1 Samuel 15:1
New International Version
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD.

New Living Translation
One day Samuel said to Saul, “It was the LORD who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD!

English Standard Version
And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

King James Bible
Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

New King James Version
Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD.

New American Standard Bible
Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

NASB 1995
Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

NASB 1977
Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; so now, obey the voice of the words of Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and pay close attention to the words of the Lord.

Christian Standard Bible
Samuel told Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Samuel told Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people Israel. Now, listen to the words of the LORD.

American Standard Version
And Samuel said unto Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Jehovah.

Contemporary English Version
One day, Samuel told Saul: The LORD told me to choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD:

English Revised Version
And Samuel said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice the words of the LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Samuel told Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to the LORD's words.

Good News Translation
Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one whom the LORD sent to anoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to what the LORD Almighty says.

International Standard Version
Samuel told Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people, Israel. Now listen to the words of the LORD.

Majority Standard Bible
Then Samuel said to Saul, ?The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

NET Bible
Then Samuel said to Saul, "I was the one the LORD sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the LORD says.

New Heart English Bible
Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of the LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
Samuel also said to Saul, the LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the LORD.

World English Bible
Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of Yahweh’s words.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Samuel says to Saul, “YHWH sent me to anoint you for king over His people, over Israel; and now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH.

Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'Me did Jehovah send to anoint thee for king over His people, over Israel; and now, hearken to the voice of the words of Jehovah:

Smith's Literal Translation
And Samuel will say to Israel, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee for king over his people, over Israel: and now hear to the voice of the words of Jehovah.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Samuel said to Saul: “The Lord sent me, so that I would anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the voice of the Lord.

New American Bible
Samuel said to Saul: “It was I the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel. Now, therefore, listen to the message of the LORD.

New Revised Standard Version
Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
SAMUEL said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over his people Israel. Now therefore hearken to the voice of the words of the LORD.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Shemueil said to Shaul: “LORD JEHOVAH sent me to anoint you, that you may reign over Israel his people. Now hear the voice of the word of LORD JEHOVAH
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Samuel said unto Saul: 'The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel; now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over Israel: and now hear the voice of the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul's Disobedience
1Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD. 2This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I witnessed what the Amalekites did to the Israelites when they ambushed them on their way up from Egypt.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 9:16-17
“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” / When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke; he shall rule over My people.”

1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?

1 Samuel 13:13-14
“You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. / But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.”

1 Samuel 16:1
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”

1 Samuel 28:18
Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

2 Samuel 12:7
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Hosea 13:11
So in My anger I gave you a king, and in My wrath I took him away.

Acts 13:21-22
Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. / After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’

Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Remember what the Amalekites did to you along your way from Egypt, / how they met you on your journey when you were tired and weary, and they attacked all your stragglers; they had no fear of God. / When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

Exodus 17:14-16
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” / And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner. / “Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

1 Kings 15:29-30
As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, / because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.

2 Kings 10:30
Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.”

Jeremiah 1:7
But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.

Jeremiah 7:23
but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that it may go well with you.

Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.”


Treasury of Scripture

Samuel also said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore listen you to the voice of the words of the LORD.

A.

1 Samuel 15:17,18
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? …

1 Samuel 9:16
To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

1 Samuel 10:1
Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

hearken

1 Samuel 15:16
Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

1 Samuel 12:14
If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:

1 Samuel 13:13
And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

Jump to Previous
Anoint Ear Hearken Holy Israel Message Oil Samuel Saul Voice Words
Jump to Next
Anoint Ear Hearken Holy Israel Message Oil Samuel Saul Voice Words
1 Samuel 15
1. Samuel sends Saul to destroy Amalek
6. Saul favors the Kenites
7. He spares Agag and the best of the spoil
10. Samuel denounces unto Saul God's rejection of him for his disobedience
24. Saul's humiliation
32. Samuel kills Agag
34. Samuel and Saul part














Then Samuel said to Saul
Samuel, the last judge and a prophet of Israel, plays a crucial role as God's spokesperson. His authority is recognized by Saul, the first king of Israel. This interaction highlights the theocratic nature of Israel's monarchy, where the king is subject to God's commands through His prophets. Samuel's role as a prophet is significant, as he bridges the period between the judges and the monarchy, emphasizing the importance of divine guidance in leadership.

The LORD sent me
This phrase underscores the divine authority behind Samuel's actions. It is not by his own will but by God's command that Samuel approaches Saul. This reflects the biblical theme of divine commissioning, where God appoints individuals for specific tasks, as seen with Moses (Exodus 3:10) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5). The sending of Samuel by the LORD also reinforces the idea that true leadership in Israel is established by God, not by human ambition.

to anoint you king over His people Israel
The act of anointing signifies consecration and divine selection. Saul's anointing as king marks a pivotal moment in Israel's history, transitioning from a loose confederation of tribes to a centralized monarchy. Anointing with oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit's empowerment, a practice seen in the anointing of priests and kings (Exodus 30:30, 1 Kings 19:16). This foreshadows the anointing of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, whose title means "Anointed One" (Luke 4:18).

Now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD
Samuel's command to Saul to listen emphasizes obedience to God's word as paramount for Israel's king. This reflects the covenantal relationship between God and Israel, where blessings are contingent upon obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). Saul's failure to heed God's commands ultimately leads to his rejection as king (1 Samuel 15:26). This call to listen is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus emphasizes hearing and obeying God's word (Matthew 7:24-27).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Samuel
A prophet and judge of Israel, Samuel was instrumental in the transition from the period of judges to the establishment of the monarchy. He anointed both Saul and David as kings.

