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1 Samuel
Chapter Fifteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 15
In
this chapter are recorded the order Saul had from the Lord to destroy Amalek
utterly, 1 Samuel 15:1 the
preparation he made to put it in execution, and the success thereof, 1 Samuel 15:4 the
offence the Lord took at his not obeying his order thoroughly, with which
Samuel was made acquainted, and which grieved him, 1 Samuel 15:10,
upon which he went out to meet Saul, and reprove him; and a long discourse upon
the subject passed between them, the issue of which was, that by an irrevocable
decree he was rejected from being king, 1 Samuel 15:12 and
the chapter is concluded with an account of Samuel's hewing in pieces Agag king
of Amalek, and of his final departure from Saul, 1 Samuel 15:32.
1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also
said to Saul, “The Lord
sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed
the voice of the words of the Lord.
YLT
1And Samuel saith unto Saul,
`Me did Jehovah send to anoint thee for king over His people, over Israel; and
now, hearken to the voice of the words of Jehovah:
Samuel also said unto Saul,.... When and where he
said to him what follows, it is not easy to determine, perhaps at Gilgal, where
they after met again:
the Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over
Israel; that is, he gave him orders to anoint him king of Israel,
otherwise Saul was in providence sent to Samuel to be anointed, and not Samuel
to Saul:
now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord; for so great
a favour, and such high honour he had conferred on him, laid him under great
obligation to obey the commands of the Lord; and whereas he had been deficient
in one instance before, for which he had been reproved, he suggests, that now
he should take care to observe and do, particularly and punctually, what should
be enjoined him.
1 Samuel 15:2 2 Thus
says the Lord
of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he
ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
YLT
2`Thus said Jehovah of
Hosts, I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid
for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts,.... Of the celestial
host of angels, and of the army of Israel, yea, of all the armies of the earth:
this is premised to engage the attention of Saul:
I remember that which Amalek did to Israel; four hundred
years ago:
how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt; in the valley
of Rephidim, just before they came to Mount Sinai, and fell upon the rear of
them, and smote the feeble, and faint, and weary, see Exodus 17:8
1 Samuel 15:3 3 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.’”
YLT
3Now, go, and thou hast
smitten Amalek, and devoted all that it hath, and thou hast no pity on it, and
hast put to death from man unto woman, from infant unto suckling, from ox unto
sheep, from camel unto ass.'
Now go and smite Amalek,.... This was one of the
three things the Israelites were obliged to do when they came into the land of
Canaan, as Kimchi observes; one was, to appoint a king over them, another, to
build the house of the sanctuary, and the third, to blot out the name and
memory of Amalek, see Deuteronomy 25:19
and this work was reserved for Saul, their first king:
and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; all were to
be devoted to destruction, and nothing remain to be made use of in any way, to
any profit and advantage; living creatures were to be put to death, and
everything else burnt and destroyed:
but slay both men and women, infant and suckling; neither sex
nor age were to be regarded, no mercy and pity shown to any; they had shown
none to Israel when weak and feeble, and by the law of retaliation none was to
be exercised on them:
ox and sheep, camel and ass; though useful creatures,
yet not to be spared; as not men, women, and children, through commiseration,
so neither these through covetousness, and neither of them on any pretence
whatsoever. Children suffered for their parents, and cattle because of their
owners, and both were a punishment to their proprietors; an ox, or any other
creature, might not be spared, lest it should be said, as Kimchi observes, this
was the spoil of Amalek, and so the name and memory of Amalek would not be
blotted out.
1 Samuel 15:4 4 So Saul gathered the
people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers
and ten thousand men of Judah.
YLT
4And Saul summoneth the
people, and inspecteth them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten
thousand [are] men of Judah.
And Saul gathered the people together,.... Or
"made them to hear"F18וישמע
"audire fecit", Vatablus, Drusius. , by the sound of a trumpet; or by
sending heralds into all parts of the land to proclaim the above order of the
Lord, and summon them to come to him, perhaps at Gilgal; so the Septuagint
version, and JosephusF19Antiqu. l. 6. c. 7. sect. 2. :
and numbered them in Telaim; thought to be the same
with Telem, a place in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:24, the
word signifies "lambs"; hence the Vulgate Latin version is,"he
numbered them as lambs;'and the JewsF20T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 22. 2.
Jarchi in loc. say, because it was forbid to number the children of Israel,
which was the sin of David; therefore every man had a lamb given him, and so
the lambs were numbered, by which it was known what was the number of the
people; and the Targum says, this was done with the passover lambs, it being
now the time of the passover; but the numbering here made was not of the people
of the land in general, and so there was no occasion of such a precaution, only
a numbering and mustering of the army when got together and rendezvoused in one
place: the sum of which is here given:
two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah; which last
were reckoned separately, as distinct from the other tribes of Israel, to show
their obedience to Saul, who was of another tribe, though the kingdom was promised
to theirs; but R. Isaiah observes, that the reason why so few of the men of
Judah came, in comparison of the other tribes, was, because they envied the
government being in one of the tribe of Benjamin, when they thought it should
have been in one of theirs; the number is greatly increased in the Septuagint
version, which makes the whole to be 400,000, and 30,000 men of Judah; and so
JosephusF21Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 7. sect. 2.) .
