שמואל א, פרק ט״ו, פסוק ז׳

The military campaign against Amalek unfolds across a massive geographic landscape, stretching from the city of Havilah all the way to Shur, near the Egyptian border [צאינה וראינה]. This vast battlefield reveals that during this period, Amalek was not a small, isolated tribe, but a large and widespread nation. They controlled extensive territories throughout the southern Negev and possibly even the southern regions east of the Jordan River [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their heavy presence in this area indicates that they either settled alongside the Ishmaelites or had conquered the territory from them [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. The historical account charts this journey as if speaking directly to a listener familiar with the local terrain, guiding them along the path that leads right up to the entrance of Shur, just before the borders of Egypt [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Across this enormous expanse, the Israelites deliver a crushing and comprehensive military defeat. However, this sweeping victory is deeply flawed by a direct violation of God's command. Rather than carrying out the total destruction they were ordered to execute, Saul and the people compromise. They capture the Amalekite king, Agag, taking him alive—perhaps swayed by his striking physical appearance. Furthermore, they spare the absolute best of the enemy's sheep, cattle, and wealth. Ultimately, they choose to destroy only the cheap and inferior property, leaving their divine mission deliberately unfinished [אברבנאל, צאינה וראינה].