Agag II (אֲגַג, agag). A king of the Amalekites whom Saul captured and Samuel killed (1 Sam 15).

The Bible’s portrayal of Agag is unclear because of textual difficulties. The text of 1 Sam 15:32—in which Agag is brought before Samuel—contains two uncertain portions. The word used to describe Agag is obscure. Some possibilities for translation are “confidently” (LEB), “trembling” (NET), or “in chains” (NIV). Which possibility seems the best will depend on the interpretation of the next line.

In this next line, Agag says “the bitterness of death is over.” This may mean that he believes that he will not be killed, or that he no longer feels that death will be bitter. The first meaning seems too optimistic; even though he has not yet been killed, ancient peoples often killed their captives (see Josh 10:26). The second meaning shows him as philosophically resigned to death—his family and nation are already dead. This is possible—Adoni-Bezek in Judg 1:7 and Zebah and Zalmunna in Judg 8:21 met their deaths in this way. This line is sometimes interpreted to mean “What a bitter thing it is to die!” (GNB), but this involves changing the text.

The book of Esther describes Haman, the enemy of the Jews, as an “Agagite” (Esth 3:1, 10; 8:3, 5; 9:24).