1 Samuel 15:9 (GNV)

Passage

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the better sheepe, and the oxen, and the fat beasts, and the lambes, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them: but euery thing that was vile and nought worth, that they destroyed.

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:7 So Saul smote the Amalekites from Hauilah as thou commest to Shur, that is before Egypt,

1 Samuel 15:8 And tooke Agag the King of the Amalekites aliue, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the better sheepe, and the oxen, and the fat beasts, and the lambes, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them: but euery thing that was vile and nought worth, that they destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:10 Then came the worde of the Lord vnto Samuel, saying,

1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me that I haue made Saul King: for he is turned from me, and hath not performed my commandements. And Samuel was mooued, and cryed vnto the Lord all night.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "saul", "people", "spared", "agag", "better", "sheepe", and "oxen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "saul", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And tooke Agag the King of the..." into verse 10's "Then came the worde of the Lord...", so "sheep" and "saul" 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 "sheep" and "saul" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.