1 Samuel 15:5 5 And Saul came to a city of
Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
YLT
5And Saul cometh in unto a
city of Amalek, and layeth wait in a valley;
And Saul came to a city of Amalek,.... With his army,
perhaps the nearest city of it to the land of Israel; though some think that
Amalek was the name of the city, and was the metropolis of the nation, and had
its name from thence: and laid wait in the valley; which was near the city, to
intercept the inhabitants when they should come out against him: or "he
contended"F23וירב "et certavit
Pagninus"; "ut contenderet cum eo", Junius & Tremellius. as
some render it, he fought with them there; the Targum,"he ordered his
army,'set them in battle array, or pitched his camp there.
1 Samuel 15:6 6 Then Saul said to the
Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you
with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came
up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
YLT
6and Saul saith unto the
Kenite, `Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume thee
with it, and thou didst kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up
out of Egypt;' and the Kenite turneth aside from the midst of Amalek.
And Saul said unto the Kenites,.... Who were of the
posterity of Jethro the father-in-law of Moses, or related to him; why JosephusF24Ut
supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 7.) sect. 3. calls them the nation of the Sicimites,
who dwelt in the midst of the land of Midian, I know not:
go, depart, get ye down from among the Amalekites; for though
some of these people came with Israel into the land of Canaan, and were first
at Jericho, and then came into the wilderness of Judah, Judges 1:16 and
were in other tribes also; yet as they removed from place to place, and from
country to country, for the convenience of their flocks and herds, they
dwelling in tents, might come into the country of Amalek and pitch there, and
as they chose to dwell in rocks, and the caverns of them, to be near their
flocks and herds in the valleys, they are called upon to get down from thence,
see Numbers 24:21.
lest I destroy you with them; they dwelling among the
Amalekites, might perish with them; and especially as the Amalekites, upon
their being routed, would naturally flee to the rocks, hills, and mountains,
where these people had their tents, they would be in the greater danger of
being destroyed with them, unless they removed:
for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they
came up out of Egypt; as Jethro, by the advice he gave to Moses to appoint proper
officers in Israel, and Hobab, by being eyes to the people, in conducting them
through the wilderness, and accompanying them to the land of Canaan:
so the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites; took the
advice of Saul, and removed and pitched their tents, elsewhere.
1 Samuel 15:7 7 And Saul attacked the
Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
YLT
7And Saul smiteth Amalek
from Havilah -- thy going in to Shur, which [is] on the front of Egypt,
And Saul smote the Amalekites,.... Engaging in battle
with them, he overcame them, and beat them, and slew great numbers of them:
from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt; having routed
them in the valley, or in whatsoever place the battle was fought, he pursued
them from one end of their country to the other; from Havilah, which lay to the
northeast, to Shur, which lay to the southwest, and destroyed all that came in
his way between those two points, see Genesis 25:18.
1 Samuel 15:8 8 He also took Agag king of
the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the
sword.
YLT
8and he catcheth Agag king
of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive,.... This name
seems to be a common name of the kings of these people, as Pharaoh was of the
Egyptians, see Numbers 24:2. When
this king fell into the hands of Saul, he did not put him to death, as he
should have done, but preserved him; for what reasons, see in the following
verse:
and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword; that is, all
that came in his way, or fell into his hands; all between Havilah and Shur; all
excepting those that made their escape, for we after read of Amalekites, and
that in large bodies, 1 Samuel 27:8.
1 Samuel 15:9 9 But Saul and the people
spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and
all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But
everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
YLT
9and Saul hath pity -- also
the people -- on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of
the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that [is] good, and have not been
willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted -- it they
devoted.
And Saul and all the people spared Agag,.... Perhaps
Saul made the motion to spare him, and the people agreed to it; it may be, out
of respect to him as a king; or because of the comeliness of his person, the
height of his stature, and the largeness of his body, as JosephusF25Ut
supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 7.) sect. 2. notes; or to carry him in triumph in a
public show, see 1 Samuel 15:12.
and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings; or "of
the second sort", as in the margin, the second best; or rather which shed
their two long teeth, as sheep at two years old did when reckoned at their full
strength, and fittest for sacrificeF26Bidentes, Virgil. Aeneid. l.
