When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely here before the LORD is His anointed.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When they had come, he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely Yahweh’s anointed is before him.”
- KJV And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.
- NKJV So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”
- NASB When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is standing before Him.”
- NLT When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”
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
Seeing the impressive Eliab, Samuel assumes he must be the LORD's anointed. Even the prophet is tempted to judge by outward appearance.
Overview
Samuel, looking at Eliab's stature, jumps to a human conclusion about who the king should be. That even a seasoned prophet errs here heightens the lesson God is about to teach. It exposes the universal tendency to measure worth by external impressiveness rather than the heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Sam 17:13The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
- 1 Chr 2:13Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,
- Judg 8:18Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
- 1 Sam 17:22Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
- 1 Chr 27:18over Judah was Elihu, one of David’s brothers; over Issachar was Omri son of Michael;
- 1 Kgs 12:26Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David.
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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 16:6 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
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