Shmuel said to Shaul: "Hashem — He sent me to annoint you as melech over His people, over Klal Yisroel. And now, listen — really listen — to the voice of the words of Hashem."
So says Hashem Tzva'os: "I have pakad — I remember — what Amalek did to Yisroel, how he lay in wait for him on the way when he came up from Mitzrayim. Now go, and you shall strike Amalek, and you shall put under the cherem everything that is his — do not have any rachmanus on him. Kill ish v'ishah, olel v'yonek, shor v'seh, gamal v'chamor."
Shaul gathered the people and he numbered them in Telaim — two hundred elef ragli, plus another ten thousand ish Yehudah.
Shaul came up to the ir of Amalek and he fought in the nachal. Then Shaul said to the Keini: "Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekim, lest I destroy you together with them — for you did chesed with all Bnei Yisroel when they went up from Mitzrayim." So the Keinim turned away and separated from the midst of Amalek.
Shaul struck Amalek from Chavilah until you come to Shur, which is opposite Mitzrayim. He captured Agag melech Amalek alive, and the rest of the people he utterly destroyed with the edge of the sword — cherem complete.
But Shaul and the people had rachmanus on Agag, and on the best of the tzon and the bakar — the fat ones, the second-born, everything that was good — they did not want to destroy them. Only what was despised and weak, that they put under the cherem.
The word of Hashem came to Shmuel, saying: "I regret — nichamti — that I have made Shaul melech, for he has turned back from following after Me, and My words he has not fulfilled." This pained Shmuel deeply, and he cried out to Hashem kol halaylah.
Shmuel rose early in the morning to meet Shaul. It was told to him: "Behold, Shaul has come to Carmel, and look — he set up a place for himself, then he turned and went down to Gilgal."
Shmuel came to Shaul, and Shaul said: "Baruch Hashem — I have fulfilled the word of Hashem!"
Shmuel said: "Then what is this kol of the bleating tzon in my ears? And the lowing of the bakar that I hear?"
Shaul answered: "They brought them from the Amalekim — the people had pity on the best of the tzon and the bakar, in order to bring them as korban to Hashem your G-d; the rest we have utterly destroyed."
Shmuel said to Shaul: "Enough — stop! Let me tell you what Hashem spoke to me last night." Shaul said: "Speak."
Shmuel said: "Even though you are small in your own eyes, were you not made rosh of the shevotim of Yisroel? Hashem annointed you as melech over Yisroel. Hashem sent you on a derech and said: 'Go and put the sinners, the Amalekim, under cherem — fight them until they are consumed.' Why then did you not listen to the voice of Hashem? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do what is ra in the eyes of Hashem?"
Shaul said to Shmuel: "No — I did listen to the voice of Hashem! I went on the mission Hashem sent me on — I brought Agag melech Amalek alive, and the Amalekim I have utterly destroyed. The people took from the spoil — tzon and bakar, the best of the cherem — to bring as korban to your G-d in Gilgal."
Shmuel said: "Does Hashem have as much cheifetz in olos and shelamim as in listening to the voice of Hashem? Hinei — to obey is better than zevach; to listen is better than the chelev of eilim. For rebellion is like the chet of kesamim, and stubbornness is like avodah zarah and terafim. Because you rejected the word of Hashem, He has rejected you from being melech."
Shaul said to Shmuel: "I transgressed the command of Hashem and your words — because I feared the people and listened to their voice. And now, please forgive my chet, and return with me so that I may bow down to Hashem."
Shmuel said: "I will not return with you — for you have rejected the word of Hashem, and Hashem has rejected you from being melech over Yisroel."
As Shmuel turned to go, Shaul grabbed the hem of his me'il — and it tore. Shmuel said to him: "Hashem has torn the malchus Yisroel from you today, and He has given it to your fellow who is better than you. Moreover, the Netzach Yisroel does not lie and does not repent — for He is not an ish that He should repent."
Shaul said: "I have sinned. Now please honor me before the zekeinim of my people and before Yisroel — return with me and I will bow down to Hashem your G-d."
So Shmuel returned after Shaul, and Shaul bowed down to Hashem.
Shmuel said: "Bring Agag melech Amalek near to me." Agag came to him delicately, thinking: "Surely the bitterness of death has passed."
But Shmuel said: "Just as your sword made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Shmuel cut Agag in pieces before Hashem in Gilgal.
Shmuel went to Ramah, and Shaul went up to his house in Give'as Shaul.
