Chapter
Verse

1 Samuel 16:8

ESV Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one."
NIV Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."
NASB Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, 'The Lord has not chosen this one, either.'
CSB Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. "The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either," Samuel said.
NLT Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, 'This is not the one the Lord has chosen.'
KJV Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
NKJV So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”

What does 1 Samuel 16:8 mean?

Samuel is in Bethlehem to anoint a new king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1). This new king is one of Jesse's sons, but God has not yet told Samuel which one (1 Samuel 16:3). Samuel has invited the town elders and Jesse's family to a sacrifice. Now, Jesse's sons are passing before Samuel. They seem to know that God has chosen one of them for something (1 Samuel 16:10). It is unclear whether they know the specifics of the anointing.

The Lord has already rejected the firstborn son Eliab (1 Samuel 16:6–7). Now Jesse calls Abinadab, his second-born son (1 Samuel 17:13), to step forward. It is possible Samuel was also consecrating the men for the sacrifice as they came to him (1 Samuel 16:5). It is unclear from the text whether it is the Lord speaking to Samuel in this verse or Samuel who says to Jesse that the Lord has not chosen this one, either.
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