And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
Parallel translations
- WEB Saul came to the city of Amalek, and set an ambush in the valley.
- BSB Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley.
- NKJV And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.
- NASB And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.
- NLT Then Saul and his army went to a town of the Amalekites and lay in wait in the valley.
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
Saul advances to Amalek's city and lays an ambush in the valley. It shows him executing the military campaign with strategy.
Overview
Saul's tactical preparation demonstrates competence as a commander and genuine engagement with the mission. The verse continues to build the picture of a king who appears to be doing what God asked. The drama of the chapter lies not in Saul's military failure but in his moral and spiritual failure to obey completely.
Cross-references & the web
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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 15:5 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
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