1 Samuel 15:14

14 And Samuel said , What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear ?

1 Samuel 15:14 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 15:14

And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep
in mine ears
For the orders were to destroy all living creatures belonging to the Amalekites, ( 1 Samuel 15:3 ) if therefore Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, as he said he had, from whence were these sheep Samuel heard bleating?

and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
where do they come from? these questions he put to convict him of the falsehood he had delivered; the bleating and lowing of these creatures proved him a liar, and were witnesses of his breach of the divine command; and one would think every bleating and lowing of these must alarm his conscience, unless dreadfully stupefied.

1 Samuel 15:14 In-Context

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying , Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about , and passed on , and gone down to Gilgal.

13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said , What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear ?

15 And Saul said , They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed .

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay , and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on .