6. ver. 39. Vid. Servium in ib. :
and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly
destroy them; as they were commanded, but kept them for their own private use
and advantage, and this not only the best and fattest of the flocks and herds,
but of their household goods:
but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed
utterly: such of the cattle that were poor and lean, lame or blind, or
had any defect in them, and household goods that were mere rubbish and lumber;
such they entirely destroyed, killed the creatures, and burnt the goods; in
doing which they thought they fulfilled the will of God.
1 Samuel 15:10 10 Now the word of the Lord came to
Samuel, saying,
YLT
10And the word of Jehovah is
unto Samuel, saying,
Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel,.... The word
of prophecy, as the Targum; this came to him in a dream or vision, or by an
articulate voice:
saying; as follows.
1 Samuel 15:11 11 “I greatly regret that I
have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and
has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to
the Lord
all night.
YLT
11`I have repented that I
caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My
words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth
unto Jehovah all the night.
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king,.... Which is
not to be understood of any change of mind, counsel, purpose, or decree in God,
which is not consistent with his unchangeable nature; but of a change of
dispensation, and outward dealings, and is spoken after the manner of men, who,
when they repent of anything, change the course of their conduct and behaviour;
and so the Lord does without any change of his mind and will, which alters not;
and though he changes the outward dispensations of his providence, yet he never
changes and alters in the matters and methods of his grace; though he repented
he made Saul king, he never repents of his making his saints kings and priests
for himself; his outward gifts he sometimes takes away, as an earthly crown and
kingdom; but his gifts and calling, which are of special grace, are without
repentance; see Gill on Genesis 6:6.
for he is turned back from following me; from after my
worship, as the Targum, from doing his will and work:
and hath not performed my commandments: particularly
in this affair relating to Amalek:
and it grieved Samuel; that Saul should so soon
be rejected from being king, and that he should do anything to deserve it; and
whom Samuel had anointed king, and for whom he had a cordial respect, and to
whom he wished well, both for his own personal good, and for the good of the
people of Israel; so far was he from rejoicing at his fall, who came in his
stead, and to whom he gave way in the affair of government:
and he cried unto the Lord all night; or prayed, as
the Targum; either that the Lord would inform him of the particulars wherein
Saul had done amiss, or that he would forgive his sin, and not reject him from
the kingdom.
1 Samuel 15:12 12 So when Samuel rose early
in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel,
and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed
by, and gone down to Gilgal.”
YLT
12And Samuel riseth early to
meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, `Saul hath come
in to Carmel, and lo, he is setting up to himself a monument, and goeth round,
and passeth over, and goeth down to Gilgal.'
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning,.... Having
had no sleep since the revelation of the will of God was made unto him, and
therefore rose early, being in haste to converse with Saul about it:
it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel; not to Carmel
where Elijah offered sacrifice, for that was very remote from hence; but to
Carmel, a city in the tribe of Judah, which lay in the way of Saul's return
from Amalek, Joshua 15:55.
and, behold, he set him up a place; to divide his spoil in,
as the Targum; or to encamp in, as Kimchi; or to build an altar on, as Jarchi,
who takes it to be the same that Elisha after repaired; but, as before
observed, this place was at a great distance from Mount Carmel where Elijah
sacrificed. The word for a "place" signifies a hand; and, according
to the Vulgate Latin version, it was a triumphal arch, and was perhaps an
obelisk or pillar, a trophy or monument erected in memory of the victory he had
obtained over the Amalekites. So Jerom saysF1Heb. Trad. in lib. Reg.
fol. 76. B. , when a victory was obtained, they used to make an arch of myrtle,
palm, and olive branches, a sign of it; these trophies were sometimes of brass,
sometimes of marble; some were only heaps of stones, others a remarkable tree
with the branches cut offF2Vid. Alex. ab. Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 1.
c. 22. so the pillar Absalom erected is called his hand, 2 Samuel 18:18.
and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal; he took a
circuit, and moved in great pomp and parade, carrying the king of the
Amalekites in triumph with him, and the spoil he had taken and reserves. To
Gilgal be went, expecting to meet Samuel there, and offer up peace offerings to
the Lord for the victory he had got.
1 Samuel 15:13 13 Then Samuel went to Saul,
and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have
performed the commandment of the Lord.”
YLT
13And Samuel cometh in unto
Saul, and Saul saith to him, `Blessed [art] thou of Jehovah; I have performed
the word of Jehovah.'
And Samuel came to Saul,.... At Gilgal:
and Saul said unto him, blessed be thou of the Lord; signifying
that he had abundant reason to bless the Lord on his account, not only that he
had anointed him king, but had sent him on such an errand, in which he had
succeeded so well, and it was a pleasure to him that he might report it to him:
I have performed the commandment of the Lord; either he was
really ignorant that he had done amiss; and thought that his sparing Agag, when
he had destroyed all the rest, and reserving some of the best of the cattle for
sacrifice, could not be interpreted a breach of the orders given him; or if he
was conscious he had broken the commandment of the Lord, this he said to
prevent Samuel's reproof of him, and to sooth him with flattering words.
