1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king."

Bible > 1 Samuel > Chapter 15 > Verse 23

◄ 1 Samuel 15:23 ►

New International Version
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

New Living Translation
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

English Standard Version
For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Berean Standard Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

King James Bible
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

New King James Version
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

New American Standard Bible
“For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Since you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

NASB 1995
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

NASB 1977
“For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Legacy Standard Bible
For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Amplified Bible
“For rebellion is as [serious as] the sin of divination (fortune-telling), And disobedience is as [serious as] false religion and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you as king.”

Christian Standard Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.

American Standard Version
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Contemporary English Version
Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can no longer be king."

English Revised Version
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The sin of black magic is rebellion. Wickedness and idolatry are arrogance. Because you rejected the word of the LORD, he rejects you as king."

Good News Translation
Rebellion against him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry. Because you rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you as king."

International Standard Version
Indeed, rebellion is the sin of divination, and arrogance is iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected this message from the LORD, he has rejected you from being king."

Majority Standard Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

NET Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

New Heart English Bible
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."

Webster's Bible Translation
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

World English Bible
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected Yahweh’s word, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
for rebellion [is as] a sin of divination, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and teraphim; because you have rejected the word of YHWH, He also rejects you from [being] king.”

Young's Literal Translation
for a sin of divination is rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim is stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from being king.'

Smith's Literal Translation
For the sin of divination, rebellion; and deceit, and the family gods of stubbornness. Because thou didst reject the word of Jehovah, and he will reject thee from being king.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch therefore as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, it is like the sin of paganism to rebel. And it is like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey. For this reason, therefore, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has also rejected you from being king.”

New American Bible
For a sin of divination is rebellion, and arrogance, the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD in turn has rejected you as king.”

New Revised Standard Version
For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
For divination is a rebellion, and divination is a grievous iniquity. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because rebellion is the sin of divination, and divination is severe evil; because you despised the Word of LORD JEHOVAH, he shall reject you from the Kingdom!”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For sin is as divination; idols bring on pain and grief. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject thee from being king over Israel.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Samuel Denounces Saul
…22But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.”

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Isaiah 1:19-20
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land. / But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Jeremiah 7:23-24
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. / Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but they followed the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Proverbs 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. / Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ / Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’

Acts 5:29
But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.

James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, / but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?

Ezekiel 18:30-32
Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. / Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel? / For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 51:16-17
For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

Matthew 15:8-9
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

Mark 7:6-9
Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ / You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.” ...

Luke 6:46
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say?

Treasury of Scripture

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.

rebellion

1 Samuel 12:14,15
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: …

Numbers 14:9
Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Deuteronomy 9:7,24
Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD…

witchcraft [heb] divination

Exodus 22:18
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Leviticus 20:6,27
And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people…

Deuteronomy 18:10,11
There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, …

stubbornness

2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Galatians 5:20
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

thou hast rejected

1 Samuel 2:30
Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 13:14
But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

1 Samuel 16:1
And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

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Arrogance Arts Divination Evil Idolatry Iniquity Orders Pride Rebellion Rejected Secret Sin Stubbornness Teraphim Use Witchcraft Word Worship

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Arrogance Arts Divination Evil Idolatry Iniquity Orders Pride Rebellion Rejected Secret Sin Stubbornness Teraphim Use Witchcraft Word Worship

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

Berean Study Bible

For rebellion
The Hebrew word for "rebellion" is "meri," which conveys a sense of defiance and insubordination against authority. In the biblical context, rebellion against God is not merely a personal failing but a direct challenge to His divine order. Historically, Israel's repeated rebellions against God led to severe consequences, emphasizing the gravity of such actions. Rebellion is equated with divination, a practice strictly forbidden in Israel, highlighting its severity.

is as the sin of divination
"Divination" in Hebrew is "qesem," referring to the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means. In ancient Israel, divination was associated with pagan practices and was considered an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). By equating rebellion with divination, the text underscores the seriousness of turning away from God's commands, likening it to seeking guidance from false and forbidden sources.

and arrogance
The term "arrogance" is translated from the Hebrew word "patsar," which implies presumption and pride. Arrogance in the biblical sense is a self-exaltation that places one's own judgment above God's. This attitude is often condemned in Scripture, as it leads to a hardened heart and a refusal to submit to divine authority. Arrogance is likened to wickedness and idolatry, further illustrating its destructive nature.

