1 Samuel 15:3
New International Version
Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

New Living Translation
Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.”

English Standard Version
Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Berean Standard Bible
Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”

King James Bible
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

New King James Version
Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

NASB 1995
‘Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

NASB 1977
‘Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Amplified Bible
Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

Christian Standard Bible
Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, infants and nursing babies, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

American Standard Version
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Contemporary English Version
"Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys."

English Revised Version
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Now go and attack Amalek. Claim everything they have for God by destroying it. Don't spare them, but kill men and women, infants and children, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys."

Good News Translation
Go and attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Don't leave a thing; kill all the men, women, children, and babies; the cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys."

International Standard Version
Now, go and attack Amalek. Completely destroy all that they have. Don't spare them, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, both ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

Majority Standard Bible
Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

NET Bible
So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don't spare them. Put them to death--man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.'"

New Heart English Bible
Now go and strike Amalek and put them and everything that belongs to them under the ban. And do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

World English Bible
Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Now go, and you have struck Amalek, and devoted all that he has, and you have no pity on him, and have put to death from man to woman, from infant to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey.”

Young's Literal Translation
Now, go, and thou hast smitten Amalek, and devoted all that it hath, and thou hast no pity on it, and hast put to death from man unto woman, from infant unto suckling, from ox unto sheep, from camel unto ass.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Now go and strike Amalek, and exterminate all which is to him, and thou shalt not spare to him; and kill from man even to woman, from child even to suckling, from ox and even to sheep, from camel and even to ass.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now therefore go, and smite Amalec, and utterly destroy all that he hath: spare him not, nor covet any thing that is his: but slay both man and woman, child and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now therefore, go and strike Amalek, and demolish all that is his. You shall not spare him, and you shall not covet anything out of the things that are his. Instead, kill from man even to woman, and little ones as well as infants, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

New American Bible
Go, now, attack Amalek, and put under the ban everything he has. Do not spare him; kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

New Revised Standard Version
Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now go and smite the Amalekites, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both men and women, young people and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and asses.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Now go, cut off Amaleq and destroy all that belongs to them, and you shall not have pity upon them, and kill, from the men and unto the women, and from young men and unto infants, and from bulls and unto sheep, and from camels and unto the donkeys!’”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And now go, and thou shalt smite Amalec and Hierim and all that belongs to him, and thou shalt not save anything of him alive, but thou shalt utterly destroy him: and thou shalt devote him and all his to destruction, and thou shalt spare nothing belonging to him; and thou shalt slay both man and woman, and infant and suckling, and calf and sheep, and camel and ass.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul's Disobedience
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. 3Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’” 4So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.…

Cross References
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.”

Numbers 24:20
Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.”

Joshua 6:17-21
Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent. / But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it. / For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.” ...

Deuteronomy 7:1-2
When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— / and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18
However, in the cities of the nations that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you must not leave alive anything that breathes. / For you must devote them to complete destruction—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—as the LORD your God has commanded you, / so that they cannot teach you to do all the detestable things they do for their gods, and so cause you to sin against the LORD your God.

Esther 3:1
After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him.

Judges 1:28
When Israel became stronger, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor, but they never drove them out completely.

1 Kings 20:42
And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”

2 Kings 10:11
So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priests, leaving him without a single survivor.

Psalm 137:8-9
O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us. / Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Isaiah 34:5-8
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. / The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. / And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat. ...

Jeremiah 50:21
Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 25:12-14
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. / I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

Obadiah 1:10-14
Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. / On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. / But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

utterly destroy

Leviticus 27:28,29
Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD…

Numbers 24:20
And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.

Deuteronomy 13:15,16
Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword…

slay

Exodus 20:5
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Numbers 31:17
Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

Isaiah 14:21,22
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities…

ox and sheep

Genesis 3:17,18
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; …

Romans 8:20-22
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, …

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Amalek Am'alek Amalekites Ass Attack Baby Belongs Camel Camels Cattle Child Children Curse Death Destroy Donkey Infant Infants Kill Ox Putting Sheep Slay Smite Spare Strike Suckling Sword Totally Utterly Women
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Amalek Am'alek Amalekites Ass Attack Baby Belongs Camel Camels Cattle Child Children Curse Death Destroy Donkey Infant Infants Kill Ox Putting Sheep Slay Smite Spare Strike Suckling Sword Totally Utterly Women
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














Now go
The phrase "Now go" is a direct command from God to Saul, indicating urgency and divine authority. The Hebrew word for "go" is "לֵךְ" (lekh), which is an imperative form, emphasizing immediate action. This command reflects God's sovereign will and the expectation of obedience from His chosen leader. In the broader biblical narrative, God often calls His people to action, requiring faith and trust in His plans.

