1 Samuel 28:3-25 “The Fear Of The Wicked”

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 10 Oct 2021

Introduction

I am going to skip the first two verses and include them later with the material in chapter 29. The stories we have here are not in chronological order, but they appear to be organized in such a way as to bounce back and forth between stories about David and stories about Saul, and I want to focus on the story about Saul in this chapter, the night before he fought his last battle in Jezreel.
Read the chapter (NAW): 1 And it happened during those days that the Philistines assembled their army-camps for the muster to wage war in Israel, and Akish said to David, “Know for sure that that it will be with me that you and your men go out into the {battle}.” 2 And David said to Akish, “{Now} then, you’ll know what your servant is doing!” And Akish said to David, “Then I shall appoint you protector of my head all your days!” 3 Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and had buried him in Ramah in his hometown. Also, Saul had turned out the mediums and the wizards from the land. 4 Anyway, the Philistines had assembled and they went and took position at Shunem. So Saul assembled all Israel and they took position at Gilboa¹. 5 Then Saul saw the Philistine army-camp, and he became afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 So Saul inquired with Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him - either by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a spiritual medium, so I may go to her and inquire with her.” And his servants said to him, “See, there is a woman who is a spiritual medium at Ein-dor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself and dressed in different clothes and embarked – he and two men with him. And they went to the woman at night, and he said {to her}, “Please practice witchcraft for me using your spirit-guide, and bring up for me someone whom I say to you.” 9 And the woman said to him, “Look, you yourself should know what Saul did, who had the mediums and the wizards cut off from the land, so why are you triggering a trap with my soul to put me to death?” 10 So Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “As Yahweh lives, [I’ll be cursed] if evil befalls you during this incident.” 11 Then she said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up for me Samuel.” 12 Now, when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul {}, “Why did you trick me? For you are Saul!” 13 And the king said to her, “Don’t be afraid; just what did you see?” So the woman said to Saul, “I saw elohim rising from the earth.” 14 And he said to her, “What form does it have?” And she said, “An old man is rising, and he is wrapped in a tunic.” Then Saul understood that it was Samuel, and he bowed, nose to the ground, and prostrated himself. 15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why agitate me to raise me?” And Saul said, “I am so stressed-out because the Philistines are waging war with me, and God has turned away from being with me, such that He does not answer me any more, either by the agency of the prophets or by dreams. So I have called for you so that you might make known to me what I should do.” 16 Then Samuel said, “{} Why call for me, if Yahweh has turned away from being with you and has become your foe? 17 Yahweh has indeed done to {you} just what he said by the agency of myself: that is, Yahweh has ripped the kingdom out of your control and has given it to your neighbor – to David. 18 Just as you did not give heed to the voice of Yahweh and did not execute the fierceness of His anger among the Amalekites, therefore Yahweh executed this thing against you this day. 19 Furthermore, Yahweh has also given Israel along with you into the hand{s} of the Philistines, and tomorrow Yahweh will give you, and your sons with you, and also the army-camp of Israel into the hand{s} of the Philistines.” 20 Then Saul hurried and fell full length earthward, for he was very frightened by the words of Samuel. Also, there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten food all {that} day nor all {that} night. 21 Now, the woman went to Saul and saw that he was in a major panic, so she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has given heed to your voice, for I have put my life into my hands and I have heeded {the} words which you said to me. 22 So now you also please give heed to the voice of your maidservant! I will now put a serving of food before you, and you should eat, for it will give strength to you that you may go on the road.” 23 But he refused {} to eat, so his servants and also the woman forced it on him such that he gave heed to their voice and he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a calf from the feed-lot at her house, so she hurried and slaughtered it. Then she took some flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread. 25 Then she served it up before Saul and before his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and they went away that night.
The story starts with two pieces of information as its….

SETTING: Saul extradites witches and wizards after Samuel’s death (v. 3)

The death of the prophet Samuel was already mentioned at the beginning of chapter 25, but it seems the story of chapter 28 was designed to be able to stand alone, in which case, the death of Samuel would be an important detail for the setting of this story about a necromancer trying to communicate with Samuel after his death.
Another piece of information in the setting is that Saul expelled from the country of Israel the mediums and wizards those possessed with familiar spirits who trafficked in communication with demons.

The connection with Samuel’s passing seems intentional. It was as though Saul was thinking that as long as his nation no longer had a prophet of God, they might as well not have any other supernatural guidance of any kind.
Some think that Saul focused upon this particular issue in his administration because of how much trouble he had personally with an evil spirit. (Gill, Henry)
Whatever the case, this was the right thing to do. God’s law commanded a civil policy of intolerance for witches and wizards.
- Leviticus 19:31 “Y'all may not pay attention to their mediums or to their wizards. Y'all may not seek to become unclean with them; I am Yahweh your God... 20:6 Also, the person who pays attention to the mediums and to the wizards to prostitute themselves after them, I will also set my face against that person and I will cut him off from the midst of his people… 20:27 And a man or woman who is a medium or wizard among them shall surely be put to death. Y'all must pile them with stone; their blood-guilt will be on them.” (NAW)
- Deut. 18:9-15 "When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead... For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the LORD your God has not appointed such for you. The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (NKJV)
- Samuel Willett, in his excellent commentary on 1 Samuel published in 1607, noted that this is a legitimate action for a civil magistrate to take: “Princes are not indeed to meddle with the execution of Ecclesiasticall offices, as themselves to preach, to baptize, to excommunicate... but it belongeth unto them, to see that as well Ecclesiasticall persons, and others do their duties: and by good laws to command the true religion to be received of all.” Among the five reasons he gives are that: “Their office is to bear the sword, and to see all ungodliness punished, as well the transgressions of the first, as of the second table: as Augustine saith…” He further argues that “all the good kings of Judah, did purge and reform the Church of God, put down Idolatrie, and set up the true worship: so did the good Christian Emperors…” and he added that this is part of God’s system of checks and balances between the church and of the state: “For unless this power according to the word of God be yielded unto Christian Magistrates, what remedy should there be to redress the enormities of the Church, when the spiritual governors thereof, become dissolute, disordered, and corrupt?”
Saul wasn’t entirely thorough, however, in his witch-hunt. There was at least one left, as we will see.

Now that we have the setting, I want to focus in on two occasions in this chapter in which Saul was paralyzed with fear and analyze them.

1) Saul’s panic attack over the Philistine Invasion (vs. 4-6)

The Philistines moved their troops up to a more northerly point than they had before, setting up camp in the Jezreel valley, 50 miles north of Saul’s headquarters in Gibeah². Saul, knowing that he would be at a disadvantage against the Philistine chariots in the plains (Goldman), probably marched his troops up along the mountain ridge road from Gibeah for two days, to the end of the ridge at Mt. Gilboa, and then peered cautiously down 1,200 feet into the Jezreel Valley – and 5 miles across it – at the vast spread of Philistine army tents. And he trembled with fear at what he saw.
- This trembling was one of the curses in Leviticus³ for breaking covenant with God.
- Now, there are things we should tremble over. In Isaiah 66:2a “...Yahweh declares, ‘But to this one will I look: to the lowly and stricken of spirit, who trembles over my word.” We should fear God; then we will have no cause to tremble before men:
  - Prov. 29:25 “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” (NKJV)
  - Hebrews 13:5-6 “...[Jesus] Himself has said, ‘I shall never let go of you, neither shall I ever forsake you.’ Thus we have courage to say, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will not be frightened by what man will do to me.’” (NAW)
Why did Saul tremble⁴ so?
- Matthew Henry suggested that Saul may also have begun seeing the spiritual trouble he was in: “Now he remembered the guilty blood of the Amalekites which he had spared, and the innocent blood of the priests which he had spilt. His sins were set in order before his eyes, which put him into confusion, embarrassed all his counsels, robbed him of all his courage, and produced in him a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation.”
- However, I expect that he was mostly afraid of
  - dying in a war,
  - afraid of losing a war and being the cause of his nation’s downfall,
  - and, to make matters worse, he has nothing more than his own wits and strength to depend upon.
    - He has let go of his relationship with God and refused to repent and be reconciled with Yahweh,
    - and as much as he had antagonized Samuel, none of Samuel’s disciples in the school of the prophets nearby were willing to help him,
    - and furthermore the high priest and the ephod with the Urim and Thumim had defected from him to David,
    - and now he has also jettisoned the support of the dark supernatural forces by chasing the witches and wizards out of the country or killing them. He has no supernatural hope to draw upon.
Yet, in this chapter, as Saul faces the real possibility of death and of the overthrow of Israel, he reaches out anyway for supernatural help, asking in v.6 for a message from God through the prophets, or through the priests (using the Urim and Thumim⁵), or even through a dream or vision, and, when that doesn’t work, he reaches out to a witch.
Saul was big on getting supernatural advice every time he went to war. (For that matter, so was David.)
- I guess they realized what a serious thing war is, and they also would be greatly helped if they knew ahead-of-time whether or not they would win! It could go a long way toward determining their strategy.
- It appears Saul made some sort of effort to inquire of the one true God, but it was not done in such a was as to actually be reconciled with God. Saul just wanted practical information for war strategy, not a restored relationship with God, so God would not indulge him with answers.
Why didn’t God give Saul any answer?
- For one thing, God is personal, so His communication comes in the context of relationship. He is not a slot machine that gives benefits when the right coin has been tendered. He can’t be manipulated by our needs or by our persuasion or by anything we can offer. As we’ve seen earlier, “God looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7) and knows what’s going on in our deepest thoughts. “Saul... did not seek unto God in truth, but in hypocrisie: and therefore the Lord seeing his heart, would not vouchsafe him an answer.” ~A. Willett
- That’s one of the big differences between spiritism and the true worship of God. From the beginning, Satan has always tempted humans with the proposition of being “like God” (Gen. 3), and I’ve heard testimonies from those who have been saved out of the occult who said that the offer of being able to control things through demonic power was a powerful temptation that drew them in. That is the essence of magic, to cause supernatural things to happen through human instigation apart from the one true God. Saul wanted good luck in battle apart from a relationship with God, so God said, in effect, “Good luck with that! You’re on your own.”
Let that be a warning to us. “Seek the Lord while he may be found, for there is a time when he will not be found… [Don’t] forfeit... the benefit of all [God’s blessings by trying to solve your problems with human strength alone]... Could he that hated and persecuted ... prophets, expect to be answered by prophets? Could he that had slain the high priest, expect to be answered by Urim? Or could he that had sinned away the Spirit of grace, expect to be answered by dreams? No. Be not deceived, God is not mocked.” ~Matthew Henry
Do you want to be free from the paralysis of fear that plagued Saul?
- Pray like David did in Psalm 42:6 “My God, my soul is getting depressed over me, therefore I will remember you.” (NAW)
- Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but rather in everything by prayer and by petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known before God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Now there is a second occasion in 1 Samuel 28 of terror, and that is

