1SA 15

1 Samuel 15:32

WEB

Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites here to me!” Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

BSB

Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

KJV

¶ Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

Matthew Henry

Verses 32–35

1 Samuel 15:32–35

Samuel, as a prophet, is here set over kings, Jer 1:10.

I. He destroys king Agag, doubtless by such special direction from heaven as none now can pretend to. He hewed Agag in pieces. Some think he only ordered it to be done; or perhaps he did it with his own hands, as a sacrifice to God's injured justice (Sa1 15:33), and sacrifices used to be cut in pieces. Now observe in this,

1. How Agag's present vain hopes were frustrated: He came delicately, in a stately manner, to show that he was a king, and therefore to be treated with respect, or in a soft effeminate manner, as one never used to hardship, that could not set the sole of his foot to the ground for tenderness and delicacy (Deu 28:56), to move compassion: and he said, "Surely, now that the heat of the battle is over, the bitterness of death is past, Sa1 15:32. Having escaped the sword of Saul," that man of war, he thought he was in no danger from Samuel, and old prophet, a man of peace. Note, (1.) There is bitterness in death, it is terrible to nature. Surely death is bitter, so divers versions read those words of Agag; as the Septuagint read the former clause, He came trembling. Death will dismay the stoutest heart. (2.) Many think the bitterness of death is past when it is not so; they put that evil day far from them which is very near. True believers may, through grace, say this, upon good grounds, though death be not past, the bitterness of it is. O death! where is thy sting?

2. How his former wicked practices were now punished. Samuel calls him to account, not only for the sins of his ancestors, but his own sins: Thy sword has made women childless, Sa1 15:33. He trod in the steps of his ancestors' cruelty, and those under him, it is likely, did the same; justly therefore is all the righteous blood shed by Amalek required of this generation, Mat 23:36. Agag, that was delicate and luxurious himself, was cruel and barbarous to others. It is commonly so: those who are indulgent in their appetites are not less indulgent of their passions. But blood will be reckoned for; even kings must account to the King of kings for the guiltless blood they shed or cause to be shed. It was that crime of king Manasseh which the Lord would not pardon, Kg2 24:4. See Rev 13:10.

II. He deserts king Saul, takes leave of him (Sa1 15:34), and never came any more to see him (Sa1 15:35), to advise or assist him in any of his affairs, because Saul did not desire his company nor would he be advised by him. He looked upon him as rejected of God, and therefore he forsook him. Though he might sometimes see him accidentally (as Sa1 19:24), yet he never came to see him out of kindness or respect. Yet he mourned for Saul, thinking it a very lamentable thing that a man who stood so fair for great things should ruin himself so foolishly. He mourned for the bad state of the country, to which Saul was likely to have been so great a blessing, but now would prove a curse and a plague. He mourned for his everlasting state, having no hopes of bringing him to repentance. When he wept for him, it is likely, he made supplication, but the Lord had repented that he had made Saul king, and resolved to undo that work of his, so that Samuel's prayers prevailed not for him. Observe, We must mourn for the rejection of sinners, 1. Though we withdraw from them, and dare not converse familiarly with them. Thus the prophet determines to leave his people and go from them, and yet to weep day and night for them, Jer 9:1, Jer 9:2. 2. Though they do not mourn for themselves. Saul seems unconcerned at the tokens of God's displeasure which he lay under, and yet Samuel mourns day and night for him. Jerusalem was secure when Christ wept over it.

Cross-references: Jer 1:10 · 1Sam 15:33 · Deut 28:56 · 1Sam 15:32 · Matt 23:36 · 2Kgs 24:4 · Rev 13:10 · 1Sam 15:34 · 1Sam 15:35 · 1Sam 19:24 · Jer 9:1 · Jer 9:2

Hebrew interlinear

H559

אָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/

v — say

Derivation: a primitive root;

to say (used with great latitude)

KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.

אָמַר

vb — utter

אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say

Qal

1. Say

2. Say in the heart (= think)

3. Promise

4. Command (esp. late)

Niph. be said, told

Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)

Hithp. act proudly, boast

H8050

שְׁמוּאֵלShᵉmûwʼêl/sehm-oo-ale'/

n-pr-m — Shemuël

Derivation: from the passive participle of 8085 and 410; heard of God;

Shemuël, the name of three Israelites

KJV: Samuel, Shemuel.

שְׁמוּאֵל

n.pr.m — Samuel

שְׁמוּאֵל 140 n.pr.m. Samuel (= name of Ēl)

1. great prophet, 11th cent. B.C.

2. in Simeon

3. in Issachar

H5066

נָגַשׁnâgash/naw-gash'/

v — be, come, bring, near, lie with, attack, worship, present, adduce, stand back

Derivation: a primitive root;

to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causatively, to present; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back

KJV: (make to) approach (nigh), bring (forth, hither, near), (cause to) come (hither, near, nigh), give place, go hard (up), (be, draw, go) near (nigh), offer, overtake, present, put, stand.

נָגַשׁ

vb — draw near

[נָגַשׁ] 125 vb. draw near, approach

Qal draw near or come near

Niph. draw near

Hiph. cause to approach, bring near, bring

Hoph. thy feet have not been brought near (put into) fetters; it (impers.) is offered to my name

Hithp. draw near!

