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Bible Dictionaries
Agag
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or This seems to have been a common name of the princes of Amalek, one of whom was very powerful as early as the time of Moses, Numbers 24:7 . On account of the cruelties exercised by this king and his army against the Israelites, as they returned from Egypt a bloody and long contested battle took place between Joshua and the Amalekites, in which the former was victorious, Exodus 17:8-13 . At the same time, God protested with an oath to destroy Amalek, Exodus 17:14-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19 , A.M. 2513. About four hundred years after this, the Lord remembered the cruel treatment of his people, and his own oath; and he commanded Saul, by the mouth of Samuel, to destroy the Amalekites. Saul mustered his army, and found it two hundred thousand strong, 1 Samuel 15:1 , &c. Having entered into their country, he cut in pieces all he could meet with from Havilah to Shur. Agag their king, and the best of their cattle, were however spared, an act of disobedience on the part of Saul, probably dictated by covetousness. But Agag did not long, enjoy this reprieve; for Samuel no sooner heard that he was alive, than he sent for him; and notwithstanding his insinuating address, and the vain hopes with which he flattered himself that the bitterness of death was past, he caused him to be hewed to pieces in Gilgal before the Lord, saying, "As
באשר , in the same identical mode as, thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women." This savage chieftain had hewed many prisoners to death; and, therefore, by command of the Judge of the whole earth, he was visited with the same punishment which he had inflicted upon others.
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Agag'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/a/agag.html. 1831-2.
