I Samuel 15:13
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When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
When Samuel met him there, Saul attempted to hide his consciousness of guilt by a feigned friendly welcome. "Blessed be thou of the Lord" (vid., Rut 2:20; Gen 14:19, etc.) was his greeting to the prophet; "I have set up the word of Jehovah."
Open source ↗In this chapter we have the final rejection of Saul from being king, for his disobedience to God's command in not utterly destroying the Amalekites. By his wars and victories he hoped to magnify and perpetuate his own name and honour, but, by his mismanagement of them, he ruined himself, and laid his honour in the dust. Here is, I. The commission God gave him to destroy the Amalekites, with a command to do it utterly (Sa1 15:1-3). II. Saul's preparation for this expedition (Sa1 15:4-6). III. His success, and partial execution of this commission (Sa1 15:7-9). IV. His examination before Samuel, and sentence passed upon him, notwithstanding the many frivolous pleas he made to excuse himself (v. 10-31). V. The slaying of Agag (Sa1 15:32, Sa1 15:33). VI. Samuel's final farewell to Saul (Sa1 15:34, Sa1 15:35).
Open source ↗15:13 I have carried out the Lord’s command! Cp. 15:3. Saul apparently thought his actions were justified (15:15; cp. Lev 22:19). Samuel, however, cut through Saul’s pretense (1 Sam 15:17-19) and carried out God’s command himself (15:32-33).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Then Boaz said, “May the LORD bless you, my daughter. You have shown more kindness now than before, because you have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor.
said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.
He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.
Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her at the gates.
There is a generation—how haughty are their eyes and pretentious are their glances—
So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.