2) Saul’s panic attack over a spirit (vs. 7-25)

Back in chapter 15, the prophet Samuel had warned King Saul, “For the sin of witchcraft is rebellion... Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, Yahweh has also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:23, NAW) But now Saul compounds his rebellion with that very form of witchcraft – translated “conjure/consult/divine” in 1 Sam. 28:8. He asks his men to find a witch⁶, then tramps 10 miles (K&D) under cover of darkness (perhaps with Abner and Amasa), around the camp of the Philistines and over the shoulder of the ridge on the other side of the valley (Jamieson) to Ein-Dor.
But the witch is reluctant to ply her trade with them.
- Her emphatic “you, you know,” followed by the accusation of trying to trap her makes me wonder if she didn’t suspect that this was Saul to begin with – or at least some nobleman who would be in the know about such legal actions.
- And Robert Jamieson’s commentary concurred, “It is probable that his extraordinary stature, the deference paid him by his attendants... and the proposal to call up the great prophet... which no private individual would venture to make, had awakened her suspicions as to the true character and rank of her visitor.”
- Josephus and Abarbinel suggest that the apparition of Samuel gave some confirmation to her by motions or by words that it was Saul who was her customer, but the scriptural account doesn’t give us all the details we might have wanted to know; we need to let it guide us toward what is important by the way it tells the story.
- Saul’s oath in the name of Yahweh finally satisfies her that should would at least be safe - at least for that night.
And the séance begins:
- Perhaps Saul’s two companions stood outside the hut while the witch was in an ante-room in a trance, leaving Saul alone in the bedroom⁷.
  - Being in different rooms could explain why she saw the apparition but Saul didn’t⁸.
  - Afterward, in v. 21. it is said she ‘entered’ or ‘came in’ to Saul.
  - Also, if the writer of 1 Samuel heard this story about Saul through one of Saul’s escorts, and if the two escorts had been posted outside, then the only thing they would have heard for themselves was the witch’s loud cry, and this might explain why that sound made it into the story even though there is no explanation for it. (Just my guess!)
- The witch claimed to see “elohim” rising from the ground (Elohim is a Hebrew word that could mean “god/gods” or could mean “important human personages.”), and then claimed to see an old man wrapped in the same kind of priestly robe/tunic/mantle that Hannah had made for Samuel when he was a little boy (2:19), the same kind of robe that Saul tore when he had grabbed at the grown-up prophet in 15:27.
- Saul didn’t see this, but it says he “knew/understood” it to be Samuel from the witch’s description. (I’d like to point out that this isn’t necessarily saying that it actually was Samuel; it is just telling us what Saul’s perception was.)
- Verses 15 & 16 say that “Samuel said” something to Saul, which could indicate that it was actually Samuel, but then again, it could just be continuing to tell the story from Saul’s perspective. Saul assumed the voice to be Samuel’s, and the question of whether or not it was actually Samuel might not even be addressed in the story.
- At this point, Saul is utterly overwhelmed with fear again.
- Saul blasphemes God by falling on his face in a worship position before the witch's conjuration of Samuel⁹. And as Saul pours out his troubles to this ghost, he blames God for unjustly abandoning him. Instead, he should have been confessing his sin and begging God to save him¹⁰!
- Now, “One would have expected to be told how she performed the operation, what spells and charms she used... but the profound silence of the scripture concerning it forbids our coveting to know the depths of Satan (Rev. 2:24) or to have our curiosity gratified with an account of the mysteries of iniquity… the scripture conceals sinful art, that we may ‘be simple concerning evil’ (Rom. 16:19).” ~Matthew Henry
- All sorts of questions that we have no business asking could come up in out minds if we dwell on this séance, but we shouldn’t meditate on a satanic ritual.
Is witchcraft like this real?
- Absolutely. God would not have warned His people about something that was make-believe.
- While there are many so-called mediums who have no real spiritual power and merely provide a creepy theatrical experience and common-sense guesswork in their messages, many actually communicate with unclean spirits.
- Some things like spiders and pumpkins and moonlit nights are wonderful parts of God’s creation that we can enjoy highlighting in the Fall, but other things like death and witches and wizards are real evils that Christians are to have nothing to do with¹¹.
- Witchcraft is very intriguing, and Satan catches many victims by this hook.
  - The witch seems like a nice enough person in this story, until you consider that she was probably paid a lot of money for this (anybody can be nice for a little while if you pay them enough!),
  - and consider the hardness of her heart toward God, “how sensible she is of danger from the edict of Saul, and what care she is in to guard against it; but not at all apprehensive of the obligations off God's law and the terrors of his wrath.” ~M. Henry
  - There is ‘no fear of God in her eyes’ (Ps. 36), and that makes her very dangerous – there is nothing evil she wouldn’t do!
So if witchcraft is real, was it really Samuel conjured by the witch, or was it a fraud?
- Josephus, the Jewish historian in the first century AD believed it was really Samuel brought back from the realm of the dead, and the Talmud compiled in the 6^th century seems to confirm that this was the general consensus of Jews at that time, but as time went on, it is my understanding that Jewish teachers became pretty evenly divided on whether the witch could conjure up the real Samuel¹² or whether the Samuel apparition was a fraud¹³.
- The early Christian church fathers by-and-large believed it was not Samuel, but rather an evil spirit impersonating Samuel. For instance:
  - Tertullian, around 200 AD wrote that “the Devil deluded both the woman and Saul, abusing his eyes, and her ears,”
  - and around 400 AD, Augustine concurred, calling the apparition “an image raised by sacrilege.”
- This was also the general consensus of the reformers.¹⁴
  - In 1522, Martin Luther wrote, “The raising of Samuel by a soothsayer or witch... was certainly merely a spectre of the devil; not only because the Scriptures state that it was effected by a woman who was full of devils (for who could believe that the souls of believers, who are in the hand of God... were under the power of the devil, and of simple men?)...”
  - John Calvin, also in the 1500’s said, “It is certain that it was not really Samuel, for God would never have allowed His prophets to be subjected to such diabolical conjuring... as if the devil had power over the bodies and souls of the saints which are in His keeping? ... Besides, are we to believe that Samuel took his cloak with him into the grave? ... it appears ... that the senses of the woman herself were so deceived, that she thought she saw Samuel, whereas it really was not he.”
- About 50 years later, at the turn of the 17^th century, the Puritan Andrew Willet commented on this passage, “This could not be Samuel in his own person... for to raise again the dead, is the work only of God… Satan can make illusions, and counterfeit any shape of himself… The Scripture calleth things as they appear, and as they are taken: as Pharaoh is said in his dream to have seen seven kine, and seven ears of corn... because they so appeared: so in this place this apparition is called Samuel, because it seemed so to be... [But] this was not Samuel's soul, but a counterfeit representation of him: as may appear by these reasons: 1. Satan hath no power over the spirits of the righteous, neither can their spirits be fetched by enchantments: for then he would abuse the souls of the dead at his pleasure, to deceive the living. 2. It [was] said before, that God answered not Saul by Prophets: therefore he by whom Saul now receiveth answer was no Prophet... [In conclusion] this counterfeit Samuel, that seemed to ascend out of the earth... was not the soul of Samuel, but the devil in his likeness…” ~A. Willett, 1607 AD