is as wickedness and idolatry
"Wickedness" in Hebrew is "aven," which denotes iniquity and moral corruption. "Idolatry" is "teraphim," referring to household gods or idols. The comparison of arrogance to idolatry suggests that placing one's own will above God's is akin to worshiping false gods. Historically, idolatry was a persistent issue for Israel, leading them away from the true worship of Yahweh. This parallel serves as a stark warning against the dangers of pride and self-reliance.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD
The phrase "rejected the word of the LORD" indicates a deliberate refusal to obey God's commands. The Hebrew word for "rejected" is "ma'as," meaning to despise or refuse. This rejection is not passive but an active choice to disregard divine instruction. Throughout Scripture, the word of the LORD is portrayed as life-giving and authoritative, and rejecting it leads to spiritual and often physical consequences.

He has rejected you as king
The consequence of rejecting God's word is mirrored in God's rejection of Saul as king. The Hebrew word "ma'as" is used again, emphasizing the reciprocal nature of rejection. Saul's disobedience led to his downfall, illustrating the biblical principle that leadership and blessing are contingent upon obedience to God. This serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of faithfulness and submission to divine authority in all aspects of life.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.--Witchcraft, more literally soothsaying or divination, was a sin constantly held up to reprobation in the Old Testament. It was the greatest of all the dangers to which Israel was exposed, and was in fact a tampering with the idol-worship of the surrounding nations. Impurity, and an utter lack of all the loftier principles of morality which the one true God and His chosen servants would impress on the peoples of the East, characterised the various systems of idol-worship then current in Syria and the adjacent countries. And Samuel here, in this solemn inspired saying, briefly gives the grounds of the Lord's rejection of His Anointed: "Rebellion," or conscious disobedience to the express commands of the Eternal, in the case of Saul, God's chosen king, was nothing else than the deadly sin of idol-worship, for it set aside the true Master of Israel, and virtually acknowledged another. The next sentence still more emphatically expresses the same thought: "Stubbornness," or "intractableness," is in the eyes of the pure God the same thing as worshipping idols and teraphim. The Hebrew word aven, rendered iniquity, literally signifies "nothingness;" it is a word used in the late prophets for an idol (Hosea 10:8; Isaiah 66:3). The word in the original translated in the English Version "idolatry," is teraphim. Teraphim were apparently small household gods or idols, venerated as the arbiters of good and evil fortune. In Roman life we find similar idols under the name of "Lares." Teraphim is derived from an unused root, taraph, signifying "to live comfortably;" Arabic, tarafa: compare the Sanscrit trip, and the Greek ???????. These idols appear to have been small human figures of various sizes. The image in 1Samuel 19:13 was probably nearly life-size. These teraphim were made generally of silver or of wood. It has been suggested that the teraphim which Rachel stole were images of her ancestors. (See Note on Genesis 31:19, and Mr. Whitelaw's comment on ib. in the Pulpit Commentary.)

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

rebellion
מֶ֔רִי (me·rî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4805: Bitterness, rebellion, bitter, rebellious

is like the sin
חַטַּאת־ (ḥaṭ·ṭaṯ-)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2403: An offence, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender

of divination,
קֶ֙סֶם֙ (qe·sem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7081: A lot, divination, oracle

and arrogance
הַפְצַ֑ר (hap̄·ṣar)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6484: To peck at, stun, dull

is like the wickedness
וְאָ֥וֶן (wə·’ā·wen)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 205: Strictly nothingness, trouble, vanity, wickedness, an idol

of idolatry.
וּתְרָפִ֖ים (ū·ṯə·rā·p̄îm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8655: (a kind of idol) perhaps household idol

Because
יַ֗עַן (ya·‘an)
Adverb
Strong's 3282: Heed, purpose, to indicate the reason, cause

you have rejected
מָאַ֙סְתָּ֙ (mā·’as·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3988: To spurn, to disappear

the word
דְּבַ֣ר (də·ḇar)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

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

He has rejected you
וַיִּמְאָסְךָ֖ (way·yim·’ā·sə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3988: To spurn, to disappear

as king.”
מִמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (mim·me·leḵ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

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OT History: 1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)