I Samuel 15:31 · Bible study
1 Samuel 15:31 Commentary: Samuel's Return, Saul's Worship
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Samuel return with Saul after rejecting him? What does Saul's worship mean? Explore the motives and meaning in this key verse.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Samuel returns with Saul not to endorse him but to preserve civil order and complete the execution of Agag; Saul performs an outward act of worship that the context marks as insincere.
- Key words: shuv (H7725) “return, turn back”; shachah (H7812) “bow down, worship”, physical posture does not guarantee heart devotion.
- Main debate: Why did Samuel reverse his refusal? Options include preserving public honor (Cambridge, JFB, Keil), carrying out the ban on Agag (Keil, Wesley), or possibly a divine impulse (Gill).
- Theological theme: The tension between God's unconditional rejection of a sinner and the continued need for order in the believing community.
- Best use: Preaching on the limits of formal worship; teaching on wise leadership under judgment; small-group study on the difference between reputation and repentance.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
WEB World English Bible 2000
So Samuel went back with Saul; and Saul worshiped Yahweh.
KJV King James Version 1769
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Samuel turneth back after Saul, and Saul boweth himself to Jehovah;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
So Samuel turned again after Saul: and Saul adored the Lord.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y volvió Samuel tras Saúl, y adoró Saúl á Jehová.
E voltou Samuel atrás de Saul, e Saul adorou ao SENHOR.
Samuel retourna et suivit Saül, et Saül se prosterna devant l’ Éternel.
Also kehrte Samuel um und folgte Saul nach, daß Saul den HERRN anbetete.
Toen keerde Samuel wederom Saul na; en Saul aanbad den HEERE.
Samuele dunque ritornò, seguendo Saul, e Saul si prostrò davanti all’Eterno.
I rzekł Samuel: Przywiedźcie do mnie Agaga, króla Amalekitskiego; i szedł do niego Agag poważnie, i rzekł Agag: Zaiste uszedłem gorzkości śmierci.
И возвратился Самуил за Саулом, и поклонился Саул Господу.
於是撒母耳 轉身 跟隨 掃羅回去，掃羅 就敬拜 耶和華。
So Samuel went back after Saul, and Saul gave worship to the Lord.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 15:31
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Samuel reversed his refusal to accompany Saul (v.26) for two main reasons, neither of which implies acceptance of Saul's repentance. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that Samuel changed his purpose to maintain the honour of the reigning king, since Saul still had to rule the nation despite his rejection. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown adds that Samuel went back first to keep the people from withdrawing allegiance from Saul, and second to execute God's judgment on Agag. Keil and Delitzsch concur, emphasizing that Samuel yielded to preserve outward order and to carry out the ban that Saul had neglected. On Saul's worship, Matthew Henry sharply observes that Saul only acted the part of a penitent, his confession extorted by fear rather than genuine. The Hebrew verb translated 'worshipped' (H7812, shachah) means to bow down physically, so the act itself was proper, but its sincerity is questioned. Gill explicitly says Saul worshipped alone, not with Samuel, which underlines the distance between them.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Political preservation: Samuel returns to prevent the people from sinning by despising their king (Cambridge, JFB) and to maintain order until a successor is in place (Keil).
- Divine impulse: Gill speculates Samuel may have had an impulse from God to return, since he had not sinned by changing his stated intention.
- Judicial completion: Wesley and Keil emphasize that Samuel's return allowed him to execute Agag, thus fulfilling the ban Saul neglected.
- Hypocritical worship: Matthew Henry reads Saul's worship as pure performance, comparing it unfavorably even to Ahab's repentance.