- A century later, Matthew Henry¹⁵ published his commentary in 1714: “But to think that any good souls would come up at the beck of an evil spirit, or that God, who had denied a man the benefit of his own institutions, would suffer him to reap any real advantage by a cursed diabolical invention, was very absurd… God permitted the devil, to answer the design, to put on Samuel's shape, that those who would not receive the love of the truth might be given up to strong delusions and believe a lie… Had it been the true Samuel, when Saul desired to be told what he should do he would have told him to repent and make his peace with God, and recall David from his banishment, and would then have told him that he might hope in this way to find mercy with God; but, instead of that, he represents his case as helpless and hopeless, serving him as he did Judas…”
- Fifty years later, John Gill had obviously read Matthew Henry’s commentary and agreed with it himself, writing, “[I]t argued extreme folly and madness in [Saul] to imagine, that the spirit of this great and good man was at the beck of a witch… or that God would permit him to appear to him, and by him give an answer, when he would not answer him by living prophets, nor any other way… [T]his was a diabolical spectre, or apparition, or the devil, that appeared in the form and shape of Samuel, and mimicked him; and was one of those deceiving spirits... that appear in various shapes and forms, and pretend to be gods or demons, or the souls of the deceased… ” ~John Gill, 1766 AD
- Then we get to the 1800’s, in which the great German commentators Keil & Delitzsch, wrote that, “most unquestionably… the apparition… was… a departed spirit... no doubt... Samuel had been disturbed from his rest by Saul… by a miracle of God… it was... an appearance of the soul of Samuel, that had been at rest in Hades.” In support of this position, they argued, among other¹⁶ things 1) that God can do anything, 2) that the witch seemed to be surprised by what was happening, and 3) that the passage designates the person speaking and spoken to as “Samuel.”
- In the same century, Robert Jamieson, however, noted that the whole séance could have been faked easily, for all the information the witch communicated could have been pieced together by her own natural observations without supernatural aid. But Jameison wasn’t willing to come down on an opinion himself because he said, “many eminent writers... are of opinion that Samuel really appeared.” In other words, most of the Christian commentators of his day believed that Samuel’s ghost was for real.
- And the two commentaries from the 20^th and 21^st centuries I read from (those of C. H. Gordon and of David Tsumura) also argued that it was for real¹⁷. I think it’s possible for Christians to conclude that this was a miracle involving the real Samuel, but I’m not convinced.
- I side with those who believe it was demonic or satanic.
  - Jesus taught that it is evil spirits who wander desolately on this earth (Matt. 12:43), but when God’s children die, they rest in the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:22).
  - Paul taught that for believers to pass from this world is to ‘be with the Lord’ (2Co. 5:8),
  - and John taught that those ‘who die in the Lord’ ‘rest from their labors’ and are ‘blessed’ (Rev. 14:13).
  - So, all the ghost stories about dead people’s spirits haunting this earth are just evil spirits trying to distract us from God. Don’t put any stock in them except as reminders to resist the devil by orienting ourselves toward Christ afresh!
The apparition’s message to Saul, indicated that he would die in battle the next day (which was, incidentally, the very penalty for practicing witchcraft!).
- He starts his message by chiding King Saul for attempting necromancy, or perhaps simply trying to induce despair in Saul. He says, in effect, that since Samuel was with Yahweh, then if Yahweh was unwilling to help Saul, then Saul shouldn’t expect any help from Samuel either.
  - How often do we do something like that in our own impatience with God’s timing, or in our unwillingness to follow God’s way? “Hey, if God isn’t going to make this happen, then I’ll find another way to get it!” Do you realize that all your other alternatives are also under God’s control? First “delight yourself upon the LORD. Then He will give to you the things your heart asks for.” (Psalm 37:4, NAW).
- Next, in v.17, the apparition quotes Samuel’s verdict against Saul from back in chapter 15:28 "Yahweh has ripped the kingship of Israel from your {hand} and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you…” (NAW) and he says that this is coming true. Saul is reminded of that first disobedient act from Chapter 15 where he did not utterly destroy the Amelikites in battle as God had commanded. That first act of disobedience was the beginning of the end for Saul.
  - Notice how this spirit takes on the role of accuser, chiding Saul for being disruptive, reminding Saul of God’s judgment against him, reminding him of David’s rivalry, reminding Saul of his disobedience regarding the campaign against the Amelkites. The name Satan means “the accuser.” That is a role Satan consistently takes, trying to squash our faith in God’s salvation by overwhelming us with guilt over our past sins and re-directing us with accusing thoughts toward others. When you start hearing nothing but accusations in your head toward yourself or towards others, you are likely being attacked by Satan and you need to ask your heavenly father, in Jesus’s name, to deliver you from the Evil One.
- By the way, when the conjured spirit says Saul will be “with [him],” it may not necessarily indicate whether Saul would be in heaven or hell. Jews tended to think more in terms of the living vs. the dead and didn't put as much emphasis on whether the dead were in heaven or hell. Likely all it meant was that Saul would be dead the next day.
  - How much do you reckon that influenced him to commit suicide? Often suicidal ideations are put into our heads by the devil. Such thoughts must be taken “captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) so that the devil does not gain that foothold in your thoughts.
  - This could be further evidence of it being a message from a devil rather than from a prophet of God, as John Gill explained: “Not a word of comfort does he speak unto him, it being the business of this foul spirit to drive him to despair by the permission of God; had he been the true Samuel... he would have exhorted him to repentance for his sins, and humiliation before God on account of them, and given him hope on this that God would appear for him, and work deliverance, as he had done; but instead of this tells him, that he and his army would be delivered into the hands of the Philistines, which he might make a shrewd guess at, and venture to say from the circumstances of things...”
- Not only was Saul told that HE would die but that his SONS would die too, AND that Israel would lose the war.
  - There is ambiguity in this statement. Not all of Saul’s sons died the next day, but some did. Saul died at enmity with God, so I expect his eternal destiny is hell, but Jonathan lived in-step with God, so I expect his eternal destiny is heaven.
Saul's will to live or move or eat just evaporates. His entire life revolved around himself, his family, and his position as king of Israel, so the message that he, his sons, and his country will be lost was utterly devastating to him.
- How would you respond to a message like that? Is your life on this earth, your family, and your job – even your country so important that to lose them would plunge you into utter dismay? Is there anything in your life – such as the hope of heaven – that could enable you to face losses like that?
- Could you say with Paul, “... we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Cor. 1:8-10, NKJV)?

