Misinterpretations often isolate this verse to imply a personal flaw or unworthiness in Shammah without context, ignoring that it illustrates God's sovereign choice over human preferences and the pattern of rejecting older brothers; others erroneously apply it to justify discrimination against people based on looks or status today, inverting the passage's lesson against judging by appearances and promoting humility before divine will.
I Samuel 16:9
King James Version (1769)
9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
This verse continues the account of Jesse presenting his sons to the prophet Samuel for God's anointing of Israel's next king, where Shammah passes by but is rejected, underscoring the theme that God does not choose based on outward appearance, strength, or human standards, but looks upon the heart, setting the stage for the unexpected selection of the youngest son David as a man after God's own heart.