1 Samuel 15:30

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:24-31

Saul is at length brought to put himself into the dress of the penitent; but it is too evident that he only acts the part of a penitent, and is not one indeed. Observe, I. How poorly he expressed his repentance. It was with much ado that he was made sensible of his fault, and not till he was threatened with being deposed. This touched him in a tender part. Then he began to relent, and not till then. When Samuel told him he was rejected from being king, then he said, I have sinned, 1 Sam.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:30

Then he said, I have sinned ,.... So he had said before, 1 Samuel 15:24 but his confession there was attended with an extenuation of his sin, pleading in excuse of it that it was through fear of the people, but here it is without any; and yet by what follows it appears to be not ingenuous and sincere, but hypocritical: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel ; with his company; since should he be slighted openly by the Lord, and by his prophet,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:24-31

Conviction of sin not repentance. The facts are— 1 . Saul, alleging fear of the people, admits his sin, and seeks Samuel's presence while he worships the Lord. 2 . On Samuel refusing and turning away, Saul seizes and rends his garment, which circumstance is used as a sign that so the Lord had rent the kingdom from Saul and given it to another. 3 . On being assured that God's purpose was irrevocable. Saul entreats, for the sake of his credit among the people that Samuel would... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 15:30-31

Then he said, I have sinned. We have here no real confession of guilt. Even in 1 Samuel 15:24 the words were rather an expression of vexation at the strictness with which he was held to the letter of the command, than an acknowledgment that he really had done wrong. Here Saul's meaning seems to be, Well, granting that I have sinned, and that this sentence of exclusion kern the kingdom is passed upon me, yet at least pay me the honor due to the rank which I still continue to hold. And to... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 15:30

The pertinacity with which Saul clings to Samuel for support is a striking testimony to Samuel’s integrity. With all his worldly-mindedness Saul could perceive and appreciate the purity of Samuel’s character as a man of God.The Lord thy God - As above, 1 Samuel 15:15. 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

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

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Samuel 15:30

(30) Yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders.—It was a strange penitence, after all, this sorrow of Saul for his great sin. He was, no doubt, terribly in earnest and in great fear; but his earnestness was based upon a desire to maintain his power and royal state, and his fear sprang from a well-grounded apprehension that if he lost the countenance of Samuel the seer, the revered and honoured servant of the Lord, he would probably forfeit his crown. “If Saul had been really penitent,... read more

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