Person Old Testament
Agag
Also known as Agagite
Agag, king of the Amalekites, was spared by Saul but killed by Samuel. Mentioned in 10 verses across 2 books, first at 1 Samuel 15:8.
Why it matters. Amalekite king captured and killed by Samuel
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Agag
Agag was the king of the Amalekites during the reign of King Saul of Israel. God commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything, including Agag. Saul defeated the Amalekites but spared Agag and the best of the livestock. The prophet Samuel rebuked Saul for his disobedience and told him that God had rejected him as king. Samuel then summoned Agag and "hewed him in pieces before the Lord." (1Sa.15.8,9,20,32,33)
The book of Esther mentions that Haman, the enemy of the Jews, was an Agagite, which suggests he may have been a descendant of Agag the Amalekite. (Est.3.1,10; 8.3,5; 9.24).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 10 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.