TRV
Translation
King James Version
And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Sha'ul attacked 'Amalek, starting at Havilah and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
American Standard Version
And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is before Egypt.
World English Bible Messianic
Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt.
Geneva Bible (1599)
So Saul smote the Amalekites from Hauilah as thou commest to Shur, that is before Egypt,
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul smiteth Amalek from Havilah--thy going in to Shur, which is on the front of Egypt,
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In the KJVVerse 7,568 of 31,102
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Commentary on 1 Samuel 15 verses 1–9
1 ¶ Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 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.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
Here, I. Samuel, in God's name, solemnly requires Saul to be obedient to the command of God, and plainly intimates that he was now about to put him upon a trial, in one particular instance, whether he would be obedient or no, Sa1 15:1. And the making of this so expressly the trial of his obedience did very much aggravate his disobedience. 1. He reminds him of what God had done for him: "The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be a king. God gave thee thy power, and therefore he expects thou shouldst use thy power for him. He put honour upon thee, and now thou must study how to do him honour. He made thee king over Israel, and now thou must plead Israel's cause and avenge their quarrels. Thou art advanced to command Israel, but know that thou art a subject to the God of Israel and must be commanded by him." Men's preferment, instead of releasing them from their obedience to God, obliges them so much the more to it. Samuel had himself been employed to anoint Saul, and therefore was the fitter to be send with these orders to him. 2. He tells him, in general, that, in consideration of this, whatever God commanded him to do he was bound to do it: Now therefore hearken to the voice of the Lord. Note, God's favours to us lay strong obligations upon us to be obedient to him. This we must render, Psa 116:12.
II. He appoints him a particular piece of service, in which he must now show his obedience to God more than in any thing he had done yet. Samuel premises God's authority to the command: Thus says the Lord of hosts, the Lord of all hosts, of Israel's hosts. He also gives him a reason for the command, that the severity he must use might not seem hard: I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, Sa1 15:2. God had an ancient quarrel with the Amalekites, for the injuries they did to his people Israel when he brought them out of Egypt. We have the story, Exo 17:8, etc., and the crime is aggravated, Deu 25:18. He basely smote the hindmost of them, and feared not God. God then swore that he would have war with Amalek from generation to generation, and that in process of time he would utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek; this is the work that Saul is now appointed to do (Sa1 15:3): "Go and smite Amalek. Israel is now strong, and the measure of the iniquity of Amalek is now full; now go and make a full riddance of that devoted nation." He is expressly commanded to kill and slay all before him, man and woman, infant and suckling, and not spare them out of pity; also ox and sheep, camel and ass, and not spare them out of covetousness. Note, 1. Injuries done to God's Israel will certainly be reckoned for sooner or later, especially the opposition given them when they are coming out of Egypt. 2. God often bears long with those that are marked for ruin. The sentence passed is not executed speedily. 3. Though he bear long, he will not bear always. The year of recompence for the controversy of Israel will come at last. Though divine justice strikes slowly it strikes surely. 4. The longer judgment is delayed many times the more severe it is when it comes. 5. God chooses out instruments to do his work that are fittest for it. This was bloody work, and therefore Saul who was a rough and severe man must do it.
III. Saul hereupon musters his forces, and makes a descent upon the country of Amalek. It was an immense army that he brought into the field (Sa1 15:4): 200,000 footmen. When he came to engage the Philistines, and the success was hazardous, he had but 600 attending him, Sa1 13:15. But now that he was to attack the Amalekites by express order from heaven, in which he was sure of victory, he had thousands at his call. But, whatever it was at other times, it was not now for the honour of Judah that their forces were numbered by themselves, for their quota was scandalously short (whatever was the reason), but a twentieth part of the whole, for they were by 10,000, when the other ten tribes (for I except Levi) brought into the field 200,000. The day of Judah's honour drew near, but had not yet come. Saul numbered them in Telaim, which signifies lambs. He numbered then like lambs (so the vulgar Latin), numbered them by the paschal lambs (so the Chaldee), allowing ten to a lamb, a way of numbering used by the Jews in the later times of their nation. Saul drew all his forces to the city of Amalek, that city that was their metropolis (Sa1 15:5), that he might provoke them to give him battle.
