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Text -- 1 Samuel 15:1-23 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
Saul Is Rejected as King
15:1 Then Samuel said to Saul , “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel . Now listen to what the Lord says .
15:2 Here is what the Lord of hosts says : ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed Israel along the way when Israel came up from Egypt .
15:3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites . Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare them. Put them to death – man , woman , child , infant , ox , sheep , camel , and donkey alike.’”
15:4 So Saul assembled the army and mustered them at Telaim . There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah .
15:5 Saul proceeded to the city of Amalek , where he set an ambush in the wadi .
15:6 Saul said to the Kenites , “Go on and leave ! Go down from among the Amalekites ! Otherwise I will sweep you away with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt .” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites .
15:7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur , which is next to Egypt .
15:8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive , but he executed all Agag’s people with the sword .
15:9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag , along with the best of the flock , the cattle , the fatlings , and the lambs , as well as everything else that was of value . They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised and worthless .
15:10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel :
15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king , for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night .
15:12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning . But Samuel was informed , “Saul has gone to Carmel where he is setting up a monument for himself. Then Samuel left and went down to Gilgal .”
15:13 When Samuel came to him, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you ! I have done what the Lord said .”
15:14 Samuel replied , “If that is the case, then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear ?”
15:15 Saul said , “They were brought from the Amalekites ; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God . But everything else we slaughtered .”
15:16 Then Samuel said to Saul , “Wait a minute ! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night .” Saul said to him, “Tell me.”
15:17 Samuel said , “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes , you became head of the tribes of Israel ? The Lord chose you as king over Israel .
15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign saying , ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites ! Fight against them until you have destroyed them.’
15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed the Lord ? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder ! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation .”
15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel , “But I have obeyed the Lord ! I went on the campaign the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites .
15:21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal .”
15:22 Then Samuel said , “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience ? Certainly , obedience is better than sacrifice ; paying attention is better than the fat of rams .
15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination , and presumption is like the evil of idolatry . Because you have rejected the word of the Lord , he has rejected you as king .”
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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Names, People and Places:
Dictionary Themes and Topics:
Saul |
Samuel |
Agag |
Amalekites |
Lies and Deceits |
ARABIA |
SAMUEL, BOOKS OF |
GOD, 2 |
Israel |
Disobedience to God |
Duties of Men |
Gilgal |
Repentance |
Presumption |
Rulers |
Church and State |
Minister |
Self-righteousness |
Reproof |
Retaliation |
more
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> 1Sa 15:1; 1Sa 15:2; 1Sa 15:2; 1Sa 15:3; 1Sa 15:4; 1Sa 15:4; 1Sa 15:5; 1Sa 15:5; 1Sa 15:5; 1Sa 15:6; 1Sa 15:7; 1Sa 15:8; 1Sa 15:9; 1Sa 15:9; 1Sa 15:9; 1Sa 15:12; 1Sa 15:12; 1Sa 15:12; 1Sa 15:13; 1Sa 15:14; 1Sa 15:15; 1Sa 15:16; 1Sa 15:16; 1Sa 15:16; 1Sa 15:17; 1Sa 15:18; 1Sa 15:18; 1Sa 15:19; 1Sa 15:19; 1Sa 15:20; 1Sa 15:20; 1Sa 15:22; 1Sa 15:22; 1Sa 15:22; 1Sa 15:22; 1Sa 15:23
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:2 Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:6 The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esf...
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:8 Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:9 The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nÿmivzah), but this is apparently due to a scr...
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:12 At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin ms include the following words not found in the MT: “to Saul. And behold, he was offering as a bur...
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:14 The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:16 Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:18 The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the ...
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NET Notes: 1Sa 15:22 The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
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