1 Samuel 15:14 14 But Samuel said, “What
then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the
oxen which I hear?”
YLT
14And Samuel saith, `And what
[is] the noise of this flock in mine ears -- and the noise of the herd which I
am hearing?'
And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in
mine ears,.... For the orders were to destroy all living creatures
belonging to the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:3 if
therefore Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, as he said he had,
from whence were these sheep Samuel heard bleating?
and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? where do they
come from? these questions he put to convict him of the falsehood he had
delivered; the bleating and lowing of these creatures proved him a liar, and
were witnesses of his breach of the divine command; and one would think every
bleating and lowing of these must alarm his conscience, unless dreadfully
stupefied.
1 Samuel 15:15 15 And Saul said, “They have
brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep
and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we
have utterly destroyed.”
YLT
15And Saul saith, `From
Amalek they have brought them, because the people had pity on the best of the
flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God, and the
remnant we have devoted.'
And Saul said, they have brought them from the Amalekites,.... That is,
the people, laying the blame upon them, as Adam did on his wife, as if he had
no concern at all in it, when it is clear from 1 Samuel 15:9 he
was the principal one; nor is it probable the people should do this of
themselves, without his consent and authority, which was so directly contrary
to the express order of God; and then to excuse the people as well as he could,
on whom he laid the blame, he observes this was not done for their own private
profit and advantage, but for the service and worship of God:
for the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, to
sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; by way of gratitude and thankfulness for
the victory they had obtained; and therefore, since they had so good an end and
design in sparing what they had, and those the best and fittest for sacrifice,
he hoped they would easily be excused; and that the prophet would use his best
interest with the Lord, who was his God, to whom they designed to do honour,
that he would overlook what was amiss in them:
and the rest we have utterly destroyed; as they were
commanded; but then it was only the vile and the refuse, the best they had
reserved for their own use; though he now coloured it with this specious
pretence of sacrificing to God, when he found it was taken notice of, and was
resented.
1 Samuel 15:16 16 Then Samuel said to Saul,
“Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And
he said to him, “Speak on.”
YLT
16And Samuel saith unto Saul,
`Desist, and I declare to thee that which Jehovah hath spoken unto me
to-night;' and he saith to him, `Speak.'
Then Samuel said unto Saul, stay,.... Stop a little, do
not be in haste to be gone, as he might seem to be, fearing a reproof, and that
something would be said to him not very agreeable; or "suffer"F3הרף "permitte", Pagninus, Montanus; "sine
me", V. L. so Abarbinel. me, that is, to speak, give me leave to say a few
words; for Saul being a king, Samuel treats him as such, and asks audience of
him, or leave of him to deliver what he had to say to him:
and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night; and since it
was not anything from himself, but from the Lord, he had to say, he might
expect the rather to be heard, and especially since it was what had lately,
even that very night, been told him:
and he said unto him, say on; he gave him leave,
perhaps hoping he should hear something said in his praise, commending him for
what he had done in destroying the nation of Amalek, see Luke 7:40. There is
a double reading of this clause, the Cetib or textural reading is, "and
they said unto him"; meaning Saul, and the elders with him; the Keri, or
marginal reading is, which we follow, "and he said unto him"; meaning
Saul, as Kimchi notes.
1 Samuel 15:17 17 So Samuel said, “When you were
little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And
did not the Lord
anoint you king over Israel?
YLT
17And Samuel saith, `Art not
thou, if thou [art] little in thine own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? and
Jehovah doth anoint thee for king over Israel,
And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight,.... Humble
and lowly, and had a mean opinion of himself, his family and tribe, and judged himself
unworthy of the kingdom; see 1 Samuel 9:21
suggesting, that now he was proud and haughty, and would have his own will and
way:
wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel; not of his
own tribe only, which was the least, but of all the tribes, and so they were
all subject to him, and at his command:
and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel; all which is
observed, partly to point out unto him the high honour he was raised unto, from
a low estate, which laid him under obligation to serve the Lord, and obey him;
and partly as an answer to him, excusing himself, and laying the blame upon the
people; whereas seeing he was made king over them, his business was to rule and
govern them, guide and direct them in the right way, and restrain them from
that which was evil; and since he was anointed by the Lord, and not by the
people, he ought to have obeyed him, and not regarded the pleasure of them.
1 Samuel 15:18 18 Now the Lord sent you on a
mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and
fight against them until they are consumed.’
