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1 Samuel 15:32

in 1 Samuel 15

Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

KJV

Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 15

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Agag came unto him delicately - The Septuagint have τρεμων, trembling; the original, מעדנת maadannoth, delicacies; probably איש ish, man, understood; a man of delights, a pleasure-taker: the Vulgate, pinguissimus et tremens, “very fat and trembling.” Surely the bitterness of death is past - Almost all the versions render this differently from ours. Surely death is bitter, is their general sense; and this seems to be the true meaning.

This site's exposition

Surely the bitterness of death is past

on 1 Samuel 15:32-33

Agag comes before Samuel delicately, expecting the courtesy shown to a captured king, and his own words betray the hope: Surely the bitterness of death is past. Samuel's sentence answers Agag's own record, as thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women, and he carries out with his own hand the destruction Saul had left undone. Agag's line is picked up centuries later at Esther 3:1, which names Haman the Agagite; the descent from this king to that enemy of the Jews is the church's tradition rather than a stated genealogy, and it is held so.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 6, Chapter 2 · Written before 604.

proposed

36. Kings adore the Lord when the proud and scornful humble themselves to carry out the Lord's commands. The unchaste adore when they are subjected to God through the obedience of chastity. But sometimes they pretend to adore, because some have a pretext of humility or chastity, yet while they are believed to truly possess the good, others through the good they believe them to have lose the practice of good works. Therefore they hand over King Agag to Samuel, because by confessing they bring forth the vigor of their sensuality.

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

And Samuel said: Bring Agag to me, etc. Agag, as mentioned above, means 'covered'; Amalek is called a people of locusts or a people who lick. Therefore, prophetic Scripture says and its ministers and dispensers tell their listeners to bring out into the open the …

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

He illustrated the sentence by a sign, which Saul himself, by his rudeness, gave occasion for. When Samuel was turning from him he tore his clothes to detain him (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Having escaped the sword of Saul," that man of war, he thought he was in no danger from Samuel, and old prophet, a man of peace. Note, (1.) There is bitterness in death, it is terrible to nature. Surely death is bitter, so divers versions read those words of Agag; as the LXX. read the former clause, He came trembling.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

Then said Samuel, bring you hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites,....
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Delicately - This phrase is very obscure. The meaning of the word so rendered is “dainties, delights” Gen 49:20; Pro 29:17; Lam 4:5, which hardly gives a tolerable sense here. Some understand it “fawningly, flatteringly,” with a view of appeasing Samuel. (Others alter the reading, and translate “in bonds.”) Surely the bitterness ... - Agag hopes that his life will be spared, and so expresses his confident belief that the bitterness of death is over.

The words behind it

18 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • שְׁמוּאֵ֗לSamuel

    shemuelH8050 →141 times

  • הַגִּ֤ישׁוּbring near

    hagishuH5066 →125 times

  • אֵלַי֙to me

    ʾelaiH413 →5510 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • אֲגַג֙Agag

    ʾagagH90 →8 times

  • מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of

    melekhH4428 →2525 times

  • עֲמָלֵ֔קAmalek

    ʾamalekH6002 →39 times

  • וַיֵּ֣לֶךְand he came

    vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times

  • אֵלָ֔יוto him

    ʾelavH413 →5510 times

  • אֲגַ֖גAgag

    ʾagagH90 →8 times

  • מַעֲדַנֹּ֑תbonds

    maadanotH4575 →

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • אֲגָ֔גAgag

    ʾagagH90 →8 times

  • אָכֵ֖ןtruly

    ʾakhenH403 →

  • סָ֥רit has departed

    sarH5493 →299 times

  • מַר־[the] bitterness of

    mar-H4751 →37 times

  • הַמָּֽוֶת׃ ס<the> death

    hamavetH4194 →156 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

8 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Thessalonians 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.3 worksJeremiah 48:44“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.3 worksRevelation 18:7As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’3 works1 Timothy 5:6But she who lives for pleasure is dead even while she is still alive.3 worksIsaiah 3:9The expression on their faces testifies against them, and like Sodom they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster upon themselves.2 worksJudges 8:11And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.2 works
The other 2 cross-references, with their words ▾
Joshua 10:22Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me.”2 worksNumbers 5:18After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Thessalonians 5:3

    While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

    it leads to

    • Luke 21:34–35

      But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

    • Matthew 24:37–39

      As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

    • Luke 17:26–30

      Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man:

    • Revelation 18:7–8

      As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow…

    • Hebrews 2:3

      how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

  • Through

    Revelation 18:7

    As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 47:7–9

      You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome.

    • Zephaniah 2:15

      This carefree city that dwells securely, that thinks to herself: “I am it, and there is none besides me,” what a ruin she has become, a resting place for beasts. Everyone who passes by…

    • Ezekiel 28:2–10

      “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of…

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

The Death of Agag — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
The Death of Agag — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 15 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 6, Chapter 2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 15 →