1 Samuel 15:20 (DBY)

Passage

And Saul said to Samuel, I have indeed hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:18 And Jehovah sent thee on a way and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

1 Samuel 15:19 Why then didst thou not hearken to the voice of Jehovah, but didst fall upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of Jehovah?

1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said to Samuel, I have indeed hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the devoted things, to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Has Jehovah delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, As in hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, Attention than the fat of rams.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saul", "said", "samuel", "indeed", "hearkened", "voice", "jehovah", and "gone". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saul" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Why then didst thou not hearken to..." into verse 21's "But the people took of the spoil...", so "saul" and "said" belong inside that flow. In 1 Samuel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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