1 Samuel 28

ARC · Chapter 28/31

1E succedeu n'aquelles dias que, juntando os philisteos os seus exercitos á peleja, para fazer guerra contra Israel, disse Achis a David: Sabe de certo que comigo sairás ao arraial, tu e os teus homens.

2Então disse David a Achis: Assim saberás tu o que fará o teu servo. E disse Achis a David: Por isso te terei por guarda da minha cabeça para sempre.

3E já Samuel era morto, e todo o Israel o tinha chorado, e o tinha sepultado em Rama, que era a sua cidade: e Saul tinha desterrado os adivinhos e os encantadores.

4E ajuntaram-se os philisteos, e vieram, e acamparam-se em Sunem: e ajuntou Saul a todo o Israel, e se acamparam em Gilboa.

5E, vendo Saul o arraial dos philisteos, temeu, e estremeceu muito o seu coração.

6E perguntou Saul ao Senhor, porém o Senhor lhe não respondeu, nem por sonhos, nem por Urim, nem por prophetas.

7Então disse Saul aos seus creados: Buscae-me uma mulher que tenha o espirito de feiticeira, para que vá a ella, e consulte por ella. E os seus creados lhe disseram: Eis que em Endor ha uma mulher que tem o espirito d'adivinhar.

8E Saul se disfarçou e vestiu outros vestidos, e foi elle, e com elle dois homens, e de noite vieram á mulher; e disse: Peço-te que me adivinhes pelo espirito de feiticeira, e me faças subir a quem eu te disser.

9Então a mulher lhe disse: Eis aqui tu sabes o que Saul fez, como tem destruido da terra os adivinhos e os encantadores: porque, pois, me armas um laço á minha vida, para me fazer matar?

10Então Saul lhe jurou pelo Senhor, dizendo: Vive o Senhor, que nenhum mal te sobrevirá por isso.

11A mulher então lhe disse: A quem te farei subir? E disse elle: Faze-me subir a Samuel.

12Vendo pois a mulher a Samuel, gritou com alta voz, e a mulher fallou a Saul, dizendo: Porque me tens enganado? pois tu mesmo és Saul.

13E o rei lhