See the story in 1 Sam 16.7-10, where Jesse sends his sons in review before Samuel, but none of them meets the prophet’s (that is, God’s) approval. The idea is not that the Lord disliked these young men, but simply that none of them was his choice to succeed King Saul.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• My brothers were handsome and tall,
but the Lord did not choose any of them.

• He did not choose my brothers,
though they were tall
and handsome (Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see