So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. Yahweh said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”
- KJV And 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.
- NKJV So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”
- NASB So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was reddish, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”
- NLT So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David arrives, and the LORD tells Samuel to anoint him, for he is the chosen one. God's hidden choice is now revealed.
Overview
Though David is also described as handsome, the point is that God, who sees the heart, has selected him, confirming verse 7. The decisive factor is God's word, 'this is he,' not David's appearance. This moment inaugurates the reign of the man after God's own heart, the forerunner of Christ the King.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Song 5:10My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, outstanding among ten thousand.
- Lam 4:7Her dignitaries were brighter than snow, whiter than milk; their bodies were more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires.
- Ps 89:19–20You once spoke in a vision; to Your godly ones You said, “I have bestowed help on a warrior; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
- Acts 4:27In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
- Gen 39:6So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
- Ps 2:2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
- Acts 7:20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.
- 1 Sam 9:17When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My people.”
- 1 Sam 17:42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
- Ps 2:6“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
- Heb 11:23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were unafraid of the king’s edict.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 16:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.