YLT
18and Jehovah sendeth thee in
the way, and saith, Go, and thou hast devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and
fought against them till they are consumed;
And the Lord sent thee on a journey,.... And therefore he
ought to have attended to the errand sent upon, and executed the orders given;
in vain, therefore, was it to lay the blame on the people:
and said, go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; those
notorious sinners, who deserve no mercy at the hands of God or men; who had so
highly offended the Lord, and had been so injurious to his people at their
first coming out of Egypt. The orders were plain, not to be mistaken, and full
and strong for the utter destruction of them without any exception, and
therefore nothing could be pleaded in excuse for the violation of them:
and fight against them until they be consumed; entirely;
they were not to be left until an end was made of them; or "until they had
consumed them"F4עד כלו־תאם א־תאם "donec
consumant ipsi eos", Pagninus; so Vatablus. , the people of Israel, or the
soldiers with Saul.
1 Samuel 15:19 19 Why then did you not obey
the voice of the Lord?
Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?”
YLT
19and why hast thou not
hearkened to the voice of Jehovah -- and dost fly unto the spoil, and dost do
the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah?'
Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord,.... Who had
made him king, and sent him on this errand, and gave him such plain directions,
and such strong orders to make an entire consumption of Amalek:
but didst fly upon the spoil; like a bird of prey,
such as an eagle or vulture, not to devote it to the Lord, by an entire
destruction of it, but to seize it for his own use, as being greedily desirous
and covetous of it:
and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? by disobeying
his commands, from whose sight nothing can be hid.
1 Samuel 15:20 20 And Saul said to Samuel,
“But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission
on which the Lord
sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the
Amalekites.
YLT
20And Saul saith unto Samuel,
`Because -- I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and I go in the way which
Jehovah hath sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and Amalek I have
devoted;
And Saul said to Samuel, yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord,.... Here Saul
breaks in upon Samuel before he had declared all that the Lord had said unto
him; for having expostulated with him for not obeying the voice of the Lord, he
could not forbear interrupting him, but with the utmost assurance affirms he
had obeyed the voice of the Lord; but then it was very imperfectly, and poor
proof does he give of it:
and have gone the way which the Lord sent me; it is very
true he went into the country of Amalek, but he did not do there all the Lord
commanded him:
and have brought Agag the king of Amalek; took him
alive, and brought him captive; whereas he ought to have destroyed him at once,
and not have reserved him for triumph; a sad proof this of his obeying the
voice of the Lord:
and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites; all that came
in his way, in which he did right; but then he had not destroyed the principal
of them, their king.
1 Samuel 15:21 21 But the people took of the
plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly
destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
YLT
21and the people taketh of
the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for
sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.'
But the people took the spoil, the sheep and oxen,.... Still he
continues to lay the blame on the people, when he, as king, ought to have
restrained them:
the chief of the things, which should have been utterly destroyed; this betrays
him, and is an evidence against him; he could not plead ignorance, he knew and
he owns, that according to the command of God they were all devoted to
destruction; and therefore he ought not to have suffered the people to have
spared any on whatsoever pretence, but to have seen all destroyed; but he was
as deeply in it as they, and therefore palliates the thing, and endeavours to
excuse them by observing, that their end was good, the service and glory of
God, which perhaps were never thought of till now: namely:
to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal; as peace
offerings, by way of thanksgiving for the victory obtained, 1 Samuel 15:15.
1 Samuel 15:22 22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
YLT
22And Samuel saith, `Hath
Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] hearkening to the
voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention
than fat of rams;
And Samuel said,.... In reply to Saul:
hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord? no, certainly, the one
being merely ceremonial, the other moral; the one supposes sin committed, for
which sacrifice is offered; the other moral, and is a compliance with the will
of God, and is neither sinful, nor supposes anything sinful, and therefore must
be the more acceptable:
behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams; which always was claimed by the Lord as his right and due; or
the fattest rams or best sacrifices, of whatever sort, whether burnt offerings,
or sin offerings, or peace offerings; for had man obeyed the will of God, and
not sinned, there would have been no need of sacrifice; and that was only
acceptable to God when offered with a heart truly sensible of sin, and penitent
for it, and in the faith of the great sacrifice of Christ, of which all
sacrifices under the law were typical, and led unto.
1 Samuel 15:23 23 For rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because
you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you
from being king.”
YLT
23for a sin of divination
[is] rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim [is] stubbornness; because thou hast
rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from [being] king.'
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,.... Or
divinationF5חטאת קסם
"peccatum divinationis", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus;
"ariolandi", V. L. "magiae", Munster, Tigurine version. ,
in whatsoever way it was exercised; for there were various sorts of it among
the Heathens, and all condemned by the law of God, Deuteronomy 18:10.