Conclusion

The witch is still cautious around Saul. His anger is legendary and she doesn't want to cross him! She reminds Saul that HE was the one who told her to conjure up Samuel. Then she "mothers" him a bit (He has apparently had a blood sugar crash or something¹⁸.), and Saul finally eats at the urging of his servants. But Saul’s “Last Supper at Ein-Dor¹⁹” is a fellowship meal with a witch.
1 Chron. 10:13-14 “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” (NKJV)
Brothers and sisters, what should we do when we face paralyzing fear?

Repent of your sin and seek to be restored in relationship with God through the cross of Christ. Saul could have repented. When King Hezekiah begged God for mercy, God did not follow through on His dire prophecies. Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (NKJV)
Turn to the Lord Jesus with trust and ask him for deliverance: Psalm 56:3-4 “When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (ESV)
Turn to God’s word instead of to any other information source: Isaiah 8:17-20 “I will wait for Yahweh, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look eagerly for Him... And when they shall say to you, ‘Seek after the mediums and to the wizards, the ones who chirp and mutter:’ should not a people seek after their God – to the living instead of to the dead? To the instruction and to the testimony!” (NAW)²⁰

1 Samuel 28- Side-by side comparison of versions^{^A}

LXX	Brenton	DRB	KJV	NASB	NIV	NAW	MT
1 Καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ συναθροίζονται ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν ταῖς παρεμβολαῖς αὐτῶν ~~ἐξελθεῖν~~ πολεμεῖν μετὰ Ισραηλ, καὶ εἶπεν Αγχους πρὸς Δαυιδ Γινώσκων γνώσει ὅτι μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐξελεύσει εἰς πόλεμον σὺ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες σου.	1 And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered themselves together with their armies to ~~go out~~ to fight with Israel; and Anchus said to David, Know surely, that thou shalt go forth to battle with me, thou, and thy men.	1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered together their armies, to be prepared for war against Israel: And Achis said to David: Know thou [now] assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to the war, thou, and thy men.	1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies^B together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle^C thou and thy men.	1 Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men."	1 X In those days the Philistines gathered their forces X X to fight against Israel. X Achish said to David, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army."	1 And it happened during those days that the Philistines assembled their army-camps for the muster to wage war in Israel, and Akish said to David, “Know for sure that that it will be with me that you and your men go out into the {battle}.”	1 וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּקְבְּצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת-מַחֲנֵיהֶם לַצָּבָא^D לְהִלָּחֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל-דָּוִד יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי אִתִּי תֵּצֵא בַמַּחֲנֶה^E אַתָּה וַאֲנָשֶׁיךָ^F:
2 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Αγχους Οὕτω ~~νῦν~~^G γνώσει ἃ ποιήσει ὁ δοῦλός σου· καὶ εἶπεν Αγχους πρὸς Δαυιδ Οὕτως ἀρχισωματοφύλακα^H θήσομαί σε πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας.	2 And David said to Anchus, Thus ~~now~~ thou shalt know what thy servant will do. And Anchus said to David, So will I make thee captain of my body-guard continually.	2 And David said to Achis: X Now thou shalt know what thy servant will do. And Achis said to David: And I will appoint thee to guard my life for ever.	2 And David said to Achish, Surely^I thou shalt know what thy servant [can^J] do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head^K for ever^L.	2 X David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant [can] do." So Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."	2 X David said X X, "Then you will ~~see~~ for yourself what your servant [can] do." X Achish replied X X, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."	2 And David said to Akish, “{Now} then, you’ll know what your servant is doing!” And Akish said to David, “Then I shall appoint you protector of my head all your days!”	2 וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל-אָכִישׁ לָכֵן אַתָּה^M תֵדַע אֵת אֲשֶׁר-יַעֲשֶׂה עַבְדֶּךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל-דָּוִד לָכֵן שֹׁמֵר לְרֹאשִׁי אֲשִׂימְךָ כָּל-הַיָּמִים: פ
3 Καὶ Σαμουηλ ἀπέθανεν, καὶ ἐκόψαντο αὐτὸν πᾶς Ισραηλ καὶ θάπτουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν Αρμαθαιμ X^N ἐν πόλει αὐτοῦ. καὶ Σαουλ περιεῖλεν τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους^O καὶ τοὺς γνώστας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς.	3 And Samuel died, and all Israel lamented for him, and they bury him in his city, X in Armathaim. And Saul had removed those who had in them divining spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.	3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel mourned for him, and buried him in Ramatha, X X his city. And Saul had put away all the magicians and soothsayers out of the land.	3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away^P those that had familiar spirits,^Q, and the wizards^R, out of the land.	3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, X X his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists.	3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town X of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.	3 Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and had buried him in Ramah in his hometown. Also, Saul had turned out the mediums and the wizards from the land.	3 וּשְׁמוּאֵל מֵת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ-לוֹ כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בָרָמָה וּבְעִירוֹ^S וְשָׁאוּל הֵסִיר הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶת-הַיִּדְּעֹנִים מֵהָאָרֶץ:
4 καὶ συναθροίζονται οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ ἔρχονται καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Σωμαν, καὶ συναθροίζει Σαουλ πάντα ἄνδρα Ισραηλ καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν εἰς Γελβουε.	4 And the Philistines assemble themselves, and come and encamp in Sonam: and Saul gathers all the men of Israel, and they encamp in Gelbue.	4 And the Philistines were gathered together, and came and encamped in Sunam: and Saul also gathered together all Israel, and ~~came~~ to Gelboe.	4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched^T in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.	4 So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa.	4 X The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and X set up camp at Gilboa.	4 Anyway, the Philistines had assembled and they went and took position at Shunem. So Saul assembled all Israel and they took position at Gilboa.	4 וַיִּקָּבְצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְשׁוּנֵם וַיִּקְבֹּץ שָׁאוּל אֶת-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּגִּלְבֹּעַ:
5 καὶ εἶδεν Σαουλ τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐφοβήθη, καὶ ἐξέστη^U ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ σφόδρα.	5 And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, and he was alarmed, and his heart was greatly dismayed.	5 And Saul saw the army of the Philistines, and was afraid, and his heart was very much dismayed.	5 And when Saul saw the ~~host~~ of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.	5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, X he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.	5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, X he was afraid; terror filled his heart X.	5 Then Saul saw the Philistine army-camp, and he became afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.	5 וַיַּרְא שָׁאוּל אֶת-מַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּרָא וַיֶּחֱרַד לִבּוֹ מְאֹד:
6 καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν Σαουλ διὰ κυρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς δήλοις^V καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις.	6 And Saul enquired of the Lord; and the Lord answered him not by dreams, nor by manifestations, nor by prophets.	6 And X he consulted the Lord, and X he answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by ~~priests~~, nor by prophets.	6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.	6 When Saul inquired of the LORD, X the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.	6 X X He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him X by dreams or X Urim or X prophets.	6 So Saul inquired with Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him - either by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.	6 וַיִּשְׁאַל שָׁאוּל בַּיהוָה וְלֹא עָנָהוּ יְהוָה גַּם בַּחֲלֹמוֹת ^W גַּם בָּאוּרִים גַּם בַּנְּבִיאִם:
7 καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ τοῖς παισὶν αὐτοῦ Ζητήσατέ μοι γυναῖκα ἐγγαστρίμυθον^X, καὶ πορεύσομαι πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ ζητήσω ἐν αὐτῇ· καὶ εἶπαν οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν Ἰδοὺ γυνὴ ἐγγαστρίμυθος ἐν Αενδωρ.	7 Then Saul said to his servants, Seek for me a woman who has in her a divining spirit, and I will go to her, and enquire of her: and his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has in her a divining spirit at Aendor.	7 And Saul said to his servants: Seek me a woman that hath a divining spirit, and I will go to her, and enquire by her. And his servants said to him: There is a woman that hath a divining spirit at Endor.	7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit^Y, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.	7 Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor."	7 Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go X X and inquire of her." X X X "There is X one X in Endor," they said.	7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a spiritual medium, so I may go to her and inquire with her.” And his servants said to him, “See, there is a woman who is a spiritual medium at Ein-dor.”	7 וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לַעֲבָדָיו בַּקְּשׁוּ-לִי אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת-אוֹב וְאֵלְכָה אֵלֶיהָ וְאֶדְרְשָׁה-בָּהּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת-אוֹב בְּעֵין דּוֹר:
8 καὶ συνεκαλύψατο^Z Σαουλ καὶ περιεβάλετο ἱμάτια ἕτερα καὶ πορεύεται αὐτὸς καὶ δύο ἄνδρες μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρχονται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα νυκτὸς καὶ εἶπεν [αὐτῇ] Μάντευσαι δή μοι ἐν τῷ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ καὶ ἀνάγαγέ μοι ὃν ἐὰν εἴπω σοι.	8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he goes, X and two men with him, and they come to the woman by night; and he said [to her], Divine to me, I pray thee, by the divining spirit within thee, and bring up to me him whom I shall name to thee.	8 Then X he disguised himself: and put on other clothes, and he went, X and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night, and he said [to her]: Divine to me X by thy divining spirit, and bring me up him whom I shall tell thee.	8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, X and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine^AA unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.	8 Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, "Conjure up for me, please, X and bring up for me whom I shall name to you."	8 So Saul disguised himself, X putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men X X went to the woman X X. X "Consult a spirit for me X," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."	8 So Saul disguised himself and dressed in different clothes and embarked – he and two men with him. And they went to the woman at night, and he said {to her}, “Please practice witchcraft for me using your spirit-guide, and bring up for me someone whom I say to you.”	8 וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ שָׁאוּל וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא וּשְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִמּוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל-הָאִשָּׁה לָיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר ^ABקָסֳמִי-נָא לִי בָּאוֹב וְהַעֲלִי לִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר-אֹמַר אֵלָיִךְ:
