1 Samuel 15:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret."

NIV: He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind."

NASB: Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.'

CSB: Furthermore, the Eternal One of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not man who changes his mind."

NLT: And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!'

KJV: And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

NKJV: And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”

Samuel is communicating clearly that the Lord's decision to remove Saul from the kingdom is final. It is over (1 Samuel 15:22–26). The prophet has said that the Lord has done it "this day," tearing the kingdom from Saul as Saul has torn Samuel's own robe (1 Samuel 15:28). The earthly fulfillment will take time, but God's favor is no longer on Saul or his rule.

Samuel uses an interesting name for God: the Glory of Israel. He will not change his mind, Samuel says. The Glory of Israel does not lie and he does not have regret. This echoes Numbers 23:19: "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind."

Reading this passage in English or other translated languages can suggest a contradiction. In two other places in this chapter, the text associates God's "regret" with Saul (1 Samuel 15:11, 35). The key is understanding that Hebrew's small vocabulary means words often have wide meanings. These need context to be fully interpreted. The root term here is nacham, literally meaning "to sigh." In various contexts, it can refer to the angst of making a mistake, or to emotional pain, or to being comforted. While God indicates negative emotions about what his happening, He is still acting according to His plan. Similar expressions are seen elsewhere in Scripture (Genesis 6:6–7; John 11:33–37).

Samuel, however, uses the term in the sense of realizing an error. This, God cannot do, because He cannot make mistakes. The Lord, in some way, feels grief over Saul's fall. But He still intends, as He always did, to remove Saul from the throne. This verse is clear that the Lord does not change His mind about His decisions or declarations. This is related to the way in which God may allow us the freedom to sin, but that sin grieves Him, as does our rejection of Him (Ezekiel 33:11). The Lord made Saul king, and He meant it. He will now remove Saul from being king, and He will stand by that, as well. What God declares will happen. At the same time, God can be grieved by sin and thus "regret" that human sin causes as much harm as did Saul's.

First Samuel 15:24–35 demonstrates that the Lord is firm in His rejection of Saul. Saul disobeyed God's commands about the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3, 9). After Samuel's confrontation (1 Samuel 15:22–23), Saul admits his guilt. Samuel refuses to offer a pardon. As he leaves, Saul clutches at Samuel's robe and tears it. Samuel says this symbolizes how the throne will be torn out of Saul's hands. Samuel follows Saul to Gilgal and personally, brutally executes the Amalekite king Agag. This is the last time Samuel will come to meet with Saul.

Samuel gives Saul a mission from the Lord: fulfill God's judgment on the Amalekites by killing all the people and all the animals. Saul and his army defeat Amalek, but they spare the king and the best animals. Samuel confronts Saul and reveals that because of his disobedience, the Lord has rejected Saul as king over Israel. Samuel worships the Lord with Saul one last time and then executes the Amalekite king Saul failed to kill.

First Samuel 14 ended with a summary of Saul's reign; chapter 15 describes God's rejection of Saul as king. First Samuel 13 had already indicated that Saul's household would not retain the kingdom due to Saul's disobedience (1 Samuel 13:8–14); here Saul himself is rejected. The Lord commands Saul to fulfill His longstanding judgment against the Amalekites. Saul and his army defeat Amalek, but Saul disobeys God by sparing the king and the best animals. Saul eventually admits that he has sinned, but Samuel says God will not change His mind about rejecting Saul as king. From a heavenly perspective, Saul is rejected; but from an earthly perspective, he would continue his rule for another fifteen to twenty years.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.