1 Samuel 16:6

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. He thought, "This has to be the one the LORD wants me to anoint for him."

1 Samuel 16:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 16:6

And it came to pass, when they were come
Jesse and his sons, into the house where the entertainment was; and perhaps before they sat down, went into a private apartment by the direction of Samuel, where he acquainted Jesse with the business he came upon:

that he looked on Eliab;
who was Jesse's firstborn, ( 1 Chronicles 2:13 ) , called Elihu, ( 1 Chronicles 27:18 )

and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him;
or this is the person it is his pleasure should be anointed king.

1 Samuel 16:6 In-Context

4 Samuel did what the LORD said. He arrived at Bethlehem. The elders of the town met him. They were trembling with fear. They asked, "Have you come in peace?"

5 Samuel replied, "Yes, I've come in peace. I've come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Set yourselves apart to him and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord. He invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. He thought, "This has to be the one the LORD wants me to anoint for him."

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I have not chosen him. I do not look at the things people look at. Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. But I look at what is in the heart."

8 Then Jesse called for Abinadab. He had him walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD hasn't chosen him either."