1 Samuel 15:22

1 Samuel 15:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
• New International Version (NIV)But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

Context of 1 Samuel 15:22

20Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the Lord! I went on the campaign the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 21But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 24Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded and what you said as well. For I was afraid of the army, and I followed their wishes.

1 Samuel 15:22 word by word

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל הַחֵ֤פֶץ לַֽיהוָה֙ בְּעֹל֣וֹת וּזְבָחִ֔ים כִּשְׁמֹ֖עַ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה הִנֵּ֤ה שְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ מִזֶּ֣בַח ט֔וֹב לְהַקְשִׁ֖יב מֵחֵ֥לֶב אֵילִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Samuelשְׁמוּאֵלshemû'êl · SamuelH8050
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Hath the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• delightחֵ֫פֶץchêphets · pleasureH2656
• in burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
• and sacrificesזֶ֫בַחzebach · sacrificeH2077
• as in obeyingשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: obeyH8085
• the voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• to hearkenקָשַׁבqâshab · to listenH7181
• than the fatחֵ֫לֶבcheleb chêleb · fatH2459
• of ramsאַ֫יִל'ayil · ramH352

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 15:22

• Psalms 50:8I am not condemning you because of your sacrifices, or because of your burnt sacrifices that you continually offer me.
• Psalms 51:16Certainly you do not want a sacrifice, or else I would offer it; you do not desire a burnt sacrifice.
• Proverbs 21:3To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
• Isaiah 1:11“Of what importance to me are your many sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am stuffed with burnt sacrifices of rams and the fat from steers. The blood of bulls, lambs, and goats I do not want.
• Jeremiah 7:22Consider this: When I spoke to your ancestors after I brought them out of Egypt, I did not merely give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices.
• Hosea 6:6For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
• Amos 5:21“I absolutely despise your festivals! I get no pleasure from your religious assemblies!
• Micah 6:6With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? With what should I bow before the sovereign God? Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
• Matthew 9:13Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
• Matthew 12:7If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
• Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.
• Hebrews 10:4For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.
• Exodus 19:5And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,
• Ecclesiastes 5:1Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
• Jeremiah 7:23I also explicitly commanded them: “Obey me. If you do, I will be your God and you will be my people. Live exactly the way I tell you and things will go well with you.”
• Jeremiah 11:4Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors to keep when I brought them out of Egypt, that place which was like an iron-smelting furnace. I said at that time, “Obey me and carry out the terms of the agreement exactly as I commanded you. If you do, you will be my people and I will be your God.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 15:22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Hath the Lord as great delight, etc. - This was a very proper answer to, and refutation of Saul's excuse. Is not obedience to the will of God the end of all religion, of its rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices?Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Hath the Lord … - A grand example of the moral and spiritual teaching of the prophets (see the marginal references). The tension of Samuel‘s spirit, as he is about to pronounce the sentence of rejection, produces a lyrical turn of thought and language.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-23Verses 10-23 Repentance in God is not a change of mind, as it is in us, but a change of method. The change was in Saul; "He is turned back from following me." Hereby he made God his enemy. Samuel spent a whole night in pleading for Saul. The rejection of sinners is the grief of believers: God delights not in their death, nor should we. Saul boasts to Samuel of his obedience. Thus sinners think, by justifying themselves, to escape being judged of the Lord…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22Does the LORD delight: God values obedience more than ritual acts (see also Psalm 40:6; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 12:7). the fat of rams: People offered the best parts of the animal to God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2313-23. Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord--Saul was either blinded by a partial and delusive self-love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people. Samuel saw the real state of the case, and in discharge of the commission he had…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 15:22

• Amalekites
• Church and State
• Falsehood
• Formalism
• Gilgal
• Minister, Christian
• Obedience
• Offerings
• Presumption
• Repentance
• Reproof
• Rulers
• Saul
• Self-Righteousness
• Self-Will

In the dictionaries

• Samuel
• Agag
• Better
• Chief
• Pardon
• Reject
• Saul
• Skirt
• Arabia
• Delight

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings