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Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
1 Samuel 16:9 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
  • KJV Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
  • NKJV Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
  • NASB Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”
  • NLT Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.”

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

Jesse presents Shammah, but again the LORD has not chosen him. The pattern of divine refusal continues.

Overview

A third capable son is set aside, deepening the theme that God's criteria are hidden from human sight. The narrative repetition stresses that no merely natural qualification secures God's choice. It heightens anticipation for the one God has truly appointed.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • 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,
  • 2 Sam 13:3Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 16:9YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 16:9 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.