1 Samuel 15:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

NIV: Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him in chains. And he thought, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

NASB: Then Samuel said, 'Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.' And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, 'Surely the bitterness of death is gone!'

CSB: Samuel said, "Bring me King Agag of Amalek." Agag came to him trembling, for he thought, "Certainly the bitterness of death has come."

NLT: Then Samuel said, 'Bring King Agag to me.' Agag arrived full of hope, for he thought, 'Surely the worst is over, and I have been spared!'

KJV: Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

NKJV: Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

Samuel returned with Saul despite making it clear that God had rejected Saul's kingship over Israel (1 Samuel 15:27–28). He appears before the elders of Israel (1 Samuel 15:30–31), seemingly to perform a brutal, public, shocking act. Saul had been commanded to entirely destroy every living thing among the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:3). This was God's judgment on a wicked people (Deuteronomy 25:17–19). In addition to sparing the best of the animals, Saul had not killed the king, Agag (1 Samuel 15:8–9). Instead, Saul brought Agag back with him to Gilgal.

No reason is given as to why Saul spared Agag. Perhaps it was customary to spare the king of a conquered people. Saul may have intended to parade Agag around to celebrate his victory. Whatever Saul's motivation, his refusal to kill Agag along with his people was disobedience to the Lord.

Samuel calls for Agag to be brought to him, and Agag's response is revealed. The word usually translated as something like "cheerfully" could also be read as "haltingly" or "uncertainly." The Amalekite king seems to assume that if the Israelites were going to kill him, they would have done so already. That might have been a reasonable assumption when dealing with a king and army who failed to obey God. Samuel has no such weakness.

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.