What does 1 Samuel 15:5 mean?

King Saul mustered a large army of Israelites to carry out the command of the Lord. This order involves the Hebrew word ḥāram, which means to "devote to destruction." This implies an absolute, unbending approach. Every living person and animal among the Amalekites is to be slain (1 Samuel 15:3). The army has traveled south toward the Amalekites' home region of the Negev. They set up camp near the "city" of the Amalekites, an apparent gathering place that is more than a temporary camp, but perhaps not a full-fledged town since the Amalekites were nomadic people.

Using some degree of stealth, Saul's army takes up position in a nearby valley to lay in wait for the opportune moment to strike. Some commentators speculate that this valley may have been, or been near, the Brook of Egypt, often seen as Israel's southern border (Numbers 34:5; Ezekiel 47:19).