1 Samuel 15:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’"

NIV: Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

NASB: Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’?'

CSB: Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’"

NLT: Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation — men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.'

KJV: Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

NKJV: Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

The Lord is commanding Saul, king of Israel, to attack the Amalekites and utterly wipe them out. In fact, God tells Saul to leave nothing left alive. This command is absolute and includes men, women, children, animals, and livestock. The Lord is clear that every living thing should be killed. The phrase "devote them to destruction" is from the Hebrew root word ḥāram (Joshua 6:17). This refers to an absolute, inviolable decision. This work of Israel is out of obedience and as a kind of offering to the Lord. In other words, Israel is to be the instrument of God's judgment on Amalek. They are not to profit from this war.

This command does not describe the impulsive raging of an out-of-control God. This is the Lord commanding His people to fulfill His own four-hundred-year-old declaration of judgment on Amalek. They had attacked Israel as God's people were escaping from slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 25:17–19). That assault is described in Exodus 17:8–16. Moses stood during the battle, hands raised with the "staff of God," while Joshua and the Israelite army fought. When Moses lowered his hands, the enemy was successful. So, as Moses fatigued, he sat down while Aaron and Hur held his hands up. Joshua and the Israelites experienced victory. And God commanded Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus 17:14). At the celebration that followed, Moses declared that the Lord would have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Exodus 17:16). Deuteronomy 25:18 says that Amalek "did not fear God," and they would be judged because of it.

God's command to kill every person and animal of a people sounds devastatingly harsh to modern ears. It's essential to remember, that one of God's purposes for His people was to bring judgment on tribes that had been practicing depraved evil in His sight generation after generation (Deuteronomy 20:17–19). Part of Israel's purpose in the world was to be used by God to accomplish this purpose.

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.