IV. He gave friendly advice to the Kenites to separate themselves from the Amalekites among whom they dwelt, while this execution was in doing, Sa1 15:6. Herein he did prudently and piously, and, it is probable, according to the direction Samuel gave him. The Kenites were of the family and kindred of Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, a people that dwelt in tents, which made it easy for them, upon every occasion, to remove to other lands not appropriated. Many of them, at this time, dwelt among the Amalekites, where, though they dwelt in tents, they were fortified by nature, for they put their nest in a rock, being hardy people that could live any where, and affected fastnesses, Num 24:21. Balaam had foretold that they should be wasted, Num 24:22. However, Saul must not waste them. But, 1. He acknowledges the kindness of their ancestors to Israel, when they came out of Egypt. Jethro and his family had been very helpful and serviceable to them in their passage through the wilderness, had been to them instead of eyes, and this is remembered to their posterity many ages after. Thus a good man leaves the divine blessing for an inheritance to his children's children; those that come after us may be reaping the benefit of our good works when we are in our graves. God is not unrighteous to forget the kindnesses shown to his people; but they shall be remembered another day, at furthest in the great day, and recompensed in the resurrection of the just. I was hungry, and you gave me meat. God's remembering the kindness of the Kenites' ancestors in favour to them, at the same time when he was punishing the injuries done by the ancestors of the Amalekites, helped to clear the righteousness of God in that dispensation. If he entail favours, why may he not entail frowns? He espouses his people's cause, so as to bless those that bless them; and therefore so as to curse those that curse them, Num 24:9; Gen 12:3. They cannot themselves requite the kindnesses nor avenge the injuries done them, but God will do both. 2. He desires them to remove their tents from among the Amalekites: Go, depart, get you down from among them. When destroying judgments are abroad God will take care to separate between the precious and the vile, and to hide the meek of the earth in the day of his anger. It is dangerous being found in the company of God's enemies, and it is our duty and interest to come out from among them, lest we share in their sins and plagues, Rev 18:4. The Jews have a saying, Woe to the wicked man and woe to his neighbour.
V. Saul prevailed against the Amalekites, for it was rather an execution of condemned malefactors than a war with contending enemies. The issue could not be dubious when the cause was just and the call so clear: He smote them (Sa1 15:7), utterly destroyed them, Sa1 15:8. Now they paid dearly for the sin of their ancestors. God sometimes lays up iniquity for the children. They were idolaters, and were guilty of many other sins, for which they deserved to fall under the wrath of God; yet, when God would reckon with them, he fastened upon the sin of their ancestors in abusing his Israel as the ground of his quarrel. Lord, How unsearchable are thy judgments, yet how incontestable is thy righteousness!
VI. Yet he did his work by halves, Sa1 15:9. 1. He spared Agag, because he was a king like himself, and perhaps in hope to get a great ransom for him. 2. He spared the best of the cattle, and destroyed only the refuse, that was good for little. Many of the people, we may suppose, made their escape, and took their effects with them into other countries, and therefore we read of Amalekites after this; but that could not be helped. It was Saul's fault that he did not destroy such as came to his hands and were in his power. That which was now destroyed was in effect sacrificed to the justice of God, as the God to whom vengeance belongeth; and for Saul to think the torn and the sick, the lame and the lean, good enough for that, while he reserved for his own fields and his own table the firstlings and the fat, was really to honour himself more than God.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–9. Public domain.
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Commentary on Samuel
And Saul struck the Amalekites, etc. Evila, which is said to mean "suffering" or "labor," signifies the beginning of conversion, which is not initiated without a certain painful and laborious birth of the new man. Sur, which translates to "right," represents the final perfection of correction. This solitude well described in the region of Egypt implies that one preserves the rectitude received, better if always mindful of the pressure of the darkness from which they have been delivered. In Evila, positioned with the sword of the word, he says: Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out (Acts III). But also the Apostle James says: Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to sorrow. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up (James IV). By striking the same ones, he comes to Sur, which is opposite, as Scripture elsewhere states, against the face of Egypt; as the Apostle Paul says: For you were once darkness, but now are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (Ephesians IV). And he himself positioned in Sur did not neglect to observe Egypt from which he had exited, saying: Who am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God but obtained mercy (I Corinthians XV). He shows himself struck beneficially so that he might live better after the blow, when he says: Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me (Galatians II). Not only those who are converted but also those who, having received the word of truth, do not care to turn away from depravity, are struck from Evila to Sur: because perpetually allocated to sufferings, they endure the just sentence of divine strictness, which is opposite Egypt; because he will repay them according to the wickedness of their pursuits. And these too, at Samuel's command, Saul strikes, while the same teacher of the Church, according to the admonitions of holy Scripture, corrects the obedient for life and rightly predicts the damnation of the despisers.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 15:7 provides a vivid and geographically extensive account of King Saul's initial, militarily successful campaign against the Amalekites. This verse details the impressive scope of his operation, stretching from Havilah in the east to Shur near Egypt in the west, signifying a comprehensive engagement across the entire known territory of this ancient enemy of Israel. It sets the stage for the subsequent narrative, which will reveal Saul's critical failure in complete obedience and the severe consequences that followed.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is situated within a critical chapter that marks a turning point in King Saul's reign and a pivotal test of his obedience to God. Immediately preceding 1 Samuel 15:7, the prophet Samuel delivers God's explicit command for Saul to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites, sparing nothing (1 Samuel 15:3). The verse thus describes the initial, seemingly successful, phase of this divinely ordained military campaign, highlighting the impressive scale of Saul's military execution. The verses that follow, however, will reveal Saul's critical failure to fully execute this command, leading to God's rejection of him as king (1 Samuel 15:10-23). Therefore, 1 Samuel 15:7 serves as a powerful contrast to the ensuing narrative of disobedience, setting up the tragic irony of Saul's reign.
