1 Samuel 15:18

18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’

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 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!” “What did he tell you?” Saul asked.

17 And Samuel told him, “Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel.

18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.’

19 Why haven’t you obeyed the LORD ? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD ’s sight?”

20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul insisted. “I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else.