Shmuel never again came to see Shaul until the day of his death — for Shmuel mourned over Shaul, and Hashem was sorry that He had made Shaul melech over Yisroel.
Introduction: The Command and the Nature of King Shaul
The chapter begins with the prophet Shmuel conveying a divine command to King Shaul. Shmuel stresses that just as God sent him to anoint Shaul as king, Shaul must now heed (shma) God's voice. The central theme of this section—and the key to Shaul’s eventual failure—is his inability to fully listen and submit to divine authority when it conflicts with human reasoning.
Shaul’s kingship is described in sources as premature. A midrashic interpretation of Shaul being “one year old” when he began to reign suggests a state of innocence combined with immaturity. His monarchy emerged suddenly, linked to the tribe of Benjamin’s wolf-like traits, before it had fully matured. As a result, Shaul carries deep insecurity—he views himself as “small in his own eyes”—and a strong inclination to please the people rather than decisively lead according to divine will.
The War Against Amalek
The Command
God instructs the complete destruction of Amalek, including men, women, children, and livestock, as punishment for their unprovoked attack on Israel shortly after the Exodus. This represents a total war against a nation symbolizing pure, unrelenting evil.
The Kenites (Keini)
Before the battle, Shaul warns the Kenites—descendants of Yitro—to depart from the area. Their sparing stems from the profound kindness (chessed) Yitro showed Israel, particularly through conversion and spiritual alignment with the Jewish people, which merits protection from the judgment against Amalek.
The Sin of Rationalization
Shaul achieves victory in the campaign but fails to carry out the command completely:
He spares Agag, the king of Amalek.
He spares the best of the sheep and cattle, claiming they are intended for sacrifices.
Interpretations suggest that Shaul “fought in the valley” (vayarev ba’nachal), implying an internal struggle or debate with his conscience. He applied human logic to the divine decree, questioning how an innocent individual could be killed, let alone an entire nation, and why animals should suffer for human sins.
This reflects misplaced mercy: by showing compassion to the cruel (Amalek), Shaul indirectly becomes cruel to the innocent (future generations of Jews endangered by Haman, a descendant of Agag). It highlights a broader issue of moral confusion, where reluctance to judge evil decisively stems from over-questioning one’s own moral authority.
The Confrontation: Shmuel and Shaul
God expresses regret (nichamti) over making Shaul king. Shmuel, deeply attached to Shaul, mourns and cries out all night before delivering the necessary rebuke.
Upon arriving at Gilgal, Shaul greets Shmuel cheerfully, declaring, “I have performed the word of God!” This shows his self-delusion—he truly believes he has fulfilled the mission. Shmuel confronts him directly: “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears?”
Shaul shifts blame to the people, insisting the livestock was spared for sacrifices to God, reframing disobedience as an act of piety.
Shmuel responds with a powerful theological principle: “To listen (shmoa) is better than sacrifice.” God values obedience over offerings. Rebellion is likened to witchcraft, and stubbornness to idolatry. By prioritizing his own moral reasoning over God’s command, Shaul effectively elevates his intellect as an idol.
The Rejection and the Torn Coat
Shmuel declares: “Because you have rejected the word of God, He has rejected you from being king.”
Shaul partially confesses (“I sinned, for I feared the people”), but quickly asks Shmuel to return with him to preserve appearances before the elders. As Shmuel turns to leave, Shaul seizes his coat, tearing it.
This tear symbolizes the kingdom being torn from Shaul and given to “your neighbor who is better than you” (David). David’s key strength lies in his willingness to follow divine will without fear of the people or reliance on personal logic, in contrast to Shaul’s insecurity-driven decisions.
The Execution of Agag
Shmuel calls for Agag to be brought forward. Agag approaches confidently, believing he has escaped death, embodying Amalek’s arrogant philosophy that denies ultimate judgment or consequences.
Shmuel, a figure typically associated with peace and prayer, takes a sword and hews Agag in pieces. This act restores moral clarity through strict obedience to God, succeeding where Shaul’s sentimental mercy failed. However, because Agag was spared alive for one night, midrashic tradition holds that he fathered a child, preserving the lineage that later produced Haman and threatened the Jews in the Purim story.
Conclusion
The chapter concludes with a sorrowful parting: Shmuel returns to Ramah, while Shaul goes to Gibeah. They do not meet again until the eve of Shaul’s death. Shmuel grieves for Shaul, a king with immense potential who was ultimately undone by his failure to subordinate his intellect and fear of public opinion to God’s will. [רמ"ו]
