1 Samuel 15:21 (LSB)

Passage

But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:19 Why then did you not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh?”

1 Samuel 15:20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of Yahweh and went on the way on which Yahweh sent me and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.

1 Samuel 15:21 But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, He has also rejected you from being king.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "people", "took", "some", "spoil", "oxen", "choicest", and "things". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Then Saul said to Samuel I did..." into verse 22's "And Samuel said Has Yahweh as much...", so "sheep" and "people" 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 "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.