Bible Strands
1 Samuel 16:8
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesse calls his son Abinadab and presents him to Samuel during the search for a new king. Samuel responds to the presentation by declaring that the LORD has not selected this son.
The words — וַ/יַּעֲבִרֵ֖/הוּ (va/i.ya.'a.vi.Re./hu) literally means "and he made pass by," describing the physical act of moving Abinadab forward for inspection. אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב ('a.Vi.na.Dav) identifies the specific second son being examined in this sequence.
The thread — This rejection pattern repeats immediately in 1 Samuel 16:9 with Shammah and echoes the broader narrative of Jesse's family in 1 Samuel 17:13 and 1 Chronicles 2:13. The structural repetition across these passages confirms a deliberate literary sequence of divine rejection before selection.
Why it lands — The text establishes that prophetic evaluation follows a strict sequence of divine dismissal rather than human presumption. Readers must track each named son to see how the narrative systematically rules out human expectations before revealing the chosen one.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 17:13 The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
- 1 Chronicles 2:13 Jesse was the father of Eliab his firstborn; Abinadab was born second, Shimea third,