1 Samuel 15:18

18 The LORD sent you on a mission, instructing you, ‘Go, and put the sinful Amalekites under the ban. Fight against them until you've wiped them out.'

1 Samuel 15:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 15:18

And the Lord sent thee on a journey
And therefore he ought to have attended to the errand sent upon, and executed the orders given; in vain, therefore, was it to lay the blame on the people:

and said, go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites;
those notorious sinners, who deserve no mercy at the hands of God or men; who had so highly offended the Lord, and had been so injurious to his people at their first coming out of Egypt. The orders were plain, not to be mistaken, and full and strong for the utter destruction of them without any exception, and therefore nothing could be pleaded in excuse for the violation of them:

and fight against them until they be consumed;
entirely; they were not to be left until an end was made of them; or "until they had consumed them" ^F4, the people of Israel, or the soldiers with Saul.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (Mta Mtwlk de) "donec consumant ipsi eos", Pagninus; so Vatablus.

1 Samuel 15:18 In-Context

16 Samuel then said to Saul, "Enough! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied.

17 Samuel said, "Even if you think you are insignificant, aren't you the leader of Israel's tribes? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.

18 The LORD sent you on a mission, instructing you, ‘Go, and put the sinful Amalekites under the ban. Fight against them until you've wiped them out.'

19 Why didn't you obey the LORD? You did evil in the LORD's eyes when you tore into the plunder!"

20 "But I did obey the LORD!" Saul protested to Samuel. "I went on the mission the LORD sent me on. I captured Agag the Amalekite king, and I put the Amalekites under the ban.