Agag

Biblical Account

Agag is the king of Amalek who appears in 1 Samuel 15.

In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel conveys to Saul God's command to attack Amalek and utterly destroy it. Utter destruction meant destroying people and animals entirely, devoting them to God. As the reason, Samuel cites how Amalek had opposed Israel on the way when Israel came up out of Egypt (1 Samuel 15:2; see Exodus 17; Deuteronomy 25:17–19). Saul struck the Amalekites but took Agag alive and spared him. He also spared the best of the sheep and oxen (1 Samuel 15:8–9). Saul explains that the animals were kept in order to sacrifice them to God. Samuel replies, "to obey is better than sacrifice," and declares that God has rejected Saul from being king (1 Samuel 15:22–23).

Samuel then has Agag brought to him. Agag says, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." Samuel answers, "As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women," and puts Agag to death before the LORD in Gilgal (1 Samuel 15:32–33).

Significance Within the Bible

The name Agag also appears before 1 Samuel, in Numbers 24:7. In his prophecy concerning Israel, Balaam says, "his king shall be higher than Agag." In this verse, Agag serves as a name representing a powerful foreign king.

In the Book of Esther, Haman is introduced as "the son of Hammedatha the Agagite" (Esther 3:1). Haman's adversary, Mordecai, is a descendant of Kish and a Benjamite (Esther 2:5). For this reason, many interpreters in both Judaism and Christianity read the story as a renewal of the long-standing conflict between the house of Saul and the house of Agag. The New Testament does not mention Agag directly.

Interpretations and Points of Discussion

• Personal name or title: The same name appears in both Numbers and 1 Samuel. For this reason, some scholars suggest that Agag may not have been a personal name but a title borne by successive Amalekite kings. The biblical text offers no explanation on this point.
• Translation of 1 Samuel 15:32: The meaning of the Hebrew word describing how Agag came to Samuel is unclear. As a result, translations render it variously as "cheerfully," "confidently," or "in chains."
• Haman's lineage: The text does not state directly that Haman was a descendant of Agag; this is an interpretation drawn from the expression "the Agagite." Jewish tradition relates that Agag left descendants before his death, but this, too, is not found in the biblical text.
• Interpretation of the command of utter destruction: Theologians hold a variety of views on how the command of utter destruction should be understood. Some hold that it should be read within the context of ancient Near Eastern warfare practices, others emphasize its redemptive-historical significance as divine judgment, and still others read it for its devotional and spiritual lessons.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, 1 Samuel 15 is preached mainly with a focus on the words "to obey is better than sacrifice" found in the vicinity of 1 Samuel 15:23–24. In this context, Agag is treated as a figure who illustrates Saul's incomplete obedience. Some sermons also liken Saul's sparing of Agag to a faith that fails to cut off sin completely. In Sunday school lessons on Esther or in explanations of Purim, the fact that Haman was "the Agagite" is sometimes presented in connection with the story of Saul.