Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 14:48

"And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that despoiled them." — 1 Samuel 14:48 (ASV)

Smote the Amalekites. —Out of the many wars the king waged, this war with Amalek is singled out, for in the new development of Hebrew power by which Saul’s reign was marked, this campaign or series of campaigns was especially prominent. This war is related in some detail in the next chapter, but it is introduced there because of other considerations. The English translators in their rendering, he gathered an host, have followed the Syriac and Vulgate; the marginal translation, he wrought mightily, is the more accurate.