1 Samuel 15:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.

NIV: He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

NASB: He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

CSB: He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.

NLT: He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else.

KJV: And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

NKJV: He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Saul once again (1 Samuel 13:8–14) directly disobeys the command of the Lord God of Israel. Through the prophet Samuel, the Lord had given Saul explicit instructions. He was to "devote to destruction all that [the Amalekites] have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey" (1 Samuel 15:3). Saul and his army execute nearly all the Amalekite people (1 Samuel 30:1; 1 Chronicles 4:43), but Saul spares the life of Agag the king (1 Samuel 15:9). The Israelites also keep the best of the livestock.

It's unknown why Saul thought it was permissible to spare the king. Commentators speculate that perhaps it was a custom for kings to preserve other kings when defeating them in battle. The name, Agag, may have been a title in the same way that "Pharaoh" was a title for the king among the Egyptians.

First Samuel 15:1–9 describes Saul's partial obedience to God regarding the Amalekites. Half-obedience is the same as disobedience; Saul spares the enemy king and many of the valuable animals. This is contrary to the Lord's command. As a result, God will inform the prophet Samuel that God intends to replace Saul as king over Israel.

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.

Accessed 11/23/2024 3:24:36 AM