Now rebellion against God, or disobeying his commands, though in things
otherwise, were they not forbidden by him, lawful to be done, is as heinous a
sin as to be guilty of witchcraft, or any kind of divination forbidden by the
law of God, and deserves as sore a punishment:
and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry: for a man,
when he has committed a sin, to persist in it obstinately, or to vindicate
himself in it, and insist on his innocence, which was Saul's case, is as
hateful to God as any iniquity whatever; yea, as bad as idolatry, or making use
of the teraphim, as is the word here; of which see Hosea 3:4 than
which nothing is more abominable to the Lord:
because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord; disregarded
his command, treated it with contempt and abhorrence:
he hath rejected thee from being king; not actually,
for he continued to exercise kingly power and authority to his death, and was
treated as a king by his subjects, and even by David, though anointed by the
Lord; but the sentence of rejection was pronounced upon him, and the bestowal
of the government on his posterity was cut off.
1 Samuel 15:24 24 Then
Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of
the Lord
and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
YLT
24And Saul saith unto Samuel,
`I have sinned, for I passed over the command of Jehovah, and thy words;
because I have feared the people, I also hearken to their voice;
And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned,.... This
confession of his sin does not appear to be ingenuous, cordial, and sincere,
and was made chiefly for the sake of getting the sentence of rejecting him from
being king reversed:
for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words; which last
seems to be added to collogue with Samuel, and to ingratiate himself with him;
and Abarbinel thinks that Saul suspected that Samuel had aggravated the matter
of himself, and that he did not really transgress the words of the Lord, but as
the words of Samuel; and therefore according to the words of Samuel he had
sinned, but not according to the words of the Lord only:
because I feared the people; Doeg the Edomite, who
was reckoned as all of them, Jarchi says: this was a mere excuse of Saul's, he
stood in no fear of the people, he kept them in awe, and did as he would with
them, as a sovereign prince:
and obeyed their voice; in sparing the best of
the cattle; so be pretended, when it was his own will, and the effect of his
covetousness.
1 Samuel 15:25 25 Now
therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”
YLT
25and now, bear, I pray thee,
with my sin, and turn back with me, and I bow myself to Jehovah.'
Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin,.... It can
hardly be thought that Saul was so ignorant as to imagine that Samuel could
pardon his sin, as committed against God, which none but God can do, but that
he would forgive it, so far as he had offended him; or rather his meaning is,
that as he was a prophet of the Lord, and had great interest in him, that he
would make use of it on his behalf, and pray to God that his sin might be
forgiven him, and the sentence reversed concerning his rejection from the
kingdom; which perhaps is the chief thing he means by the pardon of his sin,
which sometimes means no more than averting a threatened judgment, or freedom
from punishment:
and turn again with me; to Gilgal, for he was
come out from thence to meet Samuel, having heard that he was coming:
that I may worship the Lord: by offering sacrifice,
either in thankfulness for the victory obtained, or to atone for his sin, and
seek pardon for it, or both; this he thought would be a motive and inducement
to Samuel to go along with him.
1 Samuel 15:26 26 But Samuel said to Saul,
“I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected
you from being king over Israel.”
YLT
26And Samuel saith unto Saul,
`I do not turn back with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and
Jehovah doth reject thee from being king over Israel.'
And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee,.... Not being
satisfied with his repentance and confession, he still extenuating his sin, and
laying the blame of it on the people. This he said by way of resentment, and as
expressing his indignation at him, though he afterwards did return with him on
a change of his mind; which a good man may be allowed to make, without any
imputation of falsehood or a lie unto him:
for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath
rejected thee from being king over Israel; which is repeated from 1 Samuel 15:23 for
the confirmation of it, and to let Saul know that his pretended confession and
repentance had made no alteration in the decree and sentence of God respecting
the kingdom.
1 Samuel 15:27 27 And as Samuel turned
around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
YLT
27And Samuel turneth round to
go, and he layeth hold on the skirt of his upper robe -- and it is rent!
And as Samuel turned about to go away,.... From
Saul, a different way from Gilgal, perhaps towards his own city Ramah, with an
intention to have nothing more to say to Saul, or to do with him, or to see his
face no more; so displeased was he with him:
he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle; in order to
detain him, and prevent his departure from him, and his going a different way:
and it rent; Samuel twitching away from him with great vehemence and warmth.
The JewishF6Midrash Schemuel, sect. 18. apud Jarchi, Kimchi &
Abarbinel in loc. Rabbins are divided about this, whose skirt was rent; some
say it was Samuel that rent the skirt of Saul, and by this signified to him,
that he that cut off the skirt of his garment should reign in his stead;
whereby Saul knew that David would be king when he cut off the skirt of his
robe, 1 Samuel 24:4,
others, that Samuel rent the skirt of his own mantle himself, which is the way
of good men when things are not right; but the plain sense is, that Saul rent
the skirt of Samuel's mantle, which, when Samuel saw, he understood what that
rent was a sign of, as expressed in the following verse.
1 Samuel 15:28 28 So Samuel said to him,
“The Lord
has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor
of yours, who is better than you.
