Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Webster's Bible Translation

1 Samuel 15:8

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agag;   Agency;   Amalekites;   Covetousness;   Falsehood;   Gilgal;   Repentance;   Retaliation;   Rulers;   War;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amalekites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Agag;   Amalekites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Saul, king of israel;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amalekite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Haman;   Purim;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Agag;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek, Amalekites;   Ban;   Havilah;   Israel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Agag ;   Amalek, Amalekites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mordecai;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Agag;   Amalek;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'gag;   Pu'rim;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Rephidim;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Agag;   Amalek;   Purim;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Agag;   Amalekites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Esther;   Parashiyyot, the Four;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He captured King Agag of Amalek alive, but he completely destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.
Hebrew Names Version
He took Agag the king of the `Amaleki alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
King James Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Lexham English Bible
He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the edge of the sword.
English Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
New Century Version
He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he killed all of Agag's army with the sword.
New English Translation
He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag's people with the sword.
Amplified Bible
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, though he totally destroyed all [the rest of] the people with the sword.
New American Standard Bible
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And tooke Agag the King of the Amalekites aliue, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he seized Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.
Contemporary English Version
Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag.
Complete Jewish Bible
He took Agag the king of ‘Amalek alive; but he completely destroyed the people, putting them to the sword.
Darby Translation
And he took Agag the king of Amalek alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Easy-to-Read Version
Agag was the king of the Amalekites. Saul captured Agag alive. Saul let Agag live, but he killed all the men in Agag's army.
George Lamsa Translation
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Good News Translation
he captured King Agag of Amalek alive and killed all the people.
Literal Translation
And he captured Agag the king of Amalek alive. But he exterminated all the people with the mouth of the sword.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& toke Agag the kynge of ye Amalechites alyue, & damned all ye people wt the edge of the swerde.
American Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Bible in Basic English
He took Agag, king of the Amalekites, prisoner, and put all the people to the sword without mercy.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And toke Agag the king of the Amalekites alyue, and vtterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sworde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
King James Version (1611)
And hee tooke Agag the king of the Amalekites aliue, and vtterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took Agag the king of Amalec alive, and he slew all the people and Hierim with the edge of the sword.
English Revised Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
Berean Standard Bible
He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he took Agag quyke, the kyng of Amalech; sotheli he killide bi the scharpnesse of swerd alle the comyn puple.
Young's Literal Translation
and he catcheth Agag king of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;
Update Bible Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
World English Bible
He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New King James Version
He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New Living Translation
He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else.
New Life Bible
He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and destroyed all the people with the sword.
New Revised Standard
He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he took Agag, king of Amalek, alive, - but, all the people, devoted he to destruction at the edge of the sword.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he took Agag, the king of Amalec, alive: but all the common people he slew with the edge of the sword.
Revised Standard Version
And he took Agag the king of the Amal'ekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

Contextual Overview

1 Samuel also said to Saul, the LORD sent me to anoint thee [to be] king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to 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 assembled the people, 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 to the Kenites, Go, depart, withdraw yourselves from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up from 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Agag: 1 Samuel 15:3, Numbers 24:7, 1 Kings 20:30, 1 Kings 20:34-42, Esther 3:1

utterly: 1 Samuel 27:8, 1 Samuel 30:1, Joshua 10:39, Joshua 11:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 17:14 - for I will Numbers 24:20 - shall be that he perish for ever Deuteronomy 2:34 - utterly destroyed Joshua 6:21 - utterly Joshua 8:23 - General Joshua 11:15 - he left nothing 1 Samuel 15:20 - have brought 2 Samuel 21:2 - in his zeal 1 Kings 20:32 - he is my brother 1 Chronicles 4:43 - the rest

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus?
Genesis 15:4
And behold, the word of the LORD [came] to him, saying, This shall not be thy heir; but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thy heir.
Genesis 15:9
And he said to him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.
Genesis 15:10
And he took to him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds he did not divide.
Genesis 15:13
And he said to Abram, Know certainly that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
Genesis 15:14
And also that nation which they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
Genesis 15:17
And it came to pass, that when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
2 Kings 20:8
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, What [shall be] the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
Psalms 86:17
Show me a token for good; that they who hate me may see [it], and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast helped me, and comforted me.
Isaiah 7:11
Ask thee a sign from the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the hight above.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive,.... This name seems to be a common name of the kings of these people, as Pharaoh was of the Egyptians, see Numbers 24:2. When this king fell into the hands of Saul, he did not put him to death, as he should have done, but preserved him; for what reasons, see in the following verse:

and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword; that is, all that came in his way, or fell into his hands; all between Havilah and Shur; all excepting those that made their escape, for we after read of Amalekites, and that in large bodies, 1 Samuel 27:8.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The saving Agag alive was in direct violation of the devotion to destruction.


 
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