1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ¹  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ²  People look on the outward appearance, ³  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Psalms 147:10-11

147:10 He is not enamored with the strength of a horse,

nor is he impressed by the warrior’s strong legs. ⁴ 

147:11 The Lord takes delight in his faithful followers, ⁵ 

and in those who wait for his loyal love.

Psalms 149:4

149:4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he exalts the oppressed by delivering them. ⁶ 

Luke 16:15

16:15 But ⁷  Jesus ⁸  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ⁹  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ¹⁰  among men is utterly detestable ¹¹  in God’s sight.

[16:7]  ¹ tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ² tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ³ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[147:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “he does not desire the strength of the horse, he does not take delight in the legs of the man.” Here “the horse” refers to the war horse used by ancient Near Eastern chariot forces, and “the man” refers to the warrior whose muscular legs epitomize his strength.

[147:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[149:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “he honors the oppressed [with] deliverance.”

[16:15]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ¹⁰ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).