What is clear: Samuel's decision to go back with Saul was not an endorsement of Saul's spiritual state but a practical action to safeguard the nation and complete God's judgment on Amalek.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Samuel's reversal | Samuel changed his mind after v.26 for reasons other than accepting Saul's repentance as genuine. | Was his motive primarily political (preserving order, honoring the king's office) as Jamieson-Fausset-Brown and Keil argue, or could there have been a direct impulse from God, as Gill suggests? |
| Sincerity of Saul's worship | The outward act (bowing to Yahweh) occurred, but the narrative raises questions about sincerity. | Some commentators (Matthew Henry) see pure hypocrisy, while others (Geneva Notes, Gill) treat the worship as a real but empty form, not necessarily mocking. |
| Samuel's separation from Saul | The chapter ends with Samuel never seeing Saul again in person (v.35), showing permanent estrangement. | Whether this implies Samuel was wrong to go back at all, or whether it was the right course for the interim, is a point of tension in application. |
| The significance of the elders | Saul's plea to be honored before the elders (v.30) drove his request; Samuel's compliance upheld the king's public face. | How far should a prophet go to maintain the dignity of a disgraced leader? Traditions vary on the balance between confronting sin and preserving social order. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse sits at the hinge of a national crisis. In 1 Samuel 15, God commanded the total destruction of the Amalekites as judgment for their historic attack on Israel (Exodus 17:8, 16; Deuteronomy 25:17, 19). Saul led the army, defeated the Amalekites, but spared King Agag and the best livestock, a direct violation of the divine ban. Samuel confronted him, and Saul offered a confession that the commentaries uniformly treat as shallow, motivated by a desire to keep his throne and public honor.
When Samuel initially turned to leave and refused to return (v.26), Saul grabbed his robe, tearing it, a symbol of the kingdom being torn away (v.28). Yet Samuel did go back in verse 31. The surrounding verses (vv.32, 33) show that Samuel then executed Agag himself, so one of his purposes was to complete the task Saul failed. The location is Gilgal, the same site where Saul was confirmed as king (1 Samuel 11:14, 15) and where he had earlier offered an unlawful sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:8, 12). Returning there may have underscored the irony of Saul's formal worship at the place of his earlier failures.
Culturally, the king's public honor was essential for civil stability. The people had gathered with the elders (v.30). If Samuel had completely abandoned Saul, the kingdom could have collapsed into factional strife before a successor arose. Samuel's action can be seen as a form of political wisdom, supporting the institution of monarchy even while the current king was under judgment. The textual note in Cambridge Bible explains that Samuel did this to keep the people from despising Saul and thus sinning themselves. This practical concern for social order offers a model for how God's servants navigate the tension between divine judgment and the need for stable governance.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant manuscript variants for 1 Samuel 15:31. The Hebrew text is stable across traditions. Minor differences in English translations (e.g., “went back with” vs. “turned again after”) reflect translation choices for the verb shuv (H7725) and the preposition acharei (H0310, “after”), not textual variants.
Reception History
Across historic Christian interpretation, 1 Samuel 15:31 has been read as a caution about the limits of outward religion and a case study in how God's servants navigate broken institutions. Early church fathers like Augustine, in his sermons on the Psalms, used Samuel's flexibility to illustrate how the godly must sometimes “bear with” those in authority for the sake of peace while inwardly rejecting their sin. The Protestant Reformers (Geneva Bible, Matthew Henry) emphasized Saul's hypocrisy and the danger of formal worship without faith. Later evangelical commentators (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Keil and Delitzsch) focused on Samuel's dual task: maintaining political order and completing the divine judgment on Amalek. In high-church traditions, the verse has sometimes been cited in discussions of how clergy should relate to rulers who are under church discipline, balancing respect for office with fidelity to God's word. The verse thus serves as a perennial touchpoint for the relation between prophetic witness and civic responsibility.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Samuel's return shows wisdom that serves both God and community. He did not endorse Saul's sin, but he did preserve civil order. Pastors and leaders sometimes maintain respectful relationships with those under discipline to protect the larger body from chaos (Keil and Delitzsch; Jamieson-Fausset-Brown).
- Saul's worship exposes the danger of form without heart. The physical act of bowing to Yahweh (H7812, shachah) can be performed by a rebel. True worship flows from a contrite heart that obeys God's commands (Matthew Henry; 1 Samuel 15:22, 23).