9 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς αὐτόν Ἰδοὺ [δὴ] σὺ οἶδας ὅσα ἐποίησεν Σαουλ, ὡς ἐξωλέθρευσεν τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους καὶ τοὺς γνώστας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ἵνα τί σὺ παγιδεύεις^AC τὴν ψυχήν μου θανατῶσαι ~~αὐτήν~~;	9 And the woman said to him, Behold [now], thou knowest what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who had in them divining spirits, and the wizards from the land, and why dost thou spread a snare for my life to destroy it?	9 And the woman said to him: Behold thou knowest [all] that Saul hath done, and how he hath ~~rooted~~ out the magicians and soothsayers from the land: why then dost thou lay a snare for my life, to cause me to be put to death?	9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare^AD for my life, to cause me to die?	9 But the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?"	9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. X He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"	9 And the woman said to him, “Look, you yourself should know what Saul did, who had the mediums and the wizards cut off from the land, so why are you triggering a trap with my soul to put me to death?”	9 וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אַתָּה^AE יָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר- עָשָׂה שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר הִכְרִית אֶת-הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶת-הַיִּדְּעֹנִי^AF מִן- הָאָרֶץ וְלָמָה אַתָּה מִתְנַקֵּשׁ בְּנַפְשִׁי לַהֲמִיתֵנִי:
10 καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῇ Σαουλ X X λέγων Ζῇ κύριος, εἰ ἀπαντήσεταί σοι ἀδικία^AG ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ.	10 And Saul swore to her X X, [and] said, As the Lord lives, no injury shall come upon thee on this account.	10 And Saul swore unto her by the Lord, saying: As the Lord liveth, there shall no evil happen to thee for this thing.	10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.	10 X Saul vowed to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."	10 X Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, X you will not be punished for this X."	10 So Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “As Yahweh lives, [I’ll be cursed] if evil befalls you during this incident.”	10 וַיִּשָּׁבַע לָהּ שָׁאוּל בַיהוָה^AH לֵאמֹר חַי-יְהוָה אִם-יִקְּרֵךְ עָוֹן בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה:
11 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνή Τίνα ἀναγάγω σοι; καὶ εἶπεν Τὸν Σαμουηλ ἀνάγαγέ μοι.	11 And the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to thee? and he said, Bring up to me Samuel.	11 And the woman said [to him]: Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.	11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.	11 Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."	11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" X "Bring up Samuel X X," he said.	11 Then she said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up for me Samuel.”	11 וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶת-מִי אַעֲלֶה-לָּךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת-שְׁמוּאֵל הַעֲלִי-לִי:
12 καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ τὸν Σαμουηλ καὶ ἀνεβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς Σαουλ X Ἵνα τί παρελογίσω^AI με; καὶ σὺ εἶ Σαουλ.	12 And the woman saw Samuel, and cried out with a loud voice: and the woman said to Saul X, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.	12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and X X said to Saul X: Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.	12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.	12 When the woman saw Samuel, X she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul."	12 When the woman saw Samuel, X she cried out [at the] ~~top~~ [of her] voice and X X said to Saul X, "Why have you deceived me? X You are Saul!"	12 Now, when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul {}, “Why did you trick me? For you are Saul!”	12 וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה אֶת-שְׁמוּאֵל וַתִּזְעַק^AJ בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-שָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר^AK לָמָּה רִמִּיתָנִי^AL וְאַתָּה שָׁאוּל:
13 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ βασιλεύς Μὴ φοβοῦ, ~~εἰπὸν~~ τίνα ἑόρακας. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Θεοὺς ἑόρακα ἀναβαίνοντας ἐκ τῆς γῆς.	13 And the king said to her, Fear not; ~~tell~~ [me] whom thou has seen. And the woman said to him, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.	13 And the king said to her: Fear not: X^AM what hast thou seen? and the woman said to Saul: I saw gods ascending out of the earth.	13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for^AN what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods^AO ascending out of the earth.	13 X The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth."	13 X The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. X What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."	13 And the king said to her, “Don’t be afraid; just what did you see?” So the woman said to Saul, “I saw elohim rising from the earth.”	13 וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל-תִּירְאִי כִּי מָה רָאִית וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-שָׁאוּל אֱלֹהִים רָאִיתִי עֹלִים מִן-הָאָרֶץ:
14 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Τί ~~ἔγνως~~; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἄνδρα ~~ὄρθιον~~^AP ἀναβαίνοντα [ἐκ τῆς γῆς], καὶ οὗτος διπλοίδα ἀναβεβλημένος. καὶ ἔγνω Σαουλ ὅτι Σαμουηλ οὗτος, καὶ ἔκυψεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον [αὐτοῦ] ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ προσεκύνησεν [αὐτῷ].	14 And he said to her, What didst ~~thou perceive~~? and she said to him, An ~~upright~~ man ascending [out of the earth], and he was clothed with a mantle. And Saul knew that this was Samuel, and he stooped [with his] face to the earth, and did obeisance [to him].	14 And he said to her: What form is he of? And she said: An old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel, and he bowed himself [with his] face to the ground, and adored.	14 And he said unto her, What form^AQ is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered^AR with a mantle^AS. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.	14 X He said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed [with his] face to the ground and did homage.	14 X "What does he look like?" he asked X X. X "An old man X wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself [with his] face to the ground.	14 And he said to her, “What form does it have?” And she said, “An old man is rising, and he is wrapped in a tunic.” Then Saul understood that it was Samuel, and he bowed, nose to the ground, and prostrated himself.	14 וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַה-תָּאֳרוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר אִישׁ זָקֵן עֹלֶה וְהוּא עֹטֶה מְעִיל וַיֵּדַע שָׁאוּל כִּי-שְׁמוּאֵל הוּא וַיִּקֹּד אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ^AT: ס
15 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ Ἵνα τί παρηνώχλησάς^AU μοι ἀναβῆναί με; καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ Θλίβομαι^AV σφόδρα, καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι πολεμοῦσιν ἐν ἐμοί, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀφέστηκεν ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐπακήκοέν μοι ἔτι καὶ ἐν χειρὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις· καὶ νῦν κέκληκά σε γνωρίσαι^AW μοι τί ποιήσω.	15 And Samuel said, Why hast thou troubled me, that I should come up? And Saul said, I am greatly distressed, and the Philistines war against me, and God has departed from me, and no longer ~~hearkens~~ to me either by the hand of the prophets or by dreams: and now I have called thee to tell me what I shall do.	15 And Samuel said to Saul: Why hast thou disturbed my [rest], that I should be brought up? And Saul said: I am in great distress: for the Philistines fight against me, and God is departed from me, and would not X ~~hear~~ me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayst shew me what I shall do.	15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted^AX me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed^AY from me, and answereth me no more, neither by X X^AZ prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.	15 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through X X prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do."	15 X Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" X "I am in great distress," Saul said. "X The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. X He no longer answers me, either by X X prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."	15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why agitate me to raise me?” And Saul said, “I am so stressed-out because the Philistines are waging war with me, and God has turned away from being with me, such that He does not answer me any more, either by the agency of the prophets or by dreams. So I have called for you so that you might make known to me what I should do.”	15 וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל-שָׁאוּל לָמָּה הִרְגַּזְתַּנִי לְהַעֲלוֹת אֹתִי וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל צַר-לִי מְאֹד וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחָמִים בִּי וֵאלֹהִים סָר מֵעָלַי וְלֹא-עָנָנִי עוֹד גַּם בְּיַד- הַנְּבִיאִם^BA גַּם- בַּחֲלֹמוֹת וָאֶקְרָאֶה לְךָ לְהוֹדִיעֵנִי מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה: ס
16 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ X Ἵνα τί ἐπερωτᾷς με; καὶ κύριος ἀφέστηκεν ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ γέγονεν μετὰ τοῦ ~~πλησίον~~^BB σου·	16 And Samuel said, X Why askest thou me, whereas the Lord has departed from thee, and taken part with thy ~~neighbour~~?	16 And Samuel said: X Why askest thou me, ~~seeing~~ the Lord has departed from thee, and is gone over to thy rival?	16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, ~~seeing~~ the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?	16 X Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary?	16 X Samuel said, "X Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?	16 Then Samuel said, “{} Why call for me, if Yahweh has turned away from being with you and has become your foe?	16 וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל ^BCוְלָמָּה תִּשְׁאָלֵנִי וַיהוָה סָר מֵעָלֶיךָ וַיְהִי עָרֶךָ^BD:
17 καὶ πεποίηκεν κύριός ~~σοι~~ καθὼς ἐλάλησεν ἐν χειρί μου, καὶ διαρρήξει κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν [σου] ἐκ χειρός σου καὶ δώσει αὐτὴν τῷ πλησίον σου τῷ Δαυιδ.	17 And the Lord has done to ~~thee~~, as [the Lord^BE] spoke by X me; and the Lord will rend [thy] kingdom out of thy hand, and will give it to thy neighbour X David.	17 For the Lord will^BF do to ~~thee~~ as he spoke by X me, and X he will rend [thy] kingdom out of thy hand, and will give it to thy neighbour X David:	17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by X me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:	17 X "The LORD has done X X accordingly as He spoke through X me; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.	17 X The LORD has done X X what he predicted through X me. X The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand[s]^BG and given it to [one of] your neighbor[s]—to David.	17 Yahweh has indeed done to {you} just what he said by the agency of myself: that is, Yahweh has ripped the kingdom out of your control and has given it to your neighbor – to David.	17 וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה לוֹ^BH כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיָדִי וַיִּקְרַע יְהוָה אֶת-הַמַּמְלָכָה מִיָּדֶךָ וַיִּתְּנָהּ לְרֵעֲךָ^BI לְדָוִד:
