Rebellion, i.e. disobedience to God's express precept, which was Saul's case. Is as the sin of witchcraft; is, though not so great, yet as inexcusable and impudent a sin as witchcraft; as plainly condemned, and as certainly destructive and damnable. Stubbornness; either wilful and presumptuous sin, whereby a man violently breaks loose from God's command, and resists his authority; or rather, perseverance or contumacy in sin, justifying it, and pleading for it, which was Saul's present crime. Is as iniquity and idolatry, or, the iniquity of idolatry; this being an hendiadis; as judgment and justice, Deuteronomy 16:18, is put for the judgment of justice, or just judgment. Or, idolatry, (for so the Hebrew word aven signifies, as Jeremiah 10:15 Hosea 4:15, Hosea 10:5, compared with 1 Kings 12:29) even the teraphim, which is here mentioned as one of the worst kinds of idolatry. Hath also rejected thee from being king, i.e. hath pronounced the sentence of rejection; for that he was not actually rejected or deposed by God plainly appears, because not only the people, but even David, after this, owned him as king; and Samuel, at Saul's desire, did honour him, i.e. own him as king, before the people, 1 Samuel 15:30.
Related Commentaries of 1 Samuel 15:23
1 Samuel 15:23
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,b and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.