2. Saul
The first king of Israel, anointed by Samuel. Saul's reign was marked by initial success but later marred by disobedience to God's commands.

3. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who is the ultimate authority and the one who appoints leaders over His people.

4. Israel
The nation chosen by God, consisting of the twelve tribes descended from the sons of Jacob. At this time, Israel was transitioning from a loose confederation of tribes to a centralized monarchy.

5. Anointing
A significant act in the Old Testament, symbolizing God's choice and empowerment of an individual for a specific role or task.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Obedience
Saul's kingship began with a divine mandate, emphasizing the necessity of listening to and obeying God's commands. Disobedience leads to consequences, as seen later in Saul's life.

God's Sovereignty in Leadership
God is the one who appoints leaders, and His choices are based on His divine wisdom and purpose. Trust in God's sovereignty is crucial, even when His choices are not immediately clear to us.

The Role of Prophets
Samuel's role as a prophet was to communicate God's will to the people and their leaders. This highlights the importance of seeking and heeding godly counsel in our lives.

Anointing and Responsibility
Being chosen by God for a task comes with the responsibility to fulfill it according to His instructions. Anointing is not just a privilege but a call to faithful service.(1Samuel 15:1-3) Samuel also said unto Saul . . .--The compiler of the history, selecting, no doubt, from ancient state records, chose to illustrate the story of the reign and rejection of Saul by certain memorable incidents as good examples of the king's general life and conduct. The incidents were also selected to show the rapid development of the power and resources of Israel at this period.

The sacred war with Amalek is thus introduced without any "note of time."

The Lord sent me to anoint thee.--The account of the Amalekite war is prefaced by the solemn words used by the seer when he came to announce the Eternal's will to Saul. They are quoted to show that the war was enjoined upon Israel in a general official way by the accredited prophet-messenger of the Most High.

Verse 1. - Samuel also said. Better literally, "And Samuel said." There is no note of time, but probably a considerable interval elapsed before this second trial of Saul was made. God does not finally reject a man until, after repeated opportunities for repentance, he finally proves obdurate. David committed worse crimes than Saul, but he had a tender conscience, and each fall was followed by deep and earnest sorrow. Saul sinned and repented not. Just, then, as Eli had a first warning, which, though apparently unconditional in its terms (1 Samuel 2:27-36), was really a call to repentance, and was only made irrevocable by his persistence for many years in the same sins (1 Samuel 3:11-14), so was it with Saul. The prophet's words in 1 Samuel 13:13, 14 were a stern warning, and had Saul taken them to heart, God would have forgiven him his sin. He repented not, but repeated the offence, and so the sentence was confirmed. When, then, critics say that we have two accounts of Saul's rejection, and that he is represented as having been set aside first for one reason and then for another, their objection arises entirely from a false view of God's dealings with mankind. Alike promises and threatenings, blessings and punishments are conditional; for there is no heathen fatalism in Holy Scripture, but mercy waiting to triumph over justice. God, then, was not willing lightly to cast away so noble an instrument as Saul. His first sin too had been committed when he was new in the kingdom, and in a position of danger and difficulty. He waits, therefore, till Saul has had some years of success and power, and his character has developed itself, and is taking its permanent form; and then again gives him a trial in order to test his fitness to be a theocratic king. The interest, then, of this chapter lies in the unfolding of Saul's character, and so it follows immediately upon ch. 14, which was occupied with the same subject, without any note of chronology, because the historical narrative is subservient to the personal. Hence, too, Samuel's solemn address, reminding Saul that he was Jehovah's anointed one, and therefore had special duties towards him; that he had also been anointed by Samuel's instrumentality, and after earnest instruction as to his duties; and, finally, that Israel was Jehovah's people, and their king, therefore, bound to obey Jehovah's commands.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Samuel
שְׁמוּאֵל֙ (šə·mū·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8050: Samuel -- 'name of God', a prophet of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Saul,
שָׁא֔וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

“The LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

sent
שָׁלַ֤ח (šā·laḥ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

me
אֹתִ֨י (’ō·ṯî)
Direct object marker | first person common singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

to anoint you
לִמְשָׁחֳךָ֣ (lim·šā·ḥo·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 4886: To rub with oil, to anoint, to consecrate, to paint

king
לְמֶ֔לֶךְ (lə·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

His people
עַמּ֖וֹ (‘am·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

Israel.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

Now therefore,
וְעַתָּ֣ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

listen
שְׁמַ֔ע (šə·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to the words
דִּבְרֵ֥י (diḇ·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the LORD.
יְהוָֽה׃ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


Links
1 Samuel 15:1 NIV
1 Samuel 15:1 NLT
1 Samuel 15:1 ESV
1 Samuel 15:1 NASB
1 Samuel 15:1 KJV

1 Samuel 15:1 BibleApps.com
1 Samuel 15:1 Biblia Paralela
1 Samuel 15:1 Chinese Bible
1 Samuel 15:1 French Bible
1 Samuel 15:1 Catholic Bible

OT History: 1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel said to Saul Yahweh sent me (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 14:52
Top of Page
Top of Page