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.

1 SAMUEL 16:7KJV
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1 Samuel 16:7 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 16:7 mean?

In 1 Samuel 16:7, the LORD tells Samuel not to judge Jesse’s son Eliab by his appearance or height. Samuel might see a promising king in Eliab’s impressive looks, but the LORD has rejected him and sees what lies within a person.

The LORD speaks as Samuel is looking at Eliab and thinking he must be the chosen one. The contrast between outward appearance and the heart explains why Samuel’s first impression is not the basis for the LORD’s choice.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 16:7

  • “heart” — לֵבָב (levav): The word can refer to a person’s inner life, including thoughts and intentions. In this verse, it points beyond Eliab’s visible features to what the LORD sees within him.
  • “appearance” — עַיִן (ayin): This word often means “eye” and can also refer to what is visible. The KJV’s “outward appearance” captures the contrast between what people can see and what the LORD sees.

Why 1 Samuel 16:7 matters

  • Eliab’s height is not proof that he is the LORD’s choice. Samuel is told to look neither at Eliab’s “countenance” nor at “the height of his stature.”
  • The LORD’s choice unfolds beyond the sons Jesse first presents. David is brought in from tending sheep, and the LORD tells Samuel to anoint him in verses 11–13. “Anoint” means to pour oil on someone as a sign of being chosen for a task.
  • The passage also describes David as good-looking in verse 12. The point is not that a chosen king must lack good looks, but that looks alone do not establish the LORD’s choice.

Where else these words appear

“height” Hebrew H1364 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
  • Psalms 104:18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies.
  • Jeremiah 2:20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

“stature” Hebrew H6967 · used in 43 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • 1 Kings 6:20 And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
  • 2 Chronicles 6:13 For Solomon had made a brasen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,

“Look” Hebrew H5027 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
  • Psalms 22:17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
  • Isaiah 38:11 I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

“refused” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 31:13 If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
  • Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.