Historical & Cultural Context: The Amalekites were a nomadic, predatory people, descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12). Their historical enmity with Israel dates back to the Exodus, where they ruthlessly attacked the vulnerable Israelites in the desert, preying on the weak and stragglers (Exodus 17:8-16). This unprovoked assault led to a perpetual divine decree against them, with God vowing to "blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus 17:14). Saul's campaign, therefore, was not merely a territorial conflict but the execution of a long-standing divine judgment against a people who had consistently opposed God's chosen nation and displayed profound wickedness. The geographical markers, Havilah and Shur, denote the vast, arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula and the Sinai, respectively, indicating the extensive nomadic range of the Amalekites.
Key Themes: 1 Samuel 15:7 contributes to several key themes within 1 Samuel and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it highlights the theme of Divine Judgment, demonstrating God's sovereign justice against those who persistently oppose His people and His purposes, particularly those who exhibit relentless wickedness. Secondly, it introduces the theme of Obedience to God's Commands, setting up the critical test of Saul's kingship. While the verse initially portrays Saul's successful military action, the subsequent narrative will underscore the importance of complete and unreserved obedience, a theme central to God's covenant relationship with Israel (Deuteronomy 28). Lastly, the extensive geographical description emphasizes the Magnitude of God's Will and the comprehensive nature of the task given to Saul, foreshadowing the gravity of his partial failure.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The primary literary device employed in 1 Samuel 15:7 is Merism. The phrase "from Havilah... to Shur" functions as a merism, a figure of speech in which two contrasting parts of a whole are used to represent the entirety. By naming the extreme eastern and western (or northern and southern) geographical limits of the Amalekite territory, the text effectively conveys that Saul's campaign covered the entirety of their domain. This emphasizes the comprehensive and thorough nature of his military operation, suggesting that no Amalekite settlement or nomadic group within their known range was spared from the initial assault. This device highlights the impressive scale of Saul's obedience in this particular aspect of the command, setting up a sharp contrast with his subsequent partial obedience.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 15:7 serves as a crucial point of tension and irony within the narrative of Saul's kingship. While it portrays an impressive display of military prowess and initial obedience, the very comprehensiveness described here paradoxically underscores the gravity of Saul's subsequent partial obedience. The divine command was for utter destruction, and the wide geographical sweep suggests that Saul had the capacity and opportunity to fulfill it completely. The verse thus sets up the tragic failure that follows, where Saul's decision to spare King Agag and the best of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:9) demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding or disregard for the nature of God's command. This highlights the theological truth that God demands complete, not partial, obedience, and that outward success is meaningless without inward faithfulness to His specific instructions.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
1 Samuel 15:7 presents a powerful, albeit ultimately ironic, picture of initial obedience. Saul's extensive campaign against the Amalekites demonstrates a remarkable commitment to the scope of God's command, covering vast distances and engaging a formidable enemy across their entire territory. For us today, this verse challenges us to consider the breadth and depth of our own obedience to God's will. Are we willing to engage with God's commands comprehensively, even when they require significant effort, sacrifice, or venturing into uncomfortable "territories" of our lives? Or do we, like Saul, achieve outward success in some areas while subtly withholding obedience in others? True faithfulness requires not just doing something for God, but doing all that He commands, in the way He commands it, without reservation. This verse serves as a potent reminder that God values our complete devotion and adherence to His word above all else, for it is in our full surrender that His purposes are truly fulfilled.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of "Havilah" and "Shur" in this verse?
Answer: "Havilah" and "Shur" are geographical markers that define the vast extent of the Amalekite territory. Havilah is generally understood to be in the Arabian Peninsula, marking the eastern or northern boundary, while Shur is a desert region near the northeastern border of Egypt, marking the western or southwestern boundary. By stating that Saul smote the Amalekites "from Havilah... to Shur," the text uses a literary device called Merism to emphasize that Saul's campaign was comprehensive, covering the entire known range of the nomadic Amalekite tribes. This highlights the impressive scale of his initial military success and his apparent thoroughness in carrying out God's command to utterly destroy them (1 Samuel 15:3). This extensive reach underscores the magnitude of the divine mandate and sets up the dramatic contrast with Saul's subsequent failure to complete the task.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While 1 Samuel 15:7 depicts an earthly king's military action against a physical enemy, it profoundly foreshadows the comprehensive and decisive victory of Christ over spiritual enemies. Saul's campaign, though extensive, was ultimately flawed by partial obedience, leading to his rejection as king. In stark contrast, Jesus Christ, the true King and Son of God, executed God's will with perfect and complete obedience, from His incarnation to His atoning death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). His victory over sin, death, and the devil was not partial but absolute, covering the entire "territory" of human fallenness and spiritual bondage (Colossians 2:15). Just as Saul was commanded to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites, Christ utterly destroyed the power of sin for those who believe, offering complete freedom and reconciliation (Romans 6:6). His "campaign" was not limited to a geographical region but extended to the spiritual realm, securing an eternal triumph that requires no further human effort or partial obedience, only faith in His finished work (Hebrews 9:12).