1 Samuel 15:14

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 15:14

And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears ,.... For the orders were to destroy all living creatures belonging to the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:3 if therefore Saul had performed the commandment of the Lord, as he said he had, from whence were these sheep Samuel heard bleating? and the lowing of the oxen which I hear ? where do they come from? these questions he put to convict him of the falsehood he had delivered; the bleating and lowing of these creatures... 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 15:14

What meaneth then this bleating? etc. Literally, "What is this voice of sheep in my ears, and the voice of oxen?" While Saul's own conscience was silent they were proclaiming his disobedience. 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 Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 15:14

1 Samuel 15:14. What meaneth then this bleating, &c.— There can be no excuse for swerving from the precise rule which God has prescribed to us: to obey, is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams: 1Sa 15:22 nor must we compound a religion out of the good purposes and intentions of piety and devotion for our convenience, whilst, for the present, we decline a fundamental point of our religion, obedience to what he has enjoined. It will be no answer to God, that we have... 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 15:14

(14) What meaneth then this bleating? . . .—“Saul is convicted of falsehood by the voices of the animals which he has spared, contrary to God’s command. Samuel’s mode of citing them against him by the question, ‘What meaneth these voices?’ has an air of holy humour and cutting irony.”—Lange. read more

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