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Person

Agag

king of the Amalekites

King of the Amalekites whom Saul spared in disobedience to God's command; Samuel executed him and declared Saul's dynasty forfeit.

6 appearances2 Bible books1 known aliases

Who or what is this?

Agag was the king of the whom Saul defeated in a campaign commanded by acting on God's instruction to utterly destroy the Amalekite nation (1 Samuel 15). Despite the explicit command, Saul spared Agag along with the best livestock, claiming to have reserved them for sacrifice. Samuel confronted Saul with this disobedience and declared that because Saul had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected him as king. Samuel himself then executed Agag, saying 'As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women.' This episode marks the turning point in Samuel's relationship with Saul and the beginning of Saul's decline.

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Where this appears in Scripture

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Key passages

All appearances6