18 διότι οὐκ ἤκουσας φωνῆς κυρίου καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησας θυμὸν ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ ἐν Αμαληκ, διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ἐποίησεν κύριός σοι τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ.	18 because thou didst not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and didst not execute his fierce anger upon Amalec, therefore the Lord has done this thing to thee this day.	18 Because thou didst not obey the voice of the Lord, neither didst thou execute the wrath of his indignation upon Amalec. Therefore hath the Lord done to thee what [thou sufferest] this day.	18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.	18 "As you did not obey X X X the LORD and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the LORD has done this thing to you this day.	18 Because you did not obey XX X the LORD or ~~carry out~~ his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today.	18 Just as you did not give heed to the voice of Yahweh and did not execute the fierceness of His anger among the Amalekites, therefore Yahweh executed this thing against you this day.	18 כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא-שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל יְהוָה וְלֹא-עָשִׂיתָ חֲרוֹן-אַפּוֹ בַּעֲמָלֵק עַל-כֵּן הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה עָשָׂה-לְךָ יְהוָה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה:
19 καὶ παραδώσει κύριος X τὸν Ισραηλ μετὰ σοῦ εἰς χεῖρας ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ αὔριον σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου μετὰ ~~σοῦ~~ [πεσοῦνται], καὶ τὴν παρεμβολὴν Ισραηλ δώσει κύριος εἰς χεῖρας ἀλλοφύλων.	19 And the Lord shall deliver Israel X with thee into the hand[s] of the Philistines, and to-morrow thou and thy sons with ~~thee~~ [shall fall], and the Lord shall deliver the army of Israel into the hand[s] of the Philistines.	19 And the Lord also will deliver Israel with thee into the hand[s] of the Philistines: and to morrow thou and thy sons shall be with me: and^BJ the Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand[s] of the Philistines.	19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host^BK of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.	19 "Moreover the LORD will also give over Israel along with you into the hand[s] of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the LORD will give over the army of Israel into the hand[s] of the Philistines!"	19 X The LORD will hand over both Israel ~~and~~ you to the X X Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the X X Philistines."	19 Furthermore, Yahweh has also given Israel along with you into the hand{s} of the Philistines, and tomorrow Yahweh will give you, and your sons with you, and also the army-camp of Israel into the hand{s} of the Philistines.”	19 וְיִתֵּן יְהוָה גַּם אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמְּךָ בְּיַד-פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּמָחָר אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ עִמִּי גַּם אֶת- מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל יִתֵּן יְהוָה בְּיַד- פְּלִשְׁתִּים:
20 καὶ ἔσπευσεν^BL Σαουλ καὶ ἔπεσεν ἑστηκὼς^BM ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐφοβήθη σφόδρα ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων Σαμουηλ· καὶ ἰσχὺς ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἦν ἔτι, οὐ γὰρ ἔφαγεν ἄρτον ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην.	20 And Saul instantly fell at his full length upon the earth, and was greatly afraid because of the words of Samuel; and there was no longer any strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all ~~that~~^BN day, and all that night.	20 And forthwith Saul fell all along on the ground; for he was X frightened with the words of Samuel, and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all ~~that~~ day X X X X.	20 Then Saul fell straightway^BO all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.	20 Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.	20 Immediately Saul X X fell full length on the ground, X ~~filled~~ with fear because of Samuel's words. X X [His] strength was gone, for he had eaten no~~thing~~ all ~~that~~ day and X night.	20 Then Saul hurried and fell full length earthward, for he was very frightened by the words of Samuel. Also, there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten food all {that} day nor all {that} night.	20 וַיְמַהֵר שָׁאוּל וַיִּפֹּל מְלֹא-קוֹמָתוֹ אַרְצָה וַיִּרָא מְאֹד מִדִּבְרֵי שְׁמוּאֵל גַּם-כֹּחַ לֹא-הָיָה בוֹ כִּי לֹא אָכַל לֶחֶם כָּל-הַיּוֹם^BP וְכָל-הַלָּיְלָה:
21 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ἡ γυνὴ πρὸς Σαουλ καὶ εἶδεν ὅτι ἔσπευσεν σφόδρα, καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν Ἰδοὺ [δὴ] ἤκουσεν ἡ δούλη σου τῆς φωνῆς σου καὶ ἐθέμην τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐν τῇ χειρί μου καὶ ἤκουσα τοὺς λόγους X, οὓς ἐλάλησάς μοι·	21 And the woman went in to Saul, and saw that he was greatly disquieted, and said to him, Behold [now], thine handmaid has hearkened to thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have heard the words X which thou has spoken to me.	21 And the woman came to Saul, (for X X he was very much troubled) and said to him: Behold thy handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand: and I hearkened unto the words X which thou spokest to me.	21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled^BQ, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.	21 X The woman came to Saul and saw that he was X terrified, and said to him, "Behold, your maidservant has obeyed X X you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.	21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, X she said X X, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed X X you. I took my life in my hands and did X X what you told me [to do].	21 Now, the woman went to Saul and saw that he was in a major panic, so she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has given heed to your voice, for I have put my life into my hands and I have heeded {the} words which you said to me.	21 וַתָּבוֹא הָאִשָּׁה אֶל-שָׁאוּל וַתֵּרֶא כִּי-נִבְהַל מְאֹד וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הִנֵּה שָׁמְעָה שִׁפְחָתְךָ בְּקוֹלֶךָ וָאָשִׂים נַפְשִׁי בְּכַפִּי וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת-דְּבָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ אֵלָי:
22 καὶ νῦν ἄκουσον δὴ X X^BR φωνῆς τῆς δούλης σου, καὶ παραθήσω ἐνώπιόν σου ψωμὸν ἄρτου, καὶ φάγε, καὶ ἔσται ἐν σοὶ ἰσχύς, ὅτι πορεύσῃ ἐν ὁδῷ.	22 And now hearken, I pray thee X, to the voice of thine handmaid, and I will set before thee a morsel of bread, and eat, and thou shalt be strengthened, for thou wilt be going on [thy] way.	22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also to the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set before thee a morsel of bread, that thou mayst eat and recover strength X X, and [be able to] go on [thy] journey.	22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on [thy] way.	22 "So now X also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way."	22 X Now please listen X X to X your servant and let me ~~give~~ X you some food so you ~~may~~ eat and have X X the strength to go on [your] way."	22 So now you also please give heed to the voice of your maidservant! I will now put a serving of food before you, and you should eat, for it will give strength to you that you may go on the road.”	22 וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע-נָא גַם-אַתָּה בְּקוֹל שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וְאָשִׂמָה לְפָנֶיךָ פַּת-לֶחֶם וֶאֱכוֹל וִיהִי בְךָ כֹּחַ כִּי תֵלֵךְ בַּדָּרֶךְ:
23 καὶ X X οὐκ ~~ἐβουλήθη~~ φαγεῖν· καὶ παρεβιάζοντο αὐτὸν οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ καὶ X ἡ γυνή, καὶ ἤκουσεν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνέστη ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ τὸν δίφρον^BS.	23 But he X X would not eat; so his servants and the woman constrained him, and he hearkened to their voice, and rose up from the earth, and sat upon a bench.	23 But he refused, and said: I will not eat. But his servants and X the woman forced him, and [at length] hearkening to their voice, X he arose from the ground, and sat upon the bed.	23 But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled^BT him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed^BU.	23 But he refused and said, "I will not eat." However, his servants together with the woman ~~urged~~ him, and he listened to X X them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.	23 X He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his ~~men~~ joined X the woman in ~~urging~~ him, and he listened to X X them. X He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.	23 But he refused {} to eat, so his servants and also the woman forced it on him such that he gave heed to their voice and he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.	23 וַיְמָאֵן וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֹכַל וַיִּפְרְצוּ-בוֹ עֲבָדָיו וְגַם-הָאִשָּׁה וַיִּשְׁמַע לְקֹלָם^BV וַיָּקָם מֵהָאָרֶץ^BW וַיֵּשֶׁב ^BXאֶל-הַמִּטָּה:
24 καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ ἦν δάμαλις νομὰς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, καὶ ἔσπευσεν καὶ ἔθυσεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἔλαβεν ἄλευρα καὶ ἐφύρασεν καὶ ἔπεψεν X ἄζυμα	24 And the woman had a fat heifer in the house; and she hasted and slew it; and she took meal and kneaded it, and baked X unleavened cakes.	24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she made haste and killed it: and taking meal, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread,	24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:	24 X The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded [it] and baked unleavened bread from it.	24 X The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. X She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast.	24 Now, the woman had a calf from the feed-lot at her house, so she hurried and slaughtered it. Then she took some flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread.	24 וְלָאִשָּׁה עֵגֶל-מַרְבֵּק^BY בַּבַּיִת וַתְּמַהֵר וַתִּזְבָּחֵהוּ וַתִּקַּח-קֶמַח וַתָּלָשׁ וַתֹּפֵהוּ^BZ מַצּוֹת:
25 καὶ προσήγαγεν ἐνώπιον Σαουλ καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔφαγον. καὶ ἀνέστησαν καὶ ἀπῆλθον X τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην.	25 And she brought [the meat] before Saul, and before his servants; and they ate, and rose up, and departed X that night.	25 And ~~set~~ it before Saul, and before his servants. And when they had eaten they rose up, and walked ~~all~~ that night.	25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away X that night.	25 She brought it before Saul and X his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away X that night.	25 Then she ~~set~~ it before Saul and X his ~~men~~, and they ate. X That same night X they got up and left.	25 Then she served it up before Saul and before his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and they went away {} that night.	25 וַתַּגֵּשׁ לִפְנֵי-שָׁאוּל וְלִפְנֵי עֲבָדָיו וַיֹּאכֵלוּ וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ ^CAבַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא: פ

