1 Samuel 15:17

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:10-23

Saul is here called to account by Samuel concerning the execution of his commission against the Amalekites; and remarkable instances we are here furnished with of the strictness of the justice of God and the treachery and deceitfulness of the heart of man. We are here told, I. What passed between God and Samuel, in secret, upon this occasion, 1 Sam. 15:10, 11. 1. God determines Saul's rejection, and acquaints Samuel with it: It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king. Repentance in God... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:17

And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight ,.... Humble and lowly, and had a mean opinion of himself, his family and tribe, and judged himself unworthy of the kingdom; see 1 Samuel 9:21 suggesting, that now he was proud and haughty, and would have his own will and way: wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel ; not of his own tribe only, which was the least, but of all the tribes, and so they were all subject to him, and at his command: and the Lord... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 15:17

Little in thine own sight - Who can bear prosperity? Is it not of the Lord's great goodness that the majority of the inhabitants of the earth are in comparative poverty? read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:12-23

The sin of rebellion. The facts are— 1 . Saul, having raised a monument in honour of his victory, meets Samuel with a pious salutation, as though all were well. 2 . On being reminded of the presence of spoil, Saul explains by saying that it was spared for the worship of God in sacrifice. 3 . Samuel, referring to the instructions received from God, presses home upon him the fact of his guilt in disobeying the Lord. 4 . Saul, in response, maintains that substantially he has... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:17

When —rather, Though— thou wast little in thine own sight. Before his elevation to the royal dignity Saul had deemed himself altogether unequal to so heavy a task ( 1 Samuel 9:21 ); now, after great military successes, he is filled with arrogance, and will rule in open defiance of the conditions upon which Jehovah had appointed him to the office read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:1-35

War against the Amalekites (15:1-35)The Amalekites came under the same curse as those Canaanite nations that were to be destroyed (15:1-3; cf. Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 20:16-18; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). Again Saul’s obedience was tested, and again he failed. His kingly power gave him no right to alter God-given instructions to suit himself (4-9).God sent Samuel to tell Saul of the consequences of his disobedience (10-16; cf. 13:13-14). Religious sacrifices and military victories were no... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Samuel 15:17

SAUL STUBBORNLY MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE"And Samuel Said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, `Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' Why then, did you not obey the voice of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, I... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 15:1-35

5. Yahweh’s final rejection of Saul ch. 15"In the short pericope 1 Samuel 13:7-15 a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him." [Note: Ibid., p. 142.] Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul fought with the Amalekites, Israel’s enemy to the south (cf. 1 Samuel 14:48). The Amalekites were descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12; 1 Chronicles 1:36) and, therefore, linked with the Edomites. They were nomads who lived principally in southern Canaan and the... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 15:2-35

III. SAMUEL AND SAUL 7:2-15:35This third major part of 1 Samuel contains three subsections: Samuel’s ministry as Israel’s judge (1 Samuel 7:2-17), the kingship given to Saul (chs. 8-12), and the kingship removed from Saul (chs. 13-15). The main point seems to be Israel’s unjustified dissatisfaction with her sovereign God and its awful consequences. In spite of His people’s rejection, the Lord continued to show them mercy and faithfulness. read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 15:1-35

Saul’s Victory over Amalek. His Disobedience and RejectionAmalek had attacked Israel at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8) and opposed their entrance into Canaan (Numbers 14:45: cp. Deuteronomy 25:7; They are mentioned as allies of the Midianites in Judges 7:12. The Amalekite nomads probably occupied a large tract of the wilderness S. of Judah. This chapter evidently comes from a different source from the preceding, which concludes the history of Saul. It forms the connexion between the history of Saul and... read more

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