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1 Samuel 15:6

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 15:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 15:6 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is before Egypt.
8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
← 1 Samuel 15:51 Samuel 15:7 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Saul said unto the Kenites, etc.] Who were of the posterity of Jethro the father-in-law of Moses, or related to him; why Josephus f301 calls them the nation of the Sicimites, who dwelt in the midst of the land of Midian, I know not: go, depart, get ye down from among the Amalekites; for though some of these people came with Israel into the land of Canaan, and were first at Jericho, and then came into the wilderness of Judah, (<070116>Judges 1:16) and were in other tribes also; yet as they removed from place to place, and from country to country, for the convenience of their flocks and herds, they dwelling in tents, might come into the country of Amalek and pitch there, and as they chose…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Kenites--(See on Jdg 1:16). In consequence, probably, of the unsettled state of Judah, they seem to have returned to their old desert tracts. Though now intermingled with the Amalekites, they were not implicated in the offenses of that wicked race; but for the sake of their ancestors, between whom and those of Israel there had been a league of amity, a timely warning was afforded them to remove from the scene of danger.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Kenites - A people descending from, or nearly related to Jethro, who anciently dwelt in rocks near the Amalekites, Num 24:21, and afterwards some of them dwelt in Judah, Jdg 1:16, whence it is probable they removed, (which, dwelling in tents, they could easily do) and retired to their old habitation, because of the wars and troubles wherewith Judah was annoyed. Shewed kindness - Some of your progenitors did so, and for their sakes all of you shall fare the better. You were not guilty of that sin for which Amalek is now to be destroyed. When destroying judgments are abroad God takes care to separate the precious from the vile. It is then especially dangerous to be found in the company of…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“15:6 The Kenites were nomadic metalworkers and descendants of Moses’ father-in-law (Judg 1:16). • you showed kindness: See Exod 18; Num 10:29-32.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the Kenites: Sa1 27:10; Num 24:21, Num 24:22; Jdg 1:16, Jdg 4:11, Jdg 5:24; Ch1 2:55 depart: Gen 18:25, Gen 19:12-16; Num 16:26, Num 16:27, Num 16:34; Pro 9:6; Act 2:40; Co2 6:17; Rev 18:14 ye showed: Exo 18:9, Exo 18:10, Exo 18:19; Num 10:29-32; Ti2 1:16 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 15:7”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification