The meeting between the king and the prophet following the war against Amalek begins with an atmosphere of absolute confidence. The king steps forward to greet the prophet, convinced that he has achieved a complete and flawless victory. As Samuel arrives in Gilgal, Saul goes out to meet him directly, eager to welcome him and show him honor [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].
Saul's opening blessing to Samuel can be understood simply as a standard, polite welcome [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, the primary approach among commentators suggests a deeper meaning. Saul is asking God to bless Samuel, recognizing that the merit for carrying out the divine mission ultimately belongs to the prophet who delivered the command [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Another perspective links this warm greeting to the prayer of Samuel's mother, Hannah, who asked for a son that people would love and bless. Because Saul is entirely convinced that he has done nothing wrong, he blesses Samuel with a sense of perfect harmony and goodwill [אהבת יהונתן].
Saul then announces that he has carried out God's word, which on a basic level means he fought and defeated Amalek [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, this raises a difficult question regarding how Saul could make such a confident claim while keeping King Agag and the best of the flocks alive.
The commentators explain that Saul genuinely believed he had followed the instructions completely, relying on his own specific interpretation of God's command. Regarding King Agag, Saul assumed the order to strike down Amalek applied only to the nation itself. He viewed the king as a separate entity and therefore concluded it was permissible to spare his life [רלב״ג, אלשיך].
When it came to the livestock, Saul understood the command to destroy the spoils as having two acceptable applications: either physical annihilation or dedicating the property as a sacrifice to God. He reasoned that since the people were not keeping the animals for personal gain, but rather saving them to offer as sacrifices to God, no sin was committed [רלב״ג]. Furthermore, Saul viewed Samuel's expectation of total physical destruction as an extra level of strict piety, for which the prophet was worthy of a blessing. However, from a strict legal perspective, Saul felt certain that he had properly fulfilled God's word by choosing to dedicate the animals to heaven [אלשיך].