Home › Bible verses › 1 Samuel 16:7

1 Samuel 16:7

“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 16:7, King James Version (KJV)

“But the LORD 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 the LORD looks at the heart.””

World English Bible (WEB)

Read 1 Samuel 16:7 in the NIV, ESV and 13 more Bibles, with study notes and the original Hebrew, in the Path & Light app.

1 Samuel 16 (KJV)

  1. 1And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
  2. 2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
  3. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
  4. 4And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
  5. 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.
  6. 6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.
  7. 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.
  8. 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
  9. 9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
  10. 10Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
  11. 11And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
  12. 12And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
  13. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
  14. 14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
  15. 15And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
  16. 16Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
  17. 17And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
  18. 18Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
  19. 19Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.
  20. 20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
  21. 21And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
  22. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
  23. 23And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

Related verses

Passages that readers often connect with 1 Samuel 16:7, in the King James Version.

  • John 7:24

    Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

  • Jeremiah 17:10

    I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

  • Luke 16:15

    And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

  • Isaiah 55:8–9

    For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. …

  • 1 Peter 3:4

    But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

  • Proverbs 16:2

    All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

More verses about heart

Study 1 Samuel 16:7 in the app

Read it in the NIV, ESV and 13 more Bibles, see every related verse, and ask what it means. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you once, at launch.

Read our Privacy Policy for how we handle your email. One message at launch, nothing else.

1769 standardized text (eBible.org eng-kjv). Public domain outside the United Kingdom. Text courtesy of the Crosswire Bible Society and eBible.org. World English Bible Protestant Edition (eBible engwebp, 2026-09-15 snapshot). Public domain. World English Bible is a trademark of eBible.org. Text unmodified; footnotes and formatting omitted. Related verses: OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0), from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.