The Meaning of 1 Samuel 16:11 Explained

1 Samuel 16:11

KJV: And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

YLT: And Samuel saith unto Jesse, 'Are the young men finished?' and he saith, 'Yet hath been left the youngest; and lo, he delighteth himself among the flock;' and Samuel saith unto Jesse, 'Send and take him, for we do not turn round till his coming in hither.'

Darby: And Samuel said to Jesse, Are these all the young men? And he said, There is yet the youngest remaining, and behold, he is feeding the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit at table till he come hither.

ASV: And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Samuel  said  unto Jesse,  Are here all  [thy] children?  And he said,  There remaineth  yet the youngest,  and, behold, he keepeth  the sheep.  And Samuel  said  unto Jesse,  Send  and fetch  him: for we will not sit down  till he come  hither. 

What does 1 Samuel 16:11 Mean?

Context Summary

1Samuel 16:1-13 - God's Choice Of His Anointed
The anointing of the young shepherd, with his ruddy cheeks and deep, poetic eyes, is a beautiful episode, in very marked contrast to the events preceding. He had already given proof of his indomitable courage, 1 Samuel 17:34. They had to fetch him from his sheep, which he was pasturing beside the still waters and on the hillside. God had found him beforehand, Psalms 89:20. "He chose David also His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds"¦ to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance," Psalms 78:70-71.
The procession of David's brethren before Samuel was very impressive. They probably remembered that Saul had been chosen for his splendid physique, and each held himself high and proud. "Surely," said Jesse to himself, "one of them will captivate the prophet's eye." But no! God chooses by the inward temper and disposition. He knew that David was a man after His own heart. The lad had been faithful in a few things and was now to be made ruler over many. The anointing oil reminds us of the anointing for service which was communicated to our Lord at His baptism. In David's case it was accompanied by a glorious Pentecost, 1 Samuel 16:13. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1Samuel 16

1  Samuel sent by God, under pretense of a sacrifice, comes to Bethlehem
6  His human judgment is reproved
11  He anoints David
15  Saul sends for David to quiet his evil spirit

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 16:11 mean?

And said Samuel to Jesse Are here all the young men and he said yet there remains the youngest and there he is keeping the sheep Send and bring him for not we will sit down till he comes here
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֣ל אֶל־ יִשַׁי֮ הֲתַ֣מּוּ ؟ הַנְּעָרִים֒ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר ע֚וֹד שָׁאַ֣ר הַקָּטָ֔ן וְהִנֵּ֥ה רֹעֶ֖ה בַּצֹּ֑אן שִׁלְחָ֣ה וְקָחֶ֔נּוּ כִּ֥י לֹא־ נָסֹ֖ב עַד־ בֹּא֥וֹ פֹֽה

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שְׁמוּאֵ֣ל  Samuel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמוּאֵל  
Sense: son of Elkanah by his wife Hannah and judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David.
יִשַׁי֮  Jesse 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישַׁי 
Sense: son of Boaz and the father of king David.
הֲתַ֣מּוּ  Are  here  all 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: תָּמַם  
Sense: to be complete, be finished, be at an end.
؟ הַנְּעָרִים֒  the  young  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ע֚וֹד  yet 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
שָׁאַ֣ר  there  remains 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
הַקָּטָ֔ן  the  youngest 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קָטָן 
Sense: young, small, insignificant, unimportant.
וְהִנֵּ֥ה  and  there  he  is 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
רֹעֶ֖ה  keeping 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
בַּצֹּ֑אן  the  sheep 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
שִׁלְחָ֣ה  Send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וְקָחֶ֔נּוּ  and  bring  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
נָסֹ֖ב  we  will  sit  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
עַד־  till 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
בֹּא֥וֹ  he  comes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
פֹֽה  here 
Parse: Adverb
Root: פֹּה  
Sense: here, from here, hither.