1 Samuel 15:24 (DRB)

Passage

And Saul said to Samuel: I have sinned, because I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words, fearing the people, and obeying their voice.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat or rams.

1 Samuel 15:23 Because it is like the sin of witchcraft, to rebel: and like the crime of idolatry, to refuse to obey. Forasmuch, therefore, as thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said to Samuel: I have sinned, because I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words, fearing the people, and obeying their voice.

1 Samuel 15:25 But now bear, I beseech thee, my sin, and return with me, that I may adore the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:26 And Samuel said to Saul: I will not return with thee, because thou hath rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saul", "said", "samuel", "sinned", "transgressed", "commandment", "lord", and "words". 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 23's "Because it is like the sin of..." into verse 25's "But now bear I beseech thee my...", 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.