1 Samuel 15:3

Now 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.

Cross-references

In 1 Samuel 15:20, Saul claims he obeyed the command to destroy Amalek, revealing his selective obedience by sparing Agag and the best livestock.

1 Samuel 15:11 reveals God's regret over Saul's kingship because he failed to obey this command.

1 Samuel 15:9 shows the disobedience to this command — Saul spares Agag and the best livestock.

1 Samuel 15:8 describes the execution of this command — Saul destroys the people but spares Agag.

In 1 Samuel 22:19, Saul destroys the city of Nob with similar totality — a grim echo of the Amalekite command, now turned against God's priests.

1 Samuel 14:48 Historical context

1 Samuel 14:48 records Saul's earlier victory over the Amalekites — providing context for why God now commands their total destruction.

In 1 Samuel 27:9, David follows a similar pattern of total destruction against Israel's enemies, including Amalekites, leaving none alive.

Leviticus 27:28 defines 'devoted to destruction' (herem), the legal term used in the command in 1 Samuel 15:3.

Leviticus 27:29 states that persons devoted to destruction must be killed, providing the legal basis for killing all Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:3.

Numbers 24:20 Prophetic fulfillment

Numbers 24:20 prophesies Amalek's utter destruction, which the command in 1 Samuel 15:3 fulfills.

Numbers 31:17 also commands killing women and children in a *herem* judgment against Midian — a direct parallel to the same drastic warfare practice commanded here.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18 gives the command to devote Canaanite cities to destruction — the same *herem* law Saul is being judged for failing to execute fully.

Joshua 6:17-21 records the total destruction of Jericho under the same *herem* pattern — a precedent for what Saul was supposed to do to Amalek.

Esther 3:13 Parallel

In Esther 3:13, the decree to annihilate all Jews mirrors the total destruction commanded against Amalek — a grim reversal of roles.

Ezekiel 9:6 Parallel

Ezekiel 9:6 commands killing 'old men, young men, maidens, little children, women' — nearly identical to the Amalek command, now executed against Jerusalem's corrupt.

In Psalm 106:34, the psalmist laments Israel's failure to destroy the nations as God commanded — a direct reflection on disobedience like Saul's.

Jeremiah 44:7 uses the same phrase 'man and woman, child and infant' to warn that Judah's sin will bring similar comprehensive destruction upon themselves.

Jeremiah 48:10 pronounces a curse on those who do God's work slackly — directly applicable to the total destruction commanded here, warning against half-hearted obedience.

Jeremiah 50:21 commands to 'kill and devote them to destruction' against Babylon, using the same herem language as the Amalek command.

Jeremiah 51:22 lists breaking 'man and woman, old and young' — the same comprehensive destruction language applied to Babylon's fall.

Lamentations 2:21 mourns the slaughter of 'young and old, young women and men' — the same exhaustive judgment commanded for Amalek now experienced by Judah.

Esther 3:2 Historical context

In Esther 3:2, Haman the Agagite — descendant of Amalek — plots to destroy the Jews, continuing the conflict from the Amalekite command.

In 2 Samuel 1:8, an Amalekite emerges — a survivor of the destruction commanded in 1 Samuel 15:3, highlighting Saul's incomplete obedience.

Joshua 6:21 Parallel

Joshua 6:21 depicts the total destruction of Jericho — a parallel example of the herem command applied to Canaan.

Deuteronomy 2:34 records another instance of herem — total destruction of enemies — providing a parallel to the command against Amalek here.

Exodus 17:14 Prophetic fulfillment

Exodus 17:14 records God's earlier decree to blot out Amalek — here that decree is enacted through the command to destroy them.

Genesis 36:12 Historical context

Genesis 36:12 identifies Amalek as Esau's descendant — providing the historical background for why Amalek is under judgment here.

Deuteronomy 13:15 commands total destruction (herem) for an idolatrous city, a parallel legal precedent to the command in 1 Samuel 15:3.

In Numbers 31:15, Moses rebukes the soldiers for sparing the Midianite women — a parallel to Saul's later failure to fully destroy the Amalekites.

Deuteronomy 13:16 describes burning a devoted city, expanding on the total destruction concept underlying 1 Samuel 15:3.