YLT
28And Samuel saith unto him,
`Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee to-day, and given it to thy
neighbour who is better than thou;
And Samuel said unto him, the Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel
from thee this day,.... Seeing his mantle rent by Saul, he took occasion from thence
to predict, and no doubt it was impressed on his mind by the Spirit of God,
that his kingdom should be in a like manner rent from him, on account of his
own evil conduct and behaviour; and from this day forward he might expect it;
the sentence was gone forth from God, and it would not be reversed; and by a
like sign was signified the rending of the ten tribes from the kingdom of
Solomon in his son Rehoboam, 1 Kings 11:30,
and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than
thou; who was David, a man after God's own heart, that would fulfil
his will, who was more holy, just, and wise than Saul; whose works were better
and righter than his, as the Targum; who was an Israelite, of the same nation
and religion as he, and so his neighbour; and though he was not of the same
tribe, yet of a neighbouring tribe; Benjamin, and Judah, of which tribe David
was, joining closely to one another. It is highly probable that at this time
Samuel knew not personally who he was that was designed to be made king in his
room, though under the direction of the Spirit of God he thus describes him;
for after this he is bid to go to Jesse's family, from thence to anoint a king,
and several passed before him ere the Lord pointed out the proper person to
him.
1 Samuel 15:29 29 And also the Strength of
Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should
relent.”
YLT
29and also, the Pre-eminence
of Israel doth not lie nor repent, for He [is] not a man to be penitent.'
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent,.... Neither
of the evil which he had threatened to Saul in taking away the kingdom from
him; nor of the good which he had promised to David in giving it to him; nor of
his purpose and promise to Israel to protect and defend them, save and deliver
them from the Philistines, and continue them a nation and kingdom: and for the
confirmation of all this, this title or character of the Lord is given,
"the Strength of Israel"; hence he cannot lie, which is the effect of
weakness; nor repent or change his mind, as men do, when something unforeseen
arises, which hinders the execution of their first design, and which through
weakness they cannot surmount: and hence God would support Israel as a nation,
and strengthen them against their enemies, and work deliverance and salvation
for them: or "the victory of Israel"F17נצח
ישראל "victoria Israel", Montanus,
Vatablus, Piscator; "victor Israelis", Tigurine version. ; the author
of Israel's victories, and to whom they are to be ascribed, and who is able to
give them more, and would; and as he did especially by David, to whom the
kingdom is promised: or "the eternity of Israel"F18"Aeternitas
Israelis", Junius & Tremellius. ; that gives firmness, permanency, and
duration to them; all which is true of Israel in a spiritual sense; he gives
them spiritual strength, victory over their enemies, sin, Satan, and the world,
permanent duration, everlasting salvation, immortality, and eternal life:
for he is not a man, that he should repent; men are weak
and feeble, and cannot perform what they purpose or promise, and therefore
repent; but God, the Strength of Israel, is able to perform whatever he has
purposed or promised, and therefore repents not; men are changeable in their
minds, and repent of their first thoughts and designs; but God is unchangeable,
and never alters his counsels, breaks his covenant, reverses his blessings,
repents of his gifts, nor changes his affections to his Israel. Abarbinel says
this may be understood of Saul, and so be given as a reason why God would not
repent of the evil he had threatened him with, because he was a man that
repented not of his sin; but the first sense is best, and agrees with and is
confirmed by Numbers 23:19.
1 Samuel 15:30 30 Then he said, “I have
sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and
before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
YLT
30And he saith, `I have
sinned; now, honour me, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before
Israel, and turn back with me; and I have bowed myself to Jehovah thy God.'
Then he said, I have sinned,.... So he had said
before, 1 Samuel 15:24 but
his confession there was attended with an extenuation of his sin, pleading in
excuse of it that it was through fear of the people, but here it is without
any; and yet by what follows it appears to be not ingenuous and sincere, but
hypocritical:
yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people,
and before Israel; with his company; since should he be slighted openly by the
Lord, and by his prophet, he would fall into contempt both with the principal
men, and with the common people; wherefore he seemed more concerned for the
loss of honour and reputation with the people, than for his sin against God,
which is always the case of hypocrites:
and turn again with me, and worship the Lord thy God; See Gill on 1 Samuel 15:25.
1 Samuel 15:31 31 So Samuel turned back
after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
YLT
31And Samuel turneth back
after Saul, and Saul boweth himself to Jehovah;
So Samuel turned again after Saul,.... Though he before
said he would not, 1 Samuel 15:26 yet
he did, changing his mind, as he might without being chargeable with a lie; and
he also might have an impulse from the Lord so to do, and which he did not in
order to worship with Saul, which it does not appear he did, but rather the
contrary; but that Saul might not be despised by the people, and his authority
lessened, while he continued king; and that he might do what Saul had neglected
to do, destroy Agag: and Saul worshipped the Lord; alone, by offering sacrifice
to him.
