1 Samuel 15:8

8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

1 Samuel 15:8 in Other Translations

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.

8 He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else.

8 He captured Agag, king of Amalek, alive. Everyone else was killed under the terms of the holy ban.

8 He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.

1 Samuel 15:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 15:8

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 ) ( 30:1 ) .

1 Samuel 15:8 In-Context

6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt.

8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel:

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 17:8-16; S Numbers 24:7
• 2. S Joshua 8:23; 1 Samuel 30:1