Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
1 Samuel 16 Bible study: The LORD looks at the heart
"I have provided a king for myself" (16:1) is, in Hebrew, I have seen: the verb of "man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (16:7). And "the LORD’s Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward" (16:13) stands one verse from "Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul" (16:14).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.””
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel first saw Eliab, he said the LORD's anointed was before him.”
Is that in 1 Samuel 16, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A king for myself
The chapter before ends, "Samuel mourned for Saul. The LORD grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel" (15:35). This one opens with the LORD's question: "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?" (16:1). In Hebrew mourn is the verb of 15:35's mourned. Then: "Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons" (16:1). The people had said, "Now make us a king" (8:5), and Samuel had told them, "see the king whom you have chosen and whom you have asked for" (12:13). Here the LORD says for myself. In Hebrew I have provided is ra'iti, I have seen, the verb that runs through this chapter (tap sees). Three chapters earlier Samuel had told Saul, "The LORD has sought for himself a man after his own heart" (13:14). This chapter doesn't say that man and Jesse's son are the same, and it doesn't use the word king again after 16:1.
Where it leads to Jesus
Born in David's city
1 Samuel 16:4leads toLuke 2:11
The LORD sends Samuel "to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided a king for myself among his sons" (16:1), and "Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem" (16:4). Jesse and his sons come to the sacrifice (16:5), and his youngest son is anointed "in the middle of his brothers" (16:13), and the next chapter says, "Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse" (17:12). The New Testament calls the town by his name. Joseph went up "to David’s city, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David" (Luke 2:4), and the angel told the shepherds, "For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). In John, some in the crowd ask, "Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" (John 7:42). Luke and John don't cite 1 Samuel 16; the link they make is David's town and David's family.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about 1 Samuel 16
That was a taste
The rest of 1 Samuel 16 is waiting in Favor
- Not as man sees
- In the middle of his brothers
- One verse apart
- The Philistine looked, and saw
- How the chapter names it
- 8 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 16 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
רָאָהra'ahsay ra-AH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "see". Strong's: "to see, literally or figuratively", with "provide" among its renderings. The chapter uses it seven times. The LORD says, "I have provided a king for myself among his sons" (16:1): in Hebrew I have provided is this verb, I have seen. At Bethlehem Samuel "looked at Eliab" (16:6), and the LORD says, "I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (16:7): sees and both looks are this verb (the WEB's I don’t see supplies a verb the Hebrew leaves unsaid). Then Saul says, "Provide me now a man who can play well" (16:17), and one of his young men answers, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite" (16:18). David's "good appearance" (16:12) is tov ro'i, a noun Strong's gives as "from 7200", this verb. The chapter before ends, "Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death" (15:35), with this verb too. In Genesis it is the verb of "God will provide himself the lamb" (Genesis 22:8).
For your group
1 Samuel 16 Bible study questions
- 1"Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (16:7). Where are you most likely to judge by outward appearance: other people, or yourself?
- 2When his brothers passed before Samuel, the youngest was "keeping the sheep" (16:11). What ordinary, unseen work is in front of you right now, and how could you do it knowing that the LORD sees it?
- 3When David played, "Saul was refreshed and was well" (16:23). Who has God used to bring you relief when you were troubled, and who could you do that for this week?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads 1 Samuel 16 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read 1 Samuel 16 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach 1 Samuel 16 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with 1 Samuel 16
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home