And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

1 SAMUEL 15:33KJV
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1 Samuel 15:33 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 15:33 mean?

1 Samuel 15:33 describes how Samuel tells King Agag that, because Agag’s sword had caused many women to lose their children, Agag’s own mother will now lose her son. Samuel then kills Agag in front of the LORD at Gilgal, carrying out a judgment that Saul had failed to complete.

Samuel is speaking directly to Agag, the king of the Amalekites, after Saul spared Agag’s life against God’s command. The verse shows Samuel personally carrying out the sentence of death that Saul should have executed, emphasizing the seriousness of obeying God’s instructions and the consequences of disobedience.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 15:33

  • "Sword" (חֶרֶב, cherev): This word refers to a weapon of war, highlighting that Agag’s violence had real and deadly consequences for others.
  • "Childless" (שָׁכַל, shakal): Used twice in this verse, this word means to be bereaved of children, underlining the loss and grief Agag caused and would now experience through his own death.
  • "Hewed" (שָׁסַף, shasaf): This verb means to cut or chop into pieces, showing the thoroughness and finality of Samuel’s action, which was not just an execution but a complete carrying out of judgment.

Why 1 Samuel 15:33 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Samuel, not Saul, ultimately fulfilled God’s command to destroy Agag, highlighting Saul’s failure and Samuel’s obedience.
  • The strong language and actions in the verse emphasize the seriousness of God’s instructions and the real consequences of disobedience, both for leaders and those affected by their choices.
  • The verse connects back to the larger story of Saul’s rejection as king, showing that partial obedience is not enough when God gives a command.

Where else these words appear

“Agag” Hebrew H90 · used in 6 verses

  • Numbers 24:7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
  • 1 Samuel 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
  • 1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

“childless” Hebrew H7921 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 27:45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
  • 2 Kings 2:19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
  • Ezekiel 5:17 So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it.

“Gilgal” Hebrew H1537 · used in 39 verses

  • Deuteronomy 11:30 Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?
  • Joshua 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
  • 1 Samuel 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

“Samuel” Hebrew H8050 · used in 120 verses

  • Numbers 34:20 And of the tribe of the children of Simeon, Shemuel the son of Ammihud.
  • 1 Samuel 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
  • 1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.