1“the Israelites, according to their wont, keeping to the heights, while their enemies clung to the plain” ~R. Jamieson

2Goldman and Tsumura noted that this occurred just before the events of chapter 31 in the final stage of the battle.

3Actually stated positively in Lev. 26:6a “I will also extend peace within the land, and y'all will lie down and there will be no cause for trembling.” (NAW)

4The same Hebrew word used of Saul’s trembling fear upon seeing the Philistine army in v.5 is also used of Eli in 1 Sam. 4:13 (“...Eli, sitting on his seat beside the road, keeping watch, because his heart was trembling over the ark of God.”) and of Ahimelech the priest of Nob when David fled to him in 1 Samuel 21:1, and of the skittishness of the town elders in Bethlehem when Samuel came by to anoint a new king in 16:4.

5Willett explained, “[S]ome think that after Abiathar was gone with the Ephod, [Saul] caused an other to be made; some [notably Kimchi], that he had sent to Abiathar, to consult for him... But the meaning is this, that the Urim was not now with Saul…” Gill and Goldman agreed. Keil & Delitzsch (and Kirkpatrick), believed that a new priesthood under Zadok was established and a new ephod made, such that Saul would have had a priest of his own that he could have consorted with in Gibeon, citing 1 Chron. 16:39 as evidence.

6Willett and Gill noted that the theory advanced by some Rabbis (Pirke Eliezer, c. 33. foi. 35. 2. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 8. 1. Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 77. B.) that this woman was Zeruiah, the mother of Abner, can easily be disproved by the fact that then she and Saul would already have been acquainted, which is obviously not the case.

7This was Willett’s view, but Keil & Delitzsch said that wasn’t necessarily the case.

8Tsumurah, on the other hand, claimed that the reason was that she could see supernatural images but he couldn’t.

9It’s also possible that Saul laid on the ground in order to better hear the quiet mutterings out of the ground that, according to Isaiah 8 & 29, were typical of the voices conjured by mediums.

10“He does not, like a penitent, own the righteousness of God in this; but, like a man enraged, flies out against God as unkind and flies off from him.” ~M. Henry

11Psalm 101:4 “Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.”
Eph. 5:11 “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
1Tim. 4:7 “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” (NIV)

12Goldman cited Saadya & Hai Gaon, Kimchi & Nachmanides from the 13^th century, and Metsudath David & Malbim from the 19^th Century

13Goldman cited R. Samuel, b. Hofni Gaon, Maimonides, Ralbag (14^th Century), and Ibn Ezra (12^th Century)

14cf. K&D in loc.: “the fathers, reformers, and earlier Christian theologians, with very few exceptions, assumed that there was not a real appearance of Samuel…” K&D in loc is also the source of the quotes from Luther and Calvin. Willett is the source of the quotes from Tertullian and Augustine.

15Henry, also noted that this was the position of Bishop Patrick, a commentator before him that he looked up to.

16They also quoted Ecclus. 46:20, where it is said of Samuel: “And after his death he prophesied, and showed the king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people” [but this is an apocryphal text], Ezekiel 14, where it is said that God will answer those who come to a prophet in his own way [but this proves nothing], and the appearances of Moses & Elijah at the Transfiguration [which was an entirely different thing].

17The only interesting argument I noticed in Tsumura was that Samuel mentions divine name Yahweh 7x in his message.

18Tsumura suggested that Saul was fasting in preparation for this spiritual encounter. But from the earlier incident over the honey, it seems to me just as possible that he could have been too preoccupied with duty to eat.

19This is the title of a song by Jamie Soles on his album Memorials See http://www.solmusic.ca

20King Hezekiah, contemporary to Isaiah, heeded this warning, but his son Manasseh did not. The latter’s involvement in the occult is one of the reasons God sent Judah into captivity (2 Kings 221:6, 2 Chronicles 33:6 ).

AMy original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB, or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use ~~strikeout~~. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scroll containing any part of 1 Samuel 28 is 4Q51Samuel^a, which has been dated between 50-25 B.C. and which contains fragments of verses 1-3 & 22-25. Where the DSS is legible and is in agreement with the MT, the MT text is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.

BLit. “camps,” NASB = “armed camps,” NIV & ESV = “forces” (“force” is not the central meaning of this Hebrew word). In v.5 where this word recurs, KJV changes to “host” (usually reserved for translating a different Hebrew word צבא), and NIV changes to “army,” NASB = “camp.”

CNASB, NIV (uncharacteristically), and ESV all follow the MT instead, which reads “camp/army”

DThe LXX reads as though the word were צאת instead of צבא. The DSS is not legible at this point for comparison. Either Hebrew word would make sense (the latter being a synonym for the word קבץ “assembled” used earlier in this verse – compare with אסף in 17:1, and the former being used in the phrase “go out to battle” at the end of this verse), and neither changes the overall meaning.

EDSS reads לחמה** “war/battle” instead of the MT’s “camp/army.” The LXX and Vulgate follow the DSS reading. Both would be true ultimately.

FDSS adds *laurzy “Jezreel” This piece of information is found in all the mss in 29:1 & 11, but only in the DSS here, so it doesn’t add anything new or different.

GAppears to be reading the MT אתה (“you”) as though it were עתה (“now”). The Vulgate nunc appears to support LXX.

HAll later Greek versions rendered more closely to the Hebrew with fulaka thV kefalhV mou “protector of my head.”

INASB & ESV = “very well,” NIV renders more literally “then.” The same word begins Akish’s reply at the end of the verse, but there KJV switches to “therefore,” and NIV switches to “very well.”

JThe concept of “ability” is not part of the context of the Hebrew or Greek word for “do” here. The ambiguity of the meaning of this response is striking. It seems Akish knows better than to let David out from under his scrutiny, and Akish may have felt that keeping David in his ranks would make it more difficult for him to fight for Israel against the Philistines, because the Philistines he would be next to would be his neighbors that he was beholden to.

K“Head” is the literal meaning of the Hebrew word; NASB, NIV, and ESV render it “body.”

LIn Greek & Hebrew literally “all the days,” NASB, NIV, and ESV render “for life”

MAlthough this section is illegible, there is not enough room in the DSS manuscript for all the words in the MT. It appears that the DSS omits the phrases אֶל-אָכִישׁ לָכֵן אַתָּה “to Akish, ‘Therefore you’” But these words are in the LXX and Vulgate. The NIV drops the first phrase “to Akish” but not the second. The addressee (Akish) is already clear from context, however, and the opening conjunction of the quote doesn’t really add information, and the emphatic “you” is not necessary because the following verb is spelled 2^nd person singular (“you shall know”), so it makes no difference in meaning whether or not the words are original.
David’s response is mighty ambiguous, perhaps a lighthearted acknowledgment that it is only to be expected that the Philistines won’t trust him and will want to keep their eyes on him. David thus avoided making any commitment to Akish one way or the other. (Henry, K&D, Goldman)

NIt’s hard to tell, based on versions, whether the omission of the conjunction is original or not. Kittel cites 2 Hebrew mss as well as the Syriac as also not having the copula. The Hebrew vav conjunction can be used to mean “that is to say” or “in other words,” in which case there is no difference in meaning between that and what the versions have done here.

OAquila rendered this Hebrew word into Greek magouV “Magi/magicians” here and throughout the chapter.

PNASB = “removed, “NIV = “expelled”

QNASB, NIV, ESV = “mediums” The Greek translation depicts a woman with a mythical thing in her body cavity.

RGreek & Hebrew lit. “wisemen,” NASB & NIV = “spiritists,” ESV = “necromancers” Same in v.9.

SThis wording is odd, but Gill explains: “there being two Ramahs, as Kimchi observes, it is added, ‘in his own city’, to show that he was buried in that Ramah which was his native place... though, as he says, it may mean that he was buried within the city, and not without it; but the Targum gives a different sense, ‘and they buried him in Ramah, and mourned for him every man in his city:’” K&D (followed by Tsumura) = “explanatory vav, ‘and indeed in his own city.’”

T“Pitched” is the literal meaning of the Hebrew verb. A tent is implied, so NASB, NIV, and ESV rendered “camped.”

ULXX interpreted the Hebrew “trembled” in a figurative way with “astonished,” cf. synonyms from later Greek versions: A. exeplagh (“struck out”), S. epthxen (“melted?/Became arrhythmic?/Skipped a beat?”).

Vcf. A. fwtismoiV - these Greek versions translated the Hebrew word (which literally means “lights”), rather than transliterating it (“Urim”). It appears the Vulgate went one step further, recognizing that it would have been one of the “priests” who actually consulted the “Urim.”

WNumbers 12:6

Xcf. Aq. ecousan magon (“having magic/breast?”)

YMore literally from the Hebrew “a woman, a mistress of a familiar spirit,” the NASB, NIV, and ESV render “who is a medium,” C.H. Gordon = “ghostmistress,” Tsumura = “a woman who serves the Lady of the ‘ob-spirits… the sun goddess” (In my opinion, Tsumura had to borrow a little too heavily from Ugaritic pagan literature to come up with that!). The word “familiar spirit/medium” is the same Hebrew word in v.3.

