 1 Samuel 26:16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.
  • Psalms 20:6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.