Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 15:3
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.
3. utterly destroy all that they have ] The word translated “utterly destroy” means “to ban,” or “to devote,” and hence since that which was cherem or “devoted” might not be taken as spoil, it comes to signify “utterly destroy.” See Lev 27:28-29; Jos 6:17 ff. The word is used in Samuel only in this chapter.
On the “moral difficulty” involved in this command see Note V. p. 240.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Utterly destroy – Rather, devote to destruction (Lev 27:28 note). When a city or people were thus made cherem, everything living was to be destroyed, and no part of the spoil fall to the conquerors (compare 1Sa 15:21). The valuables were put into the sacred treasury.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. Slay both man and woman] Nothing could justify such an exterminating decree but the absolute authority of God. This was given: all the reasons of it we do not know; but this we know well, The Judge of all the earth doth right. This war was not for plunder, for God commanded that all the property as well as all the people should be destroyed.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All that they have, both persons and goods; kill all that live, and consume all things without life; for I will have no name nor remnant of that people, whom long since I have cursed and devoted to utter destruction.
Spare them not; show no compassion or favour to any of them. The same thing repeated to prevent mistake, and oblige Saul to the exact performance hereof; or, to leave him without excuse, in case of neglect.
Infant and suckling; for their parents crime and punishment; which was not unjust, because God is the supreme Lord and giver of life, and can require his own when he pleaseth; infants also are born in sin, Psa 51:5, and therefore liable to Gods wrath, Eph 2:3, and to death, Rom 5:12,14. Their death also was rather a mercy than a curse to them, as being the occasion of preventing the vast increase of their sin and punishment.
Ox and sheep, camel and ass; which being all made for mans benefit, it is not strange nor unjust if they suffer with him, and for him and for the instruction of mankind.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Now go and smite Amalek,…. This was one of the three things the Israelites were obliged to do when they came into the land of Canaan, as Kimchi observes; one was, to appoint a king over them, another, to build the house of the sanctuary, and the third, to blot out the name and memory of Amalek, see De 25:19 and this work was reserved for Saul, their first king:
and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; all were to be devoted to destruction, and nothing remain to be made use of in any way, to any profit and advantage; living creatures were to be put to death, and everything else burnt and destroyed:
but slay both men and women, infant and suckling; neither sex nor age were to be regarded, no mercy and pity shown to any; they had shown none to Israel when weak and feeble, and by the law of retaliation none was to be exercised on them:
ox and sheep, camel and ass; though useful creatures, yet not to be spared; as not men, women, and children, through commiseration, so neither these through covetousness, and neither of them on any pretence whatsoever. Children suffered for their parents, and cattle because of their owners, and both were a punishment to their proprietors; an ox, or any other creature, might not be spared, lest it should be said, as Kimchi observes, this was the spoil of Amalek, and so the name and memory of Amalek would not be blotted out.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Smite Amalek, and utterly destroy . . .For utterly destroy the Hebrew has the far stronger expression, put under the ban (cherem). Whatever was put under the ban in Israel was devoted to God, and whatever was so devoted could not be redeemed, but must be slain. Amalek was to be looked upon as accursed; human beings and cattle must be killed; whatever was capable of being destroyed by fire must be burnt. The cup of iniquity in this people was filled up. Its national existence, if prolonged, would simply have worked mischief to the commonwealth of nations. Israel here was simply the instrument of destruction used by the Almighty. It is vain to attempt in this and similar transactions to find materials for the blame or the praise of Israel. We must never forget that Israel stood in a peculiar relation to the unseen King, and that this nation was not unfrequently used as the visible scourge by which the All-Wise punished hopelessly hardened sinners, and deprived them of the power of working mischief. We might as well find fault with pestilence and famine, or the swordthose awful instruments of Divine justice andthough we often fail to see it nowof Divine mercy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Man and woman, infant and suckling Who dares question the right of God to inflict such judgments upon a wicked and idolatrous nation? Jehovah is governor among the nations, and in order to chastise and destroy a wicked people he may with equal justice use the wasting pestilence or the armies of Israel. See note on Jos 6:21.
Ox and sheep, camel and ass Such utter destruction of all the spoil would show that the Israelites fought not to enrich themselves with the possessions of their enemies, but simply as the ministers of God’s wrath to execute his judgments. Saul’s sparing of the best of the spoils was, therefore, a rash and offensive meddling with the Divine judgments. Like Achan’s offence, it was appropriating a part of the accursed thing to private use.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 15:3 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.
Ver. 3. Now go and smite Amalek. ] This God had twice threatened; Exo 17:14 Deu 25:17 Ut ostenderet quam ex animo et omnino id vellet fieri. a The greater was Saul’s offence, in executing it so slackly.
And utterly destroy all that they have.
a A. Lapide.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Now go. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate, read “now therefore go”.
Amalek. Compare Exo 17:16. Num 24:20.
utterly destroy = devote to destruction.
man. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Now go: The Amalekites, a people of Arabia Petrea, who inhabited a tract of country on the frontiers of Egypt and Canaan, had acted with great cruelty towards the Israelites on their coming out of Egypt, and God then purposed that Amalek, as a nation, should be blotted out from under heaven; but it had been spared till it had filled up the measure of its iniquities, and now this purpose is carried into effect by Saul, upwards of 400 years afterwards! Nothing could justify such an exterminating decree but the absolute authority of God; and this was given: all the reasons of it we do not know; but this we know well, the Judge of all the earth doeth right.
utterly destroy: Lev 27:28, Lev 27:29, Num 24:20, Deu 13:15, Deu 13:16, Deu 20:16-18, Jos 6:17-21
slay: Exo 20:5, Num 31:17, Isa 14:21, Isa 14:22
ox and sheep: Gen 3:17, Gen 3:18, Rom 8:20-22
Reciprocal: Gen 36:12 – Amalek Exo 17:14 – for I will Num 13:29 – Amalekites Num 31:15 – General Deu 2:34 – utterly destroyed Jos 6:21 – utterly Jdg 21:10 – Go and smite 1Sa 14:48 – smote 1Sa 15:8 – Agag 1Sa 15:9 – the best 1Sa 15:11 – hath not performed 1Sa 15:20 – have brought 1Sa 22:19 – men 1Sa 27:9 – and the camels 2Sa 1:8 – an Amalekite 1Ki 8:44 – whithersoever 2Ki 3:19 – And ye 2Ch 6:34 – by the way Est 3:2 – bowed not Est 3:13 – both young Psa 106:34 – concerning Psa 149:7 – General Jer 44:7 – child Jer 44:21 – did Jer 47:7 – the Lord Jer 48:10 – Cursed Jer 50:21 – and do Jer 51:22 – General Lam 2:21 – young Eze 9:6 – old Amo 8:7 – I will Rev 16:1 – and pour
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 15:3. Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, &c. This heavy sentence was pronounced against them long before, (Exo 17:14,) and renewed at the Israelites entrance into Canaan, with a charge not to forget it, (Deu 25:19,) and now ordered to be put in execution. Slay both man and woman, infant and suckling We are to consider these orders of God, given in Scripture, for the slaying the innocent with the guilty, even children and sucklings, who could have done no harm, in the same light as we do a plague or earthquake, or any other of Gods judgments in the earth, whereby the guiltless are cut off with the guilty; the reason of which, perhaps, may be, that the guilty, in such calamities, are more grievously afflicted and punished, by the cutting off their harmless children, than they would be by any thing that could befall themselves. And God can, and certainly does, crown elsewhere the innocent with happiness, great enough to reward them amply for the evils that fall upon them here. And, without doubt, every infant, however much its death may be lamented by its parents, receives a great favour and blessing from God by having death bestowed upon it in its infancy; as it is taken away from all the miseries of this life, in order to be made perfectly and eternally happy.
The reason, perhaps, of Gods ordering the beasts to be all killed, upon this and some other occasions of this sort, was, that the neighbouring nations might know that these terrible executions of the Israelites upon some particular nations, did not proceed from any views of profit or interest to themselves, but were done in obedience to the commands of the Lord of all, to punish those whose iniquity was full. For, had the Israelites been allowed to spare the cattle (which were then the chief riches of the nations) on these occasions, they would have appeared rather as the murderers of these people, for the sake of their riches, than the ministers of Gods wrath, to punish nations whose abominations made them ripe for destruction.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but {b} slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
(b) That this might be an example of God’s vengeance against those who deal cruelly with his people.