1 Samuel 15:1 (KJV)

Passage

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "samuel", "said", "saul", "lord", "sent", "anoint", "thee", and "king". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "samuel" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Thus saith the LORD of hosts I...", so "samuel" and "said" should be read forward into that movement. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "samuel" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.