attack the Amalekites
The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe, historically known as persistent enemies of Israel. The Hebrew root for "Amalekites" is "עֲמָלֵק" (Amalek), which is associated with hardship and toil. Historically, the Amalekites first attacked the Israelites at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16), and God declared perpetual enmity against them. This command to attack is not merely a military directive but a fulfillment of divine justice against a people who opposed God's purposes.

devote to destruction
The phrase "devote to destruction" is translated from the Hebrew word "חֵרֶם" (cherem), which means to ban, exterminate, or consecrate for destruction. This concept is rooted in the idea of something being set apart for God, often through complete destruction, as a form of divine judgment. It underscores the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God, who cannot tolerate evil. This act was meant to purify the land and demonstrate God's justice.

all that belongs to them
This phrase indicates the totality of the destruction commanded by God. The Hebrew word "כֹּל" (kol) means "all" or "everything," signifying that nothing was to be spared. This comprehensive destruction was intended to remove any trace of Amalekite influence and prevent future corruption of Israel. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the importance of complete obedience to God's commands.

Do not spare them
The command "Do not spare them" reinforces the totality of the judgment. The Hebrew word "תַּחְמֹל" (tachmol) means "to spare" or "to have compassion." In this context, it highlights the necessity of carrying out God's judgment without personal bias or emotional interference. It challenges believers to prioritize God's will above human sentiment, recognizing His perfect justice.

put to death men and women, children and infants
This difficult command reflects the severity of God's judgment against the Amalekites. The inclusion of "men and women, children and infants" emphasizes the complete eradication of the Amalekite identity. While challenging to understand, it serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of sin and the lengths to which God will go to protect His covenant people. It also foreshadows the ultimate judgment and the need for redemption through Christ.

oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys
The inclusion of "oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys" in the command to destroy highlights the comprehensive nature of the judgment. These animals represented wealth and sustenance, and their destruction signified the total dismantling of the Amalekite society. It serves as a reminder that material possessions and earthly wealth are fleeting and that obedience to God is of utmost importance. This command also underscores the principle that nothing should be kept that could lead to future disobedience or idolatry.

(3) Smite Amalek, and utterly destroy . . .--For "utterly destroy" the Hebrew has the far stronger expression, "put under the ban" (cherem). Whatever was "put under the ban" in Israel was devoted to God, and whatever was so devoted could not be redeemed, but must be slain. Amalek was to be looked upon as accursed; human beings and cattle must be killed; whatever was capable of being destroyed by fire must be burnt. The cup of iniquity in this people was filled up. Its national existence, if prolonged, would simply have worked mischief to the commonwealth of nations. Israel here was simply the instrument of destruction used by the Almighty. It is vain to attempt in this and similar transactions to find materials for the blame or the praise of Israel. We must never forget that Israel stood in a peculiar relation to the unseen King, and that this nation was not unfrequently used as the visible scourge by which the All-Wise punished hopelessly hardened sinners, and deprived them of the power of working mischief. We might as well find fault with pestilence and famine, or the sword--those awful instruments of Divine justice and--though we often fail to see it now--of Divine mercy.

Verse 3. - Utterly destroy. Hebrew, "put under the ban." The word herem, ban, properly signifies a thing set apart, especially one devoted to God; and whatever was so devoted could not be redeemed, but must be slain. When a country was put under the ban, all living things, men and cattle, were to be killed; no spoil might be taken, but it was to be burnt, and things indestructible by fire, as silver and gold, were to be brought into the treasury. Everything, in short, belonging to such a nation was looked upon as accursed (see Numbers 21:2, 3).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now
עַתָּה֩ (‘at·tāh)
Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

go
לֵ֨ךְ (lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

and attack
וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה (wə·hik·kî·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

the Amalekites
עֲמָלֵ֗ק (‘ă·mā·lêq)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6002: Amalek -- a descendant of Esau, also his posterity

and completely destroy
וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ (wə·ha·ḥă·ram·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 2763: To seclude, to devote to religious uses, to be blunt as to the nose

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

belongs to them.
ל֔וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

Do not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

spare
תַחְמֹ֖ל (ṯaḥ·mōl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2550: To commiserate, to spare

them,
עָלָ֑יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

but put to death
וְהֵמַתָּ֞ה (wə·hê·mat·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

men
מֵאִ֣ישׁ (mê·’îš)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

and
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

women,
אִשָּׁ֗ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

children
מֵֽעֹלֵל֙ (mê·‘ō·lêl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5768: A suckling

and
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

infants,
יוֹנֵ֔ק (yō·w·nêq)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3243: To suck, to give milk

oxen
מִשּׁ֣וֹר (miš·šō·wr)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)

and
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

sheep,
שֶׂ֔ה (śeh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goat

camels
מִגָּמָ֖ל (mig·gā·māl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1581: A camel

and
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

donkeys.’”
חֲמֽוֹר׃ (ḥă·mō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2543: A male ass


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OT History: 1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and strike Amalek and utterly (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 15:2
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