1 Samuel 15:11 kjv
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
1 Samuel 15:11 nkjv
"I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.
1 Samuel 15:11 niv
"I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
1 Samuel 15:11 esv
"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night.
1 Samuel 15:11 nlt
"I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night.
1 Samuel 15 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent..." | God's immutable character; He does not change His mind in error. |
| Mal 3:6 | "For I am the Lord, I do not change..." | God's constancy and faithfulness to His nature. |
| Jam 1:17 | "...with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." | Divine perfection and consistency in the New Testament. |
| Heb 6:17-18 | "...by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie..." | God's absolute reliability and unchanging promise. |
| Rom 11:29 | "...the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." | God's ultimate sovereign choices are firm. |
| Gen 6:6 | "The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth..." | God expressing deep grief over human wickedness. |
| Psa 78:40 | "How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him..." | God's emotional pain over Israel's disobedience. |
| 1 Sam 13:13-14 | "...you have not kept the command... your kingdom would not have endured..." | Prior instance of Saul's disobedience leading to a conditional rejection. |
| 1 Sam 15:3 | "Now go and attack Amalek... utterly destroy all that they have..." | God's specific, uncompromising command to Saul. |
| 1 Sam 15:8-9 | "But Saul and the people spared Agag... and the best of the sheep..." | Saul's direct violation of the cherem command. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "To obey is better than sacrifice..." | Emphasizes the supreme importance of obedience over ritual. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination..." | Likens rebellion against God to idolatry and sorcery. |
| 1 Sam 16:1 | "The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him...'" | God's decisive rejection of Saul as king. |
| 1 Sam 28:16-18 | "...the Lord has turned away from you... the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand..." | Samuel's (via the medium) confirmation of Saul's rejection and demise. |
| Deut 13:4 | "...you shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him and keep His commandments..." | General imperative for God's people to obey His statutes. |
| John 14:15 | "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." | Obedience as the true expression of love for Christ. |
| Luke 11:28 | "...blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." | Blessing contingent on both hearing and living out God's word. |
| 1 Pet 1:2 | "...for obedience to Jesus Christ..." | New Testament call to obedience to Christ's authority. |
| Jer 7:23 | "But this is what I commanded them: 'Obey My voice...'" | God's primary demand for His people: listen and obey. |
| Hos 8:4 | "They set up kings, but not by Me; they made princes, but I did not know it." | Warnings against self-appointed leadership lacking divine approval. |
| Exo 32:14 | "So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people." | God's "relenting" in response to human intercession or repentance. |
| Psa 51:11 | "Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." | David's plea reflecting the potential loss of divine presence as with Saul. |
| Pro 16:9 | "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." | Human will and responsibility within God's ultimate sovereignty. |
1 Samuel 15 verses
1 Samuel 15 11 Meaning
The verse conveys God's profound sorrow and change of relational posture regarding His appointment of Saul as king. This regret stems directly from Saul's deliberate turning away from divine guidance and his failure to meticulously execute God's commands. While God is unchanging in His essence, this anthropomorphic expression reveals His grief and the necessary, righteous consequence of removing the kingdom from Saul due to his persistent and fundamental disobedience.
1 Samuel 15 11 Context
This pivotal verse occurs in 1 Samuel chapter 15, which narrates the culminating act of King Saul's disobedience that leads to his definitive rejection by God. Samuel had relayed a clear command from God to Saul: utterly destroy the Amalekites, including all their livestock, in fulfillment of God's ancient judgment against them (Deut 25:17-19). Saul, however, only partially obeyed, sparing King Agag and the finest animals under the guise of offering them as sacrifice to the Lord. This act of selective obedience, motivated by self-will or fear of the people, demonstrated a profound lack of reverence for God's explicit word. Verse 11 reveals God's deep sorrow over Saul's actions, pronouncing His change of favor from Saul. Historically, the institution of a human monarchy in Israel was already a departure from God's ideal of direct rule (1 Sam 8). Saul's failure, especially as the first king, underscored the conditional nature of divine anointing based on unwavering obedience and faithfulness to God's precise instructions.
