Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt. He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Show the surrounding paragraph
1 Samuel 15:7-8 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt. He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, of the cattle, and of the fat calves, and the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. Then Yahweh’s word came to Samuel, saying, “It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.” Samuel was angry; and he cried to Yahweh all night.
Parallel Translations
-
Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt.
He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
-
And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Show all 3 translations
-
And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is in front of Egypt.
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (3)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (17)
- Genesis 16:7 (v7) Yahweh’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur.
- Genesis 25:18 (v7) They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.
- 1 Samuel 14:48 (v7) He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
- 1 Samuel 30:1 (v8) When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck…
- 1 Samuel 27:8 (v7) David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land, who were…
Show all 17 cross-references
- Genesis 2:11 (v7) The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
- Exodus 15:22 (v7) Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and…
- Numbers 24:7 (v8) Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
- Esther 3:1 (v8) After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the…
- Joshua 10:39 (v8) He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in…
- Joshua 11:12 (v8) Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, with their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them;…
- 1 Samuel 15:3 (v8) Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing…
- 1 Kings 20:30 (v8) But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled, and came into the…
- 1 Kings 20:34-42 (v8) Ben Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus,…
- Job 21:30 (v7) that the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity, That they are led out to the day of wrath?
- Ecclesiastes 8:13 (v7) But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.
- 1 Samuel 27:8-9 (v8) David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land, who were…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv7–8 1Sa 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah…
1Sa 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah [until] thou comest to Shur, that [is] over against Egypt.
Ver. 7. And Saul smote the Amalekites.] So many as he could well come at; for many made escape, and they were still a nation in David’s days, retaining their old hatred and hostility against God’s Israel, derived to them from Esau their progenitor, and first founder. {1Ch 1:36} See 1Sa 27:8; 1Sa 30:1.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv7–8 i.e. From one end of their country to the…
i.e. From one end of their country to the other; he smote all that he met with; but a great number of them fled away upon the noise of his coming, as is usual in such cases, and secured themselves in other places, until the storm was over, when they returned again; of whom we read before, 1Sa 13:6; 14:22.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv7–8 And Saul smote the Amalekites,.... Engaging in battle with…
And Saul smote the Amalekites,.... Engaging in battle with them, he overcame them, and beat them, and slew great numbers of them:
from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt; having routed them in the valley, or in whatsoever place the battle was fought, he pursued them from one end of their country to the other; from Havilah, which lay to the northeast, to Shur, which lay to the southwest, and destroyed all that came in his way between those two points, see Gen 25:18.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v7 To Shur - That is, from one end of…
To Shur - That is, from one end of their country to the other; he smote all that he met with: but a great number of them fled away upon the noise of his coming, and secured themselves in other places, 'till the storm was over. 8. All - Whom he found. Now they paid dear for the sin of their ancestors. They were themselves guilty of idolatry and numberless sins, for which they deserved to be cut off. Yet when God would reckon with them, he fixes upon this as the ground of his quarrel.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v7 Verse 7. From Havilah - to Shur] From Pelusium…
Verse 7. From Havilah - to Shur] From Pelusium in Egypt, unto the Red Sea.-Josephus. But Havilah lay eastward from the Red Sea; the Amalekites lay between this and the way to Egypt towards Shur.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v7 1Sa 15:7-8. To Shur — That is, from one…
1Sa 15:7-8. To Shur — That is, from one end of their country to the other; he smote all that he met with: but a great number of them fled away upon the noise of his coming, and secured themselves in other places, till the storm was over. Destroyed all — Whom he found. Now they paid dear for the sins of their ancestors. They were themselves guilty of idolatry and numberless sins, for which they deserved to be cut off. Yet, when God would reckon with them, he fixes upon this as the ground of his quarrel.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv7–8 The district here described would stretch from Havilah on…
The district here described would stretch from Havilah on the extreme east to Shur, either near Suez, or further north on the coast road from Gaza to Egypt.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v7 Sur. See Genesis ii. 11., and xvi. 7., and…
Sur. See Genesis ii. 11., and xvi. 7., and xxv. 18., and Exodus xv. 22. (Menochius) --- These people had occupied a great part of the country, from the Persian Gulf to Egypt. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv7–8 HE SPARES AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SPOIL.…
HE SPARES AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SPOIL. (Sa1 15:7-9)
Saul smote the Amalekites--His own view of the proper and expedient course to follow was his rule, not the command of God.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv7–8 7. From Havilah until thou comest to Shur —…
7. From Havilah until thou comest to Shur — From the eastern to the western boundaries of the desert south of Palestine. This territory was formerly occupied by the sons of Ishmael. See Gen_25:18.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv7–8 7. from Havilah until thou comest to Shur] The…
7. from Havilah until thou comest to Shur] The region occupied by the Ishmaelites is described in the same terms in Gen_25:18. Havilah is supposed to be a district of Arabia, but its position cannot be fixed with any certainty. Shur is repeatedly mentioned in connexion with the route from Palestine to Egypt, and appears to be the part of the Arabian desert bordering on Egypt. See Gen_16:7; Gen_20:1; Exo_15:22; 1Sa_27:8. Shur means wall, and the name may have been derived from the wall which anciently defended the north-eastern frontier of Egypt.
over against Egypt] In front of Egypt, looking towards it from Palestine; or, eastward of Egypt.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v7 (7) From Havilah until thou comest to Shur.—The Havilah…
(7) From Havilah until thou comest to Shur.—The Havilah here alluded to cannot be now identified. Shur, which signifies “wall,” probably refers to the wall which crossed the north-east frontier of Egypt, extending from Pelusium, past Migdol, to Hevo. Ebers suggests that this wall gave to Egypt the name of “Mizraini,” the enclosed, or fortified.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv7–8 From Havilah until thou comest to Shur. Hebrew, "from…
From Havilah until thou comest to Shur. Hebrew, "from Havilah as thou goest towards Shur." It seems impossible that this Havilah can be the northwestern portion of Yemen, called Chawlan, and identified with the Havilah of Gen_10:7, Gen_10:29, as this would make Saul smite them from southeast to northwest. Shur, which means wall, is, as Wellhausen (Text Samuel 97) observes, originally the name of the wall which ran from Pelusium past Migdol to Hero, and which gave to Egypt, as Ebers thinks, its name Mizraim, the enclosed or fortified. Shur is again mentioned in 1Sa_27:8 as indicating the direction towards Egypt of the region occupied by the Amalekites. Havilah, which means circle, must have been some spot on the route to the isthmus of Suez, lying on the edge of the wilderness to the south of Judah, where Saul commenced his foray. Beginning thus upon the borders of Judaea, Saul continued his devastations up to the limits of Egypt.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v8 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh had told Saul to destroy everything, but here Saul disobeys Yahweh's command.
Read full note →
he took Agag
Here Saul represents himself accompanied by his army. AT: "Saul and his army took Agag" or "Saul and his army captured Agag" (See: Synecdoche)
he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword
The "edge of the sword" represents the swords and other weapons that soldiers used in battle. Here Saul represents himself accompanied by his army. AT: "they completely destroyed all of the people with their swords" or "they killed all of the people with their swords" (See: Synecdoche)
Saul ... spared Agag
Saul disobeyed God by letting Agag live.
as well as the best of the sheep
Saul disobeyed God by keeping the best of the livestock.
translationWords
Amalek
life
sword
cow
lamb
worthy
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7–8 15:7 The area where the Amalekites lived stretched from…
15:7 The area where the Amalekites lived stretched from Havilah in northern Sinai to Shur near the eastern border of Egypt.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.