11 translations · Hebrew
1 Samuel 15:22
Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22 in 11 translations
- WEB World English Bible
- Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
- KJV King James Version
- And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
- BSB Berean Standard Bible
- But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.
- ASV American Standard Version
- And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
- LSV Literal Standard Version
- And Samuel says, “Has YHWH had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] listening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, listening is better than sacrifice; to give attention than fat of rams;
- FBV Free Bible Version
- “Does the Lord prefer burnt offerings and sacrifices, or obedience to what he says?” Samuel asked. “Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice. Paying attention is more important than offering the fat of rams.
- YLT Young’s Literal Translation
- And Samuel saith, 'Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;
- DBY Darby Translation
- And Samuel said, Has Jehovah delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, As in hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, Attention than the fat of rams.
- WBT Webster’s Bible
- And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
- WEBC World English Bible (Catholic)
- Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the LORD’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
- DRA Douay-Rheims 1899
- And Samuel said: Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices: and to hearken rather than to offer the fat of rams.
The Hebrew words
Each word of the Hebrew text in order, with its transliteration, the Berean Standard Bible’s English for it, and its Strong’s number and short definition.
| Word | Transliteration | English (BSB) | Strong’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | way·yō·mer | declared | H559 אָמַר to say |
| שְׁמוּאֵ֗ל | šə·mū·’êl | But Samuel | H8050 שְׁמוּאֵל Samuel |
| הַחֵ֤פֶץ | ha·ḥê·p̄eṣ | delight | H2656 חֵ֫פֶץ pleasure |
| לַֽיהוָה֙ | Yah·weh | Does the LORD | H3068 יְהֹוָה LORD |
| בְּעֹל֣וֹת | bə·‘ō·lō·wṯ | in burnt offerings | H5930 עֹלָה burnt offering |
| וּזְבָחִ֔ים | ū·zə·ḇā·ḥîm | and sacrifices | H2077 זֶ֫בַח sacrifice |
| כִּשְׁמֹ֖עַ | kiš·mō·a‘ | as much as in obedience | H8085 שָׁמַע to hear: hear |
| בְּק֣וֹל | bə·qō·wl | to [His] voice | H6963 קוֹל voice |
| יְהוָ֑ה | Yah·weh | — | H3068 יְהֹוָה LORD |
| הִנֵּ֤ה | hin·nêh | Behold | H2009 הִנֵּה behold |
| שְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ | šə·mō·a‘ | obedience | H8085 שָׁמַע to hear: hear |
| מִזֶּ֣בַח | miz·ze·ḇaḥ | than sacrifice | H2077 זֶ֫בַח sacrifice |
| ט֔וֹב | ṭō·wḇ | is better | H2896 טוֹב pleasant |
| לְהַקְשִׁ֖יב | lə·haq·šîḇ | [and] attentiveness | H7181 קָשַׁב to listen |
| מֵחֵ֥לֶב | mê·ḥê·leḇ | is better than the fat | H2459 חֵ֫לֶב fat |
| אֵילִֽים׃ | ’ê·lîm | of rams | H352 אַ֫יִל ram |
Related verses
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
- Psalm 51:16–17
For you don’t delight in sacrifice, or else I would give it. You have no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
- Proverbs 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.
- Amos 5:21–24
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can’t stand your solemn assemblies. Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. …
- Mark 12:33
and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
- Matthew 9:13
But you go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Micah 6:6–8
How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Jeremiah 7:22–23
For I didn’t speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices; but this thing I commanded them, saying, ‘Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’
- Psalm 40:6–8
Sacrifice and offering you didn’t desire. You have opened my ears. You have not required burnt offering and sin offering. Then I said, “Behold, I have come. It is written about me in the book in the scroll. I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart.”
- Ecclesiastes 5:1
Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know that they do evil.
Cross references from OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0, most-voted first; text from the World English Bible.
In context
20 Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed Yahweh’s voice, and have gone the way which Yahweh sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and cattle, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God in Gilgal.”
22 Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected Yahweh’s word, he has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and your words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
Read all of 1 Samuel 15 in the World English Bible.
Edition and source notes
Each translation is shown as its source prints it, in its own verse numbering; where an edition numbers this verse differently, its own reference is given. The World English Bible, King James Version and Berean Standard Bible link to their chapter pages. Edition notes.
Literal Standard Version (2020) © Covenant Press and the Covenant Christian Coalition, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Imported from the checksum-pinned eBible.org USFX source; the extracted verse text is an adaptation shared under the same license. Free Bible Version (2018) © Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. Imported from the checksum-pinned eBible.org USFX source; the extracted verse text is an adaptation shared under the same license.
The original words and their English come from the Berean Standard Bible translation tables (public domain); lemmas and short definitions from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0), with Greek definitions based on Abbott-Smith.
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