1 Samuel 15:3

Contextual Overview

¹ And Samuel said to Saul, Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore listen to the voice of the words of Yahweh. ¹ One day Samuel said to Saul, "It was the Lord who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord ! ¹ And Samuel said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice the words of the LORD. ¹ Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to appoint you king over Israel. Now listen to his message. 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. ¹ Samuel also said to Saul, the LORD sent me to anoint thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the LORD. ¹ Samuel said to Saul, Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore listen you to the voice of the words of Yahweh. ¹Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and pay close attention to the words of the Lord. ¹ And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord . ¹ And Samuel seide to Saul, The Lord sente me, that Y schulde anoynte thee in to `kyng on his puple Israel; now therfor here thou the vois `of the Lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Now go: The Amalekites, a people of Arabia Petrea, who inhabited a tract of country on the frontiers of Egypt and Canaan, had acted with great cruelty towards the Israelites on their coming out of Egypt, and God then purposed that Amalek, as a nation, should be blotted out from under heaven; but it had been spared till it had filled up the measure of its iniquities, and now this purpose is carried into effect by Saul, upwards of 400 years afterwards! Nothing could justify such an exterminating decree but the absolute authority of God; and this was given: all the reasons of it we do not know; but this we know well, the Judge of all the earth doeth right.

utterly destroy: Leviticus 27:28, Leviticus 27:29, Numbers 24:20, Deuteronomy 13:15, Deuteronomy 13:16, Deuteronomy 20:16-18, Joshua 6:17-21

slay: Exodus 20:5, Numbers 31:17, Isaiah 14:21, Isaiah 14:22

ox and sheep: Genesis 3:17, Genesis 3:18, Romans 8:20-22

Reciprocal: Genesis 36:12 - Amalek Exodus 17:14 - for I will Numbers 13:29 - Amalekites Numbers 31:15 - General Deuteronomy 2:34 - utterly destroyed Joshua 6:21 - utterly Judges 21:10 - Go and smite 1 Samuel 14:48 - smote 1 Samuel 15:8 - Agag 1 Samuel 15:9 - the best 1 Samuel 15:11 - hath not performed 1 Samuel 15:20 - have brought 1 Samuel 22:19 - men 1 Samuel 27:9 - and the camels 2 Samuel 1:8 - an Amalekite 1 Kings 8:44 - whithersoever 2 Kings 3:19 - And ye 2 Chronicles 6:34 - by the way Esther 3:2 - bowed not Esther 3:13 - both young Psalms 106:34 - concerning Psalms 149:7 - General Jeremiah 44:7 - child Jeremiah 44:21 - did Jeremiah 47:7 - the Lord Jeremiah 48:10 - Cursed Jeremiah 50:21 - and do Jeremiah 51:22 - General Lamentations 2:21 - young Ezekiel 9:6 - old Amos 8:7 - I will Revelation 16:1 - and pour

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2
and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing;

Genesis 12:2
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Genesis 12:2
Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.

Genesis 12:2
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 12:2
I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you, and make your name great. You will be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2
And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others];

Genesis 12:2
and Y schal make thee in to a greet folk, and Y schal blisse thee, and Y schal magnyfie thi name, and thou schalt be blessid;

Genesis 12:2
And I make thee become a great nation, and bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.

Genesis 12:2
I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Utterly destroy - Rather, “devote to destruction” (Leviticus 27:28 note). When a city or people were thus made cherem, everything living was to be destroyed, and no part of the spoil fall to the conquerors (compare 1 Samuel 15:21). The valuables were put into the sacred treasury.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 15:3. Slay both man and woman — Nothing could justify such an exterminating decree but the absolute authority of God. This was given: all the reasons of it we do not know; but this we know well, The Judge of all the earth doth right. This war was not for plunder, for God commanded that all the property as well as all the people should be destroyed.