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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

1 Samuel 15:8

Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agag;   Agency;   Amalekites;   Covetousness;   Falsehood;   Gilgal;   Repentance;   Retaliation;   Rulers;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amalekites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Agag;   Amalekites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Saul, king of israel;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amalekite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Haman;   Purim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Agag;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek, Amalekites;   Ban;   Havilah;   Israel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Agag ;   Amalek, Amalekites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mordecai;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'gag;   Pu'rim;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Rephidim;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Agag;   Amalek;   Purim;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Agag;   Amalekites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Esther;   Parashiyyot, the Four;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.
Hebrew Names Version
He took Agag the king of the `Amaleki alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
King James Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Lexham English Bible
He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the edge of the sword.
English Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
New Century Version
He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he killed all of Agag's army with the sword.
New English Translation
He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag's people with the sword.
Amplified Bible
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, though he totally destroyed all [the rest of] the people with the sword.
New American Standard Bible
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And tooke Agag the King of the Amalekites aliue, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he seized Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
Complete Jewish Bible
He took Agag the king of ‘Amalek alive; but he completely destroyed the people, putting them to the sword.
Darby Translation
And he took Agag the king of Amalek alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Easy-to-Read Version
Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Saul captured Agag alive. Saul let Agag live, but he killed all the men in Agag's army.
George Lamsa Translation
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Good News Translation
he captured King Agag of Amalek alive and killed all the people.
Literal Translation
And he captured Agag the king of Amalek alive. But he exterminated all the people with the mouth of the sword.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& toke Agag the kynge of ye Amalechites alyue, & damned all ye people wt the edge of the swerde.
American Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Bible in Basic English
He took Agag, king of the Amalekites, prisoner, and put all the people to the sword without mercy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And toke Agag the king of the Amalekites alyue, and vtterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sworde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
King James Version (1611)
And hee tooke Agag the king of the Amalekites aliue, and vtterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took Agag the king of Amalec alive, and he slew all the people and Hierim with the edge of the sword.
English Revised Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Berean Standard Bible
He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he took Agag quyke, the kyng of Amalech; sotheli he killide bi the scharpnesse of swerd alle the comyn puple.
Young's Literal Translation
and he catcheth Agag king of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;
Update Bible Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
World English Bible
He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New King James Version
He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New Living Translation
He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else.
New Life Bible
He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and destroyed all the people with the sword.
New Revised Standard
He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he took Agag, king of Amalek, alive, - but, all the people, devoted he to destruction at the edge of the sword.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he took Agag, the king of Amalec, alive: but all the common people he slew with the edge of the sword.
Revised Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amal'ekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Contextual Overview

1 One day, Samuel told Saul: The Lord had me choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord : 2 "When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay! 3 "Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys." 4 Saul sent messengers who told every town and village to send men to join the army at Telaim. There were two hundred ten thousand troops in all, and ten thousand of these were from Judah. Saul organized them, 5 then led them to a valley near one of the towns in Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack. 6 Some Kenites lived nearby, and Saul told them, "Your people were kind to our nation when we left Egypt, and I don't want you to get killed when I wipe out the Amalekites. Leave here and stay away from them." The Kenites left, 7 and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. 8 Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. 9 Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Agag: 1 Samuel 15:3, Numbers 24:7, 1 Kings 20:30, 1 Kings 20:34-42, Esther 3:1

utterly: 1 Samuel 27:8, 1 Samuel 30:1, Joshua 10:39, Joshua 11:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 17:14 - for I will Numbers 24:20 - shall be that he perish for ever Deuteronomy 2:34 - utterly destroyed Joshua 6:21 - utterly Joshua 8:23 - General Joshua 11:15 - he left nothing 1 Samuel 15:20 - have brought 2 Samuel 21:2 - in his zeal 1 Kings 20:32 - he is my brother 1 Chronicles 4:43 - the rest

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
But Abram answered, " Lord All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own.
Genesis 15:4
The Lord replied, "No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his."
Genesis 15:9
Then the Lord told him, "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon."
Genesis 15:10
Abram obeyed the Lord . Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half.
Genesis 15:13
Then the Lord said: Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace. But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for four hundred years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions.
Genesis 15:17
Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire went between the two halves of each animal.
2 Kings 20:8
Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "Can you prove that the Lord will heal me, so that I can worship in his temple in three days?"
Psalms 86:17
Show that you approve of me! Then my hateful enemies will feel like fools, because you have helped and comforted me.
Isaiah 7:11
"Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above."
Luke 1:18
Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The saving Agag alive was in direct violation of the devotion to destruction.


 
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