1 Samuel 15:3

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Complete Jewish Bible:

Now go and attack 'Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have. Don't spare them, but kill men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"

Berean Standard Bible:

Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

American Standard Version:

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Now go^{H3212} and smite^{H5221} Amalek^{H6002}, and utterly destroy^{H2763} all that they have, and spare^{H2550} them not; but slay^{H4191} both man^{H376} and woman^{H802}, infant^{H5768} and suckling^{H3243}, ox^{H7794} and sheep^{H7716}, camel^{H1581} and ass^{H2543}.

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Commentary for 1 Samuel 15:3

1 Samuel 15:3 is a verse that contains a directive from God to King Saul, delivered through the prophet Samuel. The historical context of this verse is set during the period of the early Israelite monarchy, when Saul was the king of Israel. The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau, and they inhabited the region south of Judah and Israel.

The verse is part of a broader narrative where God commands Saul to carry out a campaign of total destruction against the Amalekites as an act of divine justice for their past hostilities against the Israelites, particularly their attack on the vulnerable rear section of the Israelite encampment during the Exodus (Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). The command includes the destruction of all possessions and the lives of every Amalekite, regardless of age or gender, as well as their livestock, to leave nothing remaining.

The themes present in this verse include the concepts of divine judgment, the fulfillment of ancient vendettas, and the idea of "herem" or the ban, which is a practice of devoting things or persons to complete destruction, often as an offering to God. This command also raises moral and ethical questions about the nature of warfare, the treatment of enemies, and the extent to which religious commands should be followed, especially when they seem to conflict with contemporary notions of morality.

In the larger narrative, Saul's failure to fully carry out this command, sparing the Amalekite king Agag and the best of the livestock, leads to his rejection by God as king over Israel, illustrating the importance of obedience to God's commands in the biblical narrative. This event sets the stage for the rise of David to the throne, as Samuel anoints him as Saul's successor in the same chapter. The verse and its consequences underscore the gravity of obedience to divine commands and the political and spiritual ramifications of disobedience within the biblical context.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H3212
   There are 938 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יָלַךְ
   Transliteration: yâlak
   Pronunciation: yaw-lak'
   Description: a primitive root (compare הָלַךְ); to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses); [idiom] again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, [phrase] follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, [phrase] pursue, cause to run, spread, take away (-journey), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, [idiom] be weak.
   
2. Strong's Number: H5221
   There are 460 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָכָה
   Transliteration: nâkâh
   Pronunciation: naw-kaw'
   Description: a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively); beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.
   
3. Strong's Number: H6002
   There are 37 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עֲמָלֵק
   Transliteration: ʻĂmâlêq
   Pronunciation: am-aw-lake'
   Description: probably of foreign origin; Amalek, a descendant of Esau; also his posterity and their country; Amalek.
   
4. Strong's Number: H2763
   There are 48 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָרַם
   Transliteration: châram
   Pronunciation: khaw-ram'
   Description: a primitive root; to seclude; specifically (by a ban) to devote to religious uses (especially destruction); physical and reflexive, to be blunt as to the nose; make accursed, consecrate, (utterly) destroy, devote, forfeit, have a flat nose, utterly (slay, make away).
   
5. Strong's Number: H2550
   There are 40 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: חָמַל
   Transliteration: châmal
   Pronunciation: khaw-mal'
   Description: a primitive root; to commiserate; by implication, to spare; have compassion, (have) pity, spare.
   
6. Strong's Number: H4191
   There are 694 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מוּת
   Transliteration: mûwth
   Pronunciation: mooth
   Description: a primitive root; to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill; [idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) wise.
   
7. Strong's Number: H376
   There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אִישׁ
   Transliteration: ʼîysh
   Pronunciation: eesh
   Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה.
   
8. Strong's Number: H802
   There are 729 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: אִשָּׁה
   Transliteration: ʼishshâh
   Pronunciation: ish-shaw'
   Description: feminine of אִישׁ or אֱנוֹשׁ; irregular plural, נָשִׁים;(used in the same wide sense as אֱנוֹשׁ); a woman; (adulter) ess, each, every, female, [idiom] many, [phrase] none, one, [phrase] together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.
   
9. Strong's Number: H5768
   There are 20 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עוֹלֵל
   Transliteration: ʻôwlêl
   Pronunciation: o-lale'
   Description: or עֹלָל; from עוּל; a suckling; babe, (young) child, infant, little one.
   
10. Strong's Number: H3243
    There are 30 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יָנַק
    Transliteration: yânaq
    Pronunciation: yaw-nak'
    Description: a primitive root; to suck; causatively, to give milk; milch, nurse(-ing mother), (give, make to) suck(-ing child, -ling).
    
11. Strong's Number: H7794
    There are 69 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שׁוֹר
    Transliteration: shôwr
    Pronunciation: shore
    Description: from שׁוּר; a bullock (as a traveller); bull(-ock), cow, ox, wall (by mistake for שׁוּר).
    
12. Strong's Number: H7716
    There are 39 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: שֶׂה
    Transliteration: seh
    Pronunciation: seh
    Description: or שֵׂי; probably from שָׁאָה through the idea of pushing out to graze; a member of a flock, i.e. a sheep or goat; (lesser, small) cattle, ewe, goat, lamb, sheep. Compare זֶה.
    
13. Strong's Number: H1581
    There are 51 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: גָּמָל
    Transliteration: gâmâl
    Pronunciation: gaw-mawl'
    Description: apparently from גָּמַל (in the sense of labor or burden-bearing); a camel; camel.
    
14. Strong's Number: H2543
    There are 93 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: חֲמוֹר
    Transliteration: chămôwr
    Pronunciation: kham-ore'
    Description: or (shortened) חֲמֹר; from חָמַר; a male ass (from its dun red); (he) ass.