- God's rejection stands, but His purposes continue. The kingdom was torn from Saul, yet Samuel still acted to complete God's judgment on Agag. Rejection is not the final word when God's redemptive plan moves forward.
Five-point outline
- Context: Saul's disobedience in sparing Agag and the plunder (vv.7, 9).
- Confrontation: Samuel's charge and the tearing of the robe (vv.10, 28).
- Confession: Saul's shallow plea to be honored before the elders (vv.29, 30).
- Reversal: Samuel goes back with Saul, why? Not for fellowship, but for order and justice (v.31).
- Consummation: Samuel executes Agag, then departs permanently (vv.32, 35).
Illustration hooks
- A CEO who stays silent during a crime to preserve company stability, then quietly ensures the law is served. Samuel walks a fine line between public order and private loyalty to God.
- A parent who continues to treat a rebellious teenager with respect in public while privately holding them accountable. Samuel honored Saul's office but did not pretend that all was well.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God accept worship from someone He has rejected? (The text shows the act happened, but God was not pleased.)
- Should we obey someone in authority if that person has fallen from grace? (Samuel's example suggests we can cooperate for the common good without endorsing sin.)
- Is there any hope for someone like Saul? (The narrative closes with Samuel mourning, not rejoicing; God's rejection is serious, but His grace is the only hope.)
Leading a Discussion
This short verse packs a punch. After Samuel pronounced God's rejection of Saul, he turned back and walked with him. Saul then bowed to Yahweh. But was the worship real? Why would Samuel cooperate with a disqualified king? As you work through these questions with your group, pay attention to what the text does and does not say. The commentaries offer several layers, so let the conversation explore both the political and spiritual dimensions.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Samuel 15:27, 31. What does Saul's request for Samuel to honor him before the elders tell you about Saul's priorities?
- Samuel had just said, “I will not return with you” (v.26). Why did he change his mind? What reasons do the commentaries give?
- Look at the Hebrew verb for “worshipped” (H7812, shachah). It means to bow down physically. Can someone bow to God without truly worshipping Him? How does this apply to Saul?
- Matthew Henry says Saul was only “acting the part of a penitent.” How can we tell the difference between real repentance and a performance? What clues does the chapter provide?
- What does Samuel's execution of Agag (vv.32, 33) show about his motives for returning with Saul? How does that change your reading of verse 31?
- In what situations today might Christians cooperate with leaders who are under God's discipline? What principles does Samuel's example offer?
- How does this passage challenge or comfort you when you see insincere worship or unresolved sin in your own life or church?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
So Samuel turned again ] Changing his purpose in order to maintain the honour of the reigning king, for although Saul had forfeited his position as Jehovah ’s chosen representative, he must still rule the nation. d
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
So Samuel turned againe, and followed Saul: and Saul worshipped the Lord.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that Samuel's earlier refusal to return with Saul was not a lie; he later changed course under divine impulse, but not to join Saul in worship. Instead, Samuel returned to preserve Saul's authority in the people's eyes and to carry out the task Saul had neglected: the destruction of Agag.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB explains Samuel's return to Saul as a deliberate move, not to worship alongside him. Samuel went back to keep the people from using Saul's rejection as an excuse to abandon their king, and to execute God's judgment on Agag which Saul had neglected.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that Samuel stayed with Saul not simply to maintain public order until a new king took over, but specifically to complete the judgment Saul had failed to carry out: the execution of King Agag, whom Saul had spared.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange focuses on the apparent contradiction between God repenting and God not repenting. He explains that God's repentance is not a change in God but an anthropomorphic description of His unchanging will reacting to Saul's change from humility to self-will. The same God who relented in blessing now judges consistently.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees Saul's confession as hollow, forced out only by the threat of losing his throne. Unlike a true penitent, Saul is more concerned about regaining Samuel's approval than about his sin against God. His repentance is merely an act, not genuine sorrow.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley gives two reasons Samuel turned back. First, to keep the people from using Saul's rejection as an excuse to disobey their king, which would be sin and leave them leaderless. Second, to correct Saul's error and personally execute God's judgment on Agag.