1 Samuel 15:32 32 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.”
YLT
32and Samuel saith, `Bring ye
nigh unto me Agag king of Amalek,' and Agag cometh unto him daintily, and Agag
saith, `Surely the bitterness of death hath turned aside.'
Then said Samuel, bring you hither to me Agag the king of the
Amalekites,.... This he said very probably to some of Saul's officers, and
in his presence, and before all the people met together for sacrifice:
and Agag came unto him delicately; fat and plump, as the
Vulgate Latin version, and yet trembling, as that and the Septuagint; well
dressed, in the garb and habit of a king, and with the air and majesty of one;
or with pleasure and joy, as Kimchi, choosing rather to die than to be a
captive, and live in such reproach as he did; though R. Isaiah and Ben Gersom
give the sense of it, that he came bound in chains, and fetters of iron,
according to the use of the word in Job 38:31.
and Agag said, surely the bitterness of death is past; this he said,
either as not expecting to die, that since he had been spared by Saul, the king
of the nation, a fierce and warlike prince, he had nothing to fear from an
ancient man and a prophet, and who now bore not the sword of justice; and
especially when he came into his presence, and saw his form, which showed him
to be a man of clemency and mercy, as Ben Gersom observes: or as expecting it,
and so Kimchi interprets it to this sense, "the bitterness of death is
come"; and is near at hand, and will be soon over; or suggesting that that
which was bitter, to others grievous and terrible, was to him sweet and
desirable; but the former sense seems best by what follows.
1 Samuel 15:33 33 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.
YLT
33And Samuel saith, `As thy
sword bereaved women -- so is thy mother bereaved above women;' and Samuel
heweth Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.
And Samuel said, as thy sword hath made women childless,.... Or,
"bereavedF19שכלה "orbavit",
Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, &c. " them, not of their children only,
but of their husbands also, and so made them both childless and widows; by
which it appears that he was a cruel prince, and justly died for his own
barbarity and wickedness, as well as for the sins of his ancestors four hundred
years ago:
so shall thy mother be childless among women; which was according
to the law of retaliation, and what the Jews call measure for measure:
and Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal; either before
the ark of the Lord, the symbol of the divine Presence; or before the altar,
where Saul and the people had been sacrificing; this he did either himself,
though an old man, or by others to whom he gave the orders; and which he did
not as being the chief magistrate, and by virtue of his office, but acting as
on a special occasion, at the command of God, and to show his zeal for him, and
indignation at such a breach of his command. In what manner this was done, is
not easy to say; he was not torn to pieces by the hand, without an instrument,
as Baebius by the RomansF20Flori Hist. l. 3. c. 21. ; or sawn asunder,
as some by CaligulaF21Sueton. in Vita ejus, c. 27. ; and as Isaiah
the prophet is said to be by Manasseh, king of Judah, to which it is thought
the apostle alludes, Hebrews 11:37.
According to Ben Gersom, the word signifies he cleaved him, as wood is cleaved;
or divided him into four parts, as Jarchi; perhaps he slew him with the sword,
and then quartered him; that is, ordered it to be done.
1 Samuel 15:34 34 Then Samuel went to Ramah,
and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
YLT
34And Samuel goeth to Ramath,
and Saul hath gone unto his house -- to Gibeah of Saul.
Then Samuel went to Ramah,.... His native place,
and where was his usual residence:
and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul; which was
also his birth place, and where was his father's house, and where he had his
palace, and kept his court; and took its name from him, to distinguish it from
another Gibeah; and so JosephusF23De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 2. sect. 1.
says it was called Gabathsaoule, and was about thirty furlongs or four miles
from Jerusalem.
1 Samuel 15:35 35 And Samuel went no more to
see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and
the Lord
regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
YLT
35And Samuel hath not added
to see Saul till the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and Jehovah
repented that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death,.... Or
"added not to see him"F24ולא יסף־לראות "et non addidit ad videndum", Montanus.
; not that he saw him no more, he saw him afterwards, 1 Samuel 19:24, but
it was accidentally, he did not go to see him, but Saul came to him; and
Abarbinel supposes he might not see him then, but hid his face from him; and he
observes that it is said:
until the day of his death; which intimates, he
thinks, that he saw him after his death, when raised up by the witch of Endor;
but that Samuel was then really raised, and was seen, wants proof. The meaning
of the expression here is no more than this, that Samuel afterwards did not
visit Saul as he used to do; he did not go to him, to give him his advice and
counsel, as he wonted:
nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul; because of
his sin, his impenitence, and hypocrisy; and because of the loss of the kingdom
to him, and to his posterity; and he might be concerned also about his eternal
welfare; for he appears to have a natural affection for him, and was far from
envying him as his rival, and rejoicing at his fall:
and the Lord repented that he made Saul king over Israel; nor was his
mind altered, neither by the hypocritical confession of Saul, nor by the
cordial prayers and heart of Samuel; see 1 Samuel 15:11.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》