Zcf. synonym from Symmachus meteschmatisen (“changed presentation”)

AANASB = “conjure,” NIV = “Consult”

ABQere reading is קָסוֹמִי. This word is associated consistently with Baalam’s divination (Num. 22:7; 23:23; Josh. 13:22). Such “witchcraft” is expressly forbidden the people of God in Deuteronomy 18:10-14, and it was called out with Saul previously in 1 Samuel 15:23 “For the sin of witchcraft is rebellion... Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, Yahweh has also rejected you from being king." (NAW)

ACcf. Aquila egkroueiV (“knock out”)

ADNIV = “set a trap”

AEThe emphatic “you, you know,” followed by the accusation of trying to trap her makes me wonder if she didn’t suspect that this was Saul to begin with – or at least some nobleman who would be in the know about such legal actions. The statement a couple of verses later about deceiving her might not necessarily have been an admission that he HAD tricked her, but that her suspicions were confirmed, at that point, that he was Saul and was trying to trick her.
cf. R. Jamieson: “It is probable that his extraordinary stature, the deference paid him by his attendants, the easy distance of his camp from En-dor, and the proposal to call up the great prophet and first magistrate in Israel (a proposal which no private individual would venture to make), had awakened her suspicions as to the true character and rank of her visitor.”

AF“[This] form has resulted from consonantal sandhi, i.e., the fusion of two contiguous consonants: hayyidde’onim min- → hayyide’oni min-…” ~Tsumura, NICOT

AGLater Greek versions by Aquila and Symmachus rendered with the synonym kakwsiV “bad thing.”

AH“R. Simeon b. Lakish comments: Saul is to be compared with a woman who swears by her husband’s life in the company of her lover (Midrash). While engaged in a superstitious practice which is tantamount to a denial of God, he swears in His name.” ~Goldman

AIcf. A. epeqou (“persuaded”), S. enhdreusaV (“lie in wait for”).

AJThe account does not tell us why she cried out with a loud voice except that Saul interprets it as her being afraid. Saul knew, however that she had seen something he had not seen.

AKThis third word denoting that the witch “spoke” is not in the ancient versions (Greek, Latin, or Syriac), and Kittel noted that he found two Hebrew mss which do not contain the word and also that it generally wasn’t in the Rabbinic literature.

ALcf. Laban tricking Jacob (Gen. 29:25), Gibeonites tricking Joshua (Josh. 9:22), Michal tricking Saul (1 Sam. 19:17), and Ziba tricking Mephiboseth (2 Sam. 19:27) - all Piel forms.

AMAlso not in the Syriac.

ANKJV translates the Hebrew ki most literally; NIV & ESV omit (following the Vulgate and Syriac), and NASB renders “but,” while the LXX interprets it as a direct address signal (“he said”), which is one of the uses of ki, although usually with the verb דבר also written out.

AONASB = “divine being,” NIV = “a spirit,” ESV = “a god” The Hebrew and Greek words are plural and can refer to any famous or powerful persons, but the same plural Hebrew word is also used to refer to the one true God. The pronoun in the next verse, however, referring to the same phenomenon is singular, and the old man who appears in the following verse is also singular.

APLater Greek version corrected to “old” with presbuthn.

AQNIV = “look like,” ESV = “appearance” This was the word used in 1 Sam. 16:18 to speak of David’s physique and in 25:3 of Abigail’s face.

ARNASB = “wrapped,” NIV = “wearing”

ASNASB, NIV, ESV = “robe” This is the same priestly garment Hannah made for Samuel as a boy and which Saul tore, grabbing at the grown-up prophet in 15:27.

ATSee the same phrase in 1 Sam. 24:9 (David before Saul) and 25:41 (Abigail before David).

AUcf. other Greek translations: A. eklonhsaV (wake up?), S. etaraxaV (“stir up”), Q. parwrgisaV (“anger”).

AVAq. and Symm. used the root stena- (“stressed by being in a narrow spot”).

AWcf. synonym in Symmachus and in Theodotion “to show” dhlwsai.

AXNASB, NIV, ESV = “disturbed”

AYNIV, ESV = “turned away”

AZThe Hebrew word “by the hand of” is in the MT and is translated into the Septuagint, but curiously, only the English versions based on the Vulgate and the Septuagint render it into English (Wycliffe, Douay, Brenton).

BASeveral Hebrew manuscripts spell this word in its more proper plural form, inserting yod as the penultimate letter, but it doesn’t change the meaning. Viz. David Tsumura’s work on Samuel as an oral document with many spellings based on the sound of the words rather than on their proper spellings: “Scribal Errors or Phonetic Spellings? Samuel as an Aural Text” Vetus Testament 49 (1999) 390-411.

BBThe Syriac supports “neighbor,” but Symmachus supports the Vulgate “rival” with antizhloV. Aquila and Theodotion omit and shorten to kata sou “against you.” The similarity of the Hebrew words ending this verse עָרֶךָ and the next verse רֵעֲךָ renders confusion understandable.

BCKittel noted several Hebrew manuscripts, as well as Rabbinic literature, as well as the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac which don’t include the conjunction found in the MT at the beginning of the quote.

BDPsalm 139:20 is the only other place this word occurs in the Bible, and there it is translated “enemies.”

BEThe Vaticanus has this extra κυριος, but it is not in the standard LXX. It makes no difference in meaning because, in its absence, the grammar would indicate that kurios is the subject of both verbs.

BFThe Vulgate rendered all three vav consecutive imperfect verbs in the Hebrew of this verse as future-tense verbs in Latin, whereas the Septuagint rendered the first one Aorist (Past) tense, and the latter two Future tense. Hebrew has only two verb tenses, and the general rule is that a vav prefix switches a verb to the other tense unless there is some reason not to, so in this case, most English translators see no reason not to follow this general rule and translate all three verbs as though switched to the Hebrew Perfect tense (which is roughly equivalent to the English past tense – although they don’t do the same for the next set of vav consecutive imperfects in the following verse). However, since this is prophetic-genre writing, the concept of past vs. future can fade behind the message, with prophetic perfects (past-tense verbs) emphasizing the certainty of what is prophecied before it comes to be. For instance, in the past, Samuel prophesied that Saul’s kingdom would be taken away, and in some forensic, prophetic, and spiritual senses it actually was taken away when Samuel uttered that verdict, but in terms of a popularly-recognized transfer of power from Saul to David, that hadn’t happened yet. Nevertheless, as Saul was to die in this battle, the prophesied event of losing his reign was practically present.

BGKittel cites some Hebrew manuscripts which supply a plural ending to the word “hand” but it is singular in MT & LXX.

BHThe Septuagint and Vulgate, as well as Rabbinic literature and several other Hebrew manuscripts read לך (“to you”) instead of the MT’s לו (“to him”). Willett commented: “lo, ‘to him’ ... is better referred unto David, that the Lord hath done to him, as he promised: so the Chald. [Targum] B. Genev[a Bible]. Joseph[us].” The Lucian Rescription of the Septuagint also reads “to him.” ASV and ESV go with “to you.” Tsumura calls it a “ventive,” cross-referencing 20:20, and McCartersuggested a consonantal sandhi where a “k” sound in the original second person singular suffix (“to you”) dropped out because the next word started with a “k” sound. (cf. the same thing with an “m” sound in the word for “mediums” in v. 9.)

BIThis is a quote from 1 Samuel 15:28 "Yahweh has ripped the kingship of Israel from your {hand} and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you…” (NAW)

BJSome Syriac and Targum versions also have an extra “and” here.

BKNASB, NIV, ESV = “army”

BLcf. Symmachus tacu (“quickly”).

BMSymmachus translated the Hebrew more literally kaq’ olon to mhkoV autou (“according to his whole length”).

BNThe Vaticanus adds the demonstrative pronoun “that,” which is not in the MT or the LXX.

BONASB, NIV = “immediately,” ESV = “at once.” It comes from the same root as “tomorrow” in the previous verse. It occurs again in v.24, where KJV = “hasted,” NASB = “quickly,” and NIV = “at once.”

BPVaticanus, Vulgate, and Syriac, as well as Lucian Rescription all insert the equivalent of ההוא.

BQNASB = “terrified,” NIV = “shaken”

BRAquila supplied the words in the MT missing in the LXX: kai su (“you also”).

BSLater Greek versions rendered it klinhn (“couch/bed”).

BTKJV has the proper translation of the Hebrew root פרץ (“overwhelm/break through,” which the Greek also supports), but NASB, NIV, and ESV translate “urged” as though the last two letters of the Hebrew root were switched (פצר).

BUNIV = “couch”

BVThe first half of this verse is illegible in the DSS, but there is not enough space for all the words in the MT. It appears that one or two words is missing. This could support the shorter version of the LXX “but he would not eat.”

BWDSS reads effectively the same but with a stand-alone preposition min and a small obliterated section.

BXMultiple Hebrew manuscripts instead have a synonymous preposition על (“upon”), and the LXX and Vulgate seem to support that, but it’s hard to tell for sure. The DSS is illegible at this spot. It wouldn’t change the meaning anyway.

BYThis word only occurs here and in Jer. 46:21, Amos 6:4, and Mal. 3:20, where many English translations render it “from the stall.” The idea appears to be that the calf is not grazing in the fields but is in a stall being fed grain to bulk it up before being slaughtered for meat.

BZThis verb has slight spelling variations in different manuscripts, but there is no doubt that it is the word for “bake.” cf. Genesis 18:6 “So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, ‘Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.’" (NKJV)

CADSS omits the preposition but preserves the definite article. The DSS agrees with the reading of the LXX.