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.
Study Note
Study Note
God's correction of Samuel's assessment of Eliab — 'the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart' — is one of the Hebrew Bible's most foundational statements about the contrast between divine and human epistemology. The context makes the rebuke doubly pointed: Samuel the prophet — whose vocation is to see with divine rather than human eyes — has repeated Saul's mistake (1 Samuel 9:2: Saul chosen partly for his impressive appearance). The Hebrew 'mar'eh' (outward appearance) versus 'levavot' (hearts) sets up the contrast that runs through the entire David narrative: David's inward faithfulness (a man after God's own heart, 13:14) over against external credentials. New Testament applications are abundant: 1 Corinthians 4:5 ('the Lord will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will manifest the counsels of the hearts') and John 7:24 ('judge not according to the appearance').
Other Translations
But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.
And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, `Look not unto his appearance, and unto the height of his stature, for I have rejected him; for <FI>it is<Fi> not as man seeth--for man looketh at the eyes, and Jehovah looketh at the heart.'
But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not take note of his face or how tall he is, because I will not have him: for the Lord's view is not man's; man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart.
Cross References
And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not …
And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of …
And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like …
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole …
Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his …
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and …
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the …
Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth …
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.