1. 1 Samuel 15:8 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why did Saul spare the life of the Amalekite king?

1 Samuel 15:8 (ESV)

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.

Saul most likely spared Agag because he wanted to keep him as a royal prisoner and thereby display his military prowess and prestige (see also Jehoiachin in 2 Kings 25:27–30).1