1 Samuel 15 · Verse 6

1 Samuel 15:6

And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed 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, King James Version

1 Samuel 15:6 in other translations

BSBAnd he warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt, go on and get away from the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
WEBSaul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTand Saul saith unto the Kenite, ‘Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume thee with it, and thou didst kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up out of Egypt;' and the Kenite turneth aside from the midst of Amalek.
DARBYAnd Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, and go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. And the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
BBEAnd Saul said to the Kenites, Go away, take yourselves out from among the Amalekites, or destruction will overtake you with them: for you were kind to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. So the Kenites went away from among the Amalekites.
WebsterAnd Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, withdraw yourselves from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up from Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

What does 1 Samuel 15:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. Kenites--(See on Jud 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. 1Sa 15:7-9. He Spares Agag and the Best of the Spoil.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Said unto the Kenites - The Kenites were an ancient people. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite. Hobab his son (if the same person be not meant) was guide to the Hebrews through the wilderness. They had a portion of the promised land, near to the city Arad. See Jdg 1:16; and for more particulars concerning them and the Amalekites, see the notes on Num 26:20-21 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 15:1-9

The sentence of condemnation against the Amalekites had gone forth long before, Ex 17:14; De 25:19, but they had been spared till they filled up the measure of their sins. We are sure that the righteous Lord does no injustice to any. The remembering the kindness of the ancestors of the Kenites, in favour to them, at the time God was punishing the injuries done by the ancestors of the Amalekites, tended to clear the…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 15:1-9 →

1 Samuel 15:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
שָׁא֣וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
אֶֽל\־'el-toH413
הַקֵּינִ֡יha.kei.Nithe Kenite[s]H7017
לְכוּ֩le.KhugoH1980
סֻּ֨רוּSu.rudepartH5493
רְד֜וּre.Dugo downH3381
מִתּ֣וֹךְmi.Tokhfrom amongH8432
עֲמָלֵקִ֗י'a.mal.Ki[the] Amalekite[s]H6003
פֶּן\־pen-lestH6435
אֹֽסִפְךָ֙'o.sif.KhaI should destroy youH622
עִמּ֔וֹi.Mowith itH5973
וְאַתָּ֞הve.'a.Tahand youH859
עָשִׂ֤יתָה'a.Si.tahyou didH6213
חֶ֙סֶד֙che.sedloyaltyH2617
עִם\־'im-withH5973
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
בַּעֲלוֹתָ֖םba.'a.lo.Tamwhen came up theyH5927
מִמִּצְרָ֑יִםmi.mitz.Ra.yimfrom EgyptH4714
וַיָּ֥סַרvai.Ya.sarand it departedH5493
קֵינִ֖יkei.Ni[the] Kenite[s]H7017
מִתּ֥וֹךְmi.Tokhfrom amongH8432
עֲמָלֵֽק\׃'a.ma.LekAmalekH6002

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 15:6

  • Judges 1:16

    And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

  • Numbers 10:29-32

    And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

  • Numbers 24:21-22

    And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

  • Judges 4:11

    Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

  • Exodus 18:19

    Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

  • Exodus 18:9-10

    And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

  • 1 Samuel 27:10

    And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

  • Judges 5:24

    Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

  • 2 Timothy 1:16

    The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:

  • Acts 2:40

    And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

  • Genesis 18:25

    That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

  • Proverbs 9:6

    Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the Kenites.
27:10; Nu 24:21,22; Jud 1:16; 4:11; 5:24; 1Ch 2:55
Go, depart.
Ge 18:25; 19:12-16; Nu 16:26,27,34; Pr 9:6; Ac 2:40; 2Co 6:17
Re 18:14
ye shewed.
Ex 18:9,10,19; Nu 10:29-32; 2Ti 1:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 15:5

    And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

  • 1 Samuel 15:6

    And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

  • 1 Samuel 15:7

    And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

Read all of 1 Samuel 15

1 Samuel 15:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y dijo Saúl al Cineo: Idos, apartaos, y salid de entre los de Amalec, para que no te destruya juntamente con él: pues que tú hiciste misericordia con todos los hijos de Israel, cuando subían de Egipto. Apartóse pues el Cineo de entre los de Amalec.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Saül dit aux Kéniens: Allez, retirez-vous, descendez du milieu des Amalékites, de peur que je ne te détruise avec eux; car toi, tu usas de bonté envers tous les fils d’Israël lorsqu’ils montèrent d’Égypte. Et le Kénien se retira du milieu d’Amalek.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und Saul sprach zu den Kenitern: Gehet, weichet, ziehet hinab aus der Mitte der Amalekiter, daß ich dich nicht mit ihnen wegraffe! Denn du, du hast Güte erwiesen an allen Kindern Israel, als sie aus Ägypten heraufzogen. Und die Keniter wichen aus der Mitte der Amalekiter.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Dixitque Saul Cinæo: Abite, recedite, atque descendite ab Amalec, ne forte involvam te cum eo: tu enim fecisti misericordiam cum omnibus filiis Israël, cum ascenderent de Ægypto. Et recessit Cinæus de medio Amalec.