H413

אֵלʼêl/ale/

prep — near, with, among, to

Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.

near, with or among; often in general, to

KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).

אֶל

prep — motion to

אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).

1. of motion to or unto a person or place

2. Where the limit is actually entered, into

3. Of direction towards anything

4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against

5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to

6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of

7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)

8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion

9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to

H853

אֵתʼêth/ayth/

prt — self, even, namely

Derivation: apparent contracted from 226 in the demonstrative sense of entity;

properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)

KJV: [as such unrepresented in English].

אֵת

mark of the accusative

אֵת the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite

H90

אֲגַגʼĂgag/ag-ag'/

n-pr-m — Agag

Derivation: or אֲגָג; of uncertain derivation (compare 89); flame;

Agag, a title of Amalekitish kings

KJV: Agag.

אֲגָג

n.pr.m — Agag

אֲגָג, (אֲגַג Nu 24:7) n.pr.m. (violent?) king of Amalek

H4428

מֶלֶךְmelek/meh'-lek/

n-m — king

Derivation: from 4427;

a king

KJV: king, royal.

מֶ֫לֶךְ

n.m — king

מֶ֫לֶךְ 2513 n.m. king

H6002

עֲמָלֵקʻĂmâlêq/am-aw-lake'/

n-pr-m — Amalek

Derivation: probably of foreign origin;

Amalek, a descendant of Esau; also his posterity and their country

KJV: Amalek.

עֲמָלֵק

n.pr.gent — Amalek

עֲמָלֵק 39 n.pr.gent. Amalek

H3212

יָלַךְyâlak/yaw-lak'/

v — walk, carry

Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1980);

to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)

KJV: × again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, pursue, cause to run, spread, take away (-journey), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, × be weak.

הָלַךְ

vb — go

הָלַךְ 1546 vb. go, come, walk

Qal Impf. usually (629 t.) as if from ילך

I. lit.

1. of persons

2. Also of animals, in similar meanings and combinations

3. in like manner of inanimate things

4. The inf. abs. is often used

a. as in other vbs., quite independently

b. to intensify meaning of finite form

c. most noteworthy is the joining of the Inf. abs.

(1). with a following Inf. abs. denoting a simutaneous action or process, and so emphasizing duration or continuance

(2). with a foll. vb. fin. c. ו consec. (rare)

(3). in cases where vb. fin. is foll. by Inf. abs. adj. denoting progress, advance

(4). twice, where vb. fin. is not הלך, but another vb. denoting motion

(5). quite by itself

(6). 13 t. the Inf. abs. = Imv. & is followed by Pf. consec.

d. akin to the use of Inf. abs. are some instances of Pt.

5. In combination with other verbal forms

II. Fig.; the most common uses follow; in most the origin in a literal meaning is evident:

1. pass away, die

2. live (‘walk’), in general

3. of moral and religious life

4. other fig. uses

Pi. (chiefly poet. and late)

1. walk in or with a throng

2. also of walking about = living

3. depart, go entirely away

4. fig. of mode of life, action, etc.

Hithp. walk, walk about, move to and fro

Hiph.

1. lead, bring

2. lead away

3. carry, bring

4. fig. of influence on character

5.

a. cause to walk, go

b. cause to flow, run

c. cause to depart, retire, go back

H4574

מַעֲדָןmaʻădân/mah-ad-awn'/

n-m — delicacy, pleasure

Derivation: or (feminine) מַעֲדַנָּה; from 5727;

a delicacy or (abstractly) pleasure (adverbially, cheerfully)

KJV: dainty, delicately, delight.

מַעֲדָן

n.[m.] — dainty

[מַעֲדָן] n.[m.] dainty (food), delight

H403

אָכֵןʼâkên/aw-kane'/

adv — firmly, surely, but

Derivation: from 3559 (compare 3651);

firmly; figuratively, surely; also (adversative) but

KJV: but, certainly, nevertheless, surely, truly, verily.

אָכֵן

adv — firmly

אָכֵן adv. with strong asseverative force:

a. surely, truly

b. emphasizing a contrast, but indeed, but in fact

H5493

סוּרçûwr/soor/

v — turn

Derivation: or שׂוּר; (Hosea 9:12), a primitive root;

to turn off (literally or figuratively)

KJV: be(-head), bring, call back, decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), × grievous, lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away, down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, × be sour, take (away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.

סוּר

vb — turn aside

סוּר and [שׂוּר] 300 vb. turn aside

Qal

1. turn aside, out of one's course

2. depart

3. of lifeless things = be removed

4. = come to an end

Pô‛lēl he turned aside my ways (my steps)

Hiph.

1. cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away

2. rarer uses

Pô‛lēl be taken away, removed

H4751

מַרmar/mar/

a-m — bitter, bitterness, bitterly

Derivation: or (feminine) מָרָה; from 4843;

bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly

KJV: angry, bitter(-ly, -ness), chafed, discontented, × great, heavy.

מַר

adj — bitter

מַר adj. and subst. bitter, bitterness

H4194

מָוֶתmâveth/maw'-veth/

n-m — death, dead, pestilence, ruin

Derivation: from 4191;

death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin

KJV: (be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).

מָ֫וֶת

n.m — death

מָ֫וֶת 161 n.m. death

1. death, opp. life

2. death by violence

3. state of death or place of death

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