1 Samuel 15:24 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 15:24 mean?

1 Samuel 15:24 records King Saul admitting to Samuel that he has done wrong. Saul says he went against the LORD’s command and Samuel’s instructions because he was afraid of the people and listened to them instead.

Samuel had confronted Saul about sparing the Amalekite king and keeping the best livestock, despite the LORD’s instructions. Saul’s admission comes after Samuel tells him that the LORD has rejected him as king.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 15:24

• “commandment” — פֶּה (peh): The word means “mouth” and can refer to what someone says. Here it points to the LORD’s spoken instruction, which Saul acknowledges he crossed.
• “obeyed” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): The word can mean “hear” or “listen,” as well as “obey.” Saul presents his response to the people’s voice as the reason he disregarded the instruction he had received.

Why 1 Samuel 15:24 matters

• Saul’s words mark a change from his earlier defense. In verse 20, he insisted that he had obeyed the LORD; here he admits that he has sinned.
• Saul names the people’s influence, but also acknowledges his own action. “I feared the people” gives his reason, while “I have transgressed” accepts that he went against the command.
• The verse helps explain the contrast Samuel has just drawn between obedience and sacrifice. Saul had pointed to the livestock as intended for sacrifice, but Samuel says in verse 22 that obeying is better than sacrifice.