1 Samuel 15:21 (YLT)

Passage

and the people taketh of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.'

Nearby Context

1 Samuel 15:19 and why hast thou not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah--and dost fly unto the spoil, and dost do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah?'

1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul saith unto Samuel, `Because--I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and I go in the way which Jehovah hath sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and Amalek I have devoted;

1 Samuel 15:21 and the people taketh of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.'

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel saith, `Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as <FI>in<Fi> hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;

1 Samuel 15:23 for a sin of divination <FI>is<Fi> rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim <FI>is<Fi> stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from <FI>being<Fi> king.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "taketh", "spoil", "flock", "herd", "first", "part", and "devoted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "taketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Saul saith unto Samuel Because--I have..." into verse 22's "And Samuel saith Hath Jehovah had delight...", so "people" and "taketh" 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 "people" and "taketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.