1 Samuel 15:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

NIV: But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

NASB: But Samuel said, 'As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.' And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

CSB: Samuel declared: As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women. Then he hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

NLT: But Samuel said, 'As your sword has killed the sons of many mothers, now your mother will be childless.' And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

KJV: And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

NKJV: But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

Samuel is appearing "before the Lord" and in the presence of the elders of Israel (1 Samuel 15:30–31). He has called for Agag (1 Samuel 15:32), the king whom Saul failed to kill as instructed by the Lord (1 Samuel 15:3). Agag assumes that he is safe and that the killing is done. Instead, Samuel explains why God's sentence of death was justified—and brutally slaughters the wicked king on the spot. The phrase used here for Samuel's action is often translated along the lines of "hacked to pieces."

Although brutal, Samuel's work is a righteous act of obedience. This doesn't indicate a widespread command for all God's people to do the same. Samuel acts to fulfill the Lord's very narrow, extremely specific command: to devote all of the Amalekites to destruction for their sins against God and His people. Shortly after the exodus, during the time of Moses, the Amalekites attacked the rear flank of the worn-out Israelites, cutting off and killing the stragglers (Exodus 17:8–16). The Lord condemned them then for demonstrating their lack of fear in Him after He had just shown His power in Egypt. The Lord had said that when the time was right, Israel would blot out the memory of the Amalekites (Deuteronomy 25:17–19).

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.