# Where is “The Lord looks at the heart” in the Bible?

> “The Lord looks at the heart” is 1 Samuel 16:7.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-lord-looks-at-the-heart
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

God says it to the prophet Samuel, who has come to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.

## The verse

> But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, for I have rejected him. Yahweh does not see the way a human being sees. People see what meets the eye, but Yahweh sees into the heart.”
>
> — [1 Samuel 16:7](https://www.lumin.faith/read/1-samuel/16#7) (Lumin Translation)

English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here.

## What it means there

Samuel assumed the tall eldest son was the one. God turns him down, and six more brothers after him. The youngest, David, was out with the sheep.

## Common questions

### Where is “The Lord looks at the heart” in the Bible?

“The Lord looks at the heart” is 1 Samuel 16:7. English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here. God says it to the prophet Samuel, who has come to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.

### Is “The Lord looks at the heart” in the Bible?

Yes. It is 1 Samuel 16:7. In the Lumin Translation, 1 Samuel 16:7 reads: “But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, for I have rejected him. Yahweh does not see the way a human being sees. People see what meets the eye, but Yahweh sees into the heart.””

### Who said “The Lord looks at the heart”?

God says it to the prophet Samuel, who has come to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king.

### What does “The Lord looks at the heart” mean in the Bible?

Samuel assumed the tall eldest son was the one. God turns him down, and six more brothers after him. The youngest, David, was out with the sheep.

## More

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