1 Samuel 15:8

He took Agag. This was the official name of the Amalekite kings (see Numbers 24:7 ), as Pharaoh was that of the kings of Egypt. For its meaning we must wait till we know more about the language of this race. Agag, however, from 1 Samuel 15:32 , seems to have been able to speak Hebrew. He utterly destroyed — i.e. put under the ban— all the people. They appear, however, again in 1 Samuel 27:8 , and with so vast a wilderness in which to take refuge, it would be impossible really to exterminate a people used to lead a wandering life. Moreover, as soon as Israel began to lay hands on the spoil the pursuit would flag, as the cattle would be killed by over driving.