Agag
a.gag is the personal name of the Amalekite king captured by Saul and later put to death by Samuel.
The supplied verses use the term as the personal name of an Amalekite king, chiefly in the account of Saul's capture, sparing, and Samuel's execution of him; Numbers 24:7 also names him as a comparison point for a king's higher status.
Senses in use
-
Name of the Amalekite king in the Saul narrative · dominant
The proper noun identifies the Amalekite king whom Saul captured alive in 1 Samuel 15:8 and spared in 1 Samuel 15:9. In 1 Samuel 15:20 Saul says he brought back this king, while in 1 Samuel 15:32 the king is brought to Samuel in chains and in 1 Samuel 15:33 Samuel puts him to death.
-
Named benchmark for royal exaltation · rare
In Numbers 24:7 the proper noun appears in the comparison that the king in view will be higher than this named ruler; the APB renders the clause, "his king shall be higher than Agag."
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term as "Agag" throughout. In the 1 Samuel verses it identifies the Amalekite king in scenes of capture, sparing, appearance before Samuel, and death; in Numbers 24:7 it remains the named comparison in a statement about a king's exaltation.