1 Samuel 15 11 Word analysis
- "I regret" (Hebrew: וַיִּנָּחֶם - wayyinnaḥem, from the root נחם - nāḥam): This term, when applied to God, signifies not that God admits an error in judgment, but rather expresses His profound grief, sorrow, and a resultant change in His administrative or relational course of action concerning a specific situation due to human sin. It conveys divine pathos over the tragic consequences of human rebellion against His righteous will, indicating a just and necessary re-evaluation of His covenant dealings with Saul, without compromising God's unchangeable character or eternal purposes. It is an anthropomorphism to communicate divine emotion in human terms.
- "that I have made": This emphasizes God's sovereign initiative in appointing Saul (1 Sam 9:16; 10:1). Saul was chosen and empowered by God, making his subsequent disobedience a profound act of unfaithfulness to his divine benefactor and caller.
- "Saul king": Refers to the first anointed king of Israel. This designation highlights the weight of Saul's position and the covenant responsibilities that came with it, underscoring the severity of his failure to uphold divine commands for national leadership.
- "for he has turned back" (Hebrew: מֵאַחֲרַי - meʾaḥaray, lit. "from behind Me," combined with the verb שׁוּב - shuv, "to turn, return, withdraw"): This denotes a deliberate and decisive act of disloyalty. It is not an accidental stumbling but a conscious decision to deviate from the path and allegiance to God. The phrase implies a spiritual apostasy or a wilful disengagement from following God's leading.
- "from following Me": This personalizes Saul's rebellion, indicating he did not merely neglect a command, but ceased to track or obey God's direct guidance and sovereign authority in his life and kingship. His heart was no longer fully devoted to the Lord.
- "and has not carried out" (Hebrew: הֵקִים - heqîm, from קוּם - qum, "to arise, stand," in the Hiphil stem, meaning "to establish, perform, confirm"): This signifies a failure to actively implement or fulfill the commanded actions. It implies not just an omission but a positive act of neglecting or opposing what was explicitly ordered.
- "My commands" (Hebrew: דְבָרָי - devaray, from דָּבָר - dāvār, "word, matter, command, instruction"): This refers specifically to God's explicit instructions concerning the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:3). Dāvār conveys the weight and authority of God's spoken word, which demands complete, uncompromised obedience from His chosen servants, particularly in matters of sacred war and divine justice.
1 Samuel 15 11 Bonus section
The concept of God "repenting" or "regretting" (nacham) highlights a facet of divine relationality within covenant theology. While God's character and ultimate purposes are unchangeable (Num 23:19), He acts and responds within time to the free moral choices of His creation. This responsive nature demonstrates God's profound involvement and allows for genuine relationship. In Saul's case, God’s "regret" manifested in the removal of His Spirit (1 Sam 16:14) and Saul’s ultimate rejection as king, emphasizing that divine anointing does not negate human responsibility or guarantee ongoing favor irrespective of obedience. This narrative reinforces the theological truth that true covenant blessing is contingent upon steadfast allegiance and that even kings are fully accountable to the sovereign King of the universe.
1 Samuel 15 11 Commentary
1 Samuel 15:11 powerfully reveals God's disposition toward disobedience, especially from those He has chosen and anointed. The divine "regret" is a profoundly human expression of God's righteous sorrow and disappointment over King Saul's persistent and fundamental rebellion. It underscores that God, though unchanging in His perfect nature, responds to human choices, changing His operational dealings with individuals based on their faithfulness. Saul's failure was not an isolated incident but the culmination of a pattern of partial obedience and prioritizing human favor over divine command. His sparing of Agag and the best of the spoil demonstrated a deeper heart issue of rebellion, which God equates with the sin of divination and idolatry (1 Sam 15:23). This verse serves as a crucial reminder that true piety is demonstrated not through ritual or personal preference, but through uncompromising and joyful obedience to God's authoritative word, particularly for leaders entrusted with God's people.
- Example 1: A skilled craftsman "regrets" investing a costly tool in the hands of an apprentice who disregards instructions and damages the project, not because the initial investment was wrong, but due to the apprentice's unfaithfulness.
- Example 2: A nation "regrets" elevating a leader who, once in power, deviates from core values and betrays foundational principles, necessitating a change in leadership.