But Samuel replied, “Then what is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Samuel said, “Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?”
- KJV And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
- NKJV But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
- NASB But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?”
- NLT “Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel demanded.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Samuel pointedly asks about the bleating sheep and lowing cattle that betray Saul's claim. The evidence of disobedience speaks louder than Saul's words.
Overview
Samuel's question is a masterful rebuke: the very sounds of the spared livestock refute Saul's profession of full obedience. It dramatizes how sin, however justified in words, leaves audible evidence. The scene teaches that God's representatives must confront disobedience plainly rather than accept hollow claims.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 50:16–21To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
- Jer 2:34–37Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things
- Rom 3:19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Mal 3:13–15“Your words against Me have been harsh,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
- Jer 2:18–19Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
- Luke 19:22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
- Ps 36:2For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin.
- Jer 2:22–23Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 15:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.