Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageJesse had all seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen any of these."
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GYishai presented seven of his sons before Sh'mu'el, and Sh'mu'el said to Yishai, "YHWH has not chosen any of these."
KJV
King James VersionAgain, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The LORD has not chosen any of these.”
Footnotes
The number seven (שִׁבְעַת, *shiv'at*) carries the symbolic weight of completeness in Hebrew thought — seven sons pass, and none is chosen. The literary device is deliberate: all of human sufficiency is exhausted before YHWH acts. The eighth son — David — is the one beyond the reckoning of fullness, just as the eighth day in Jewish thought transcends the seven-day cycle of created time. Scripture's pattern of divine election consistently overturns human arithmetic: the younger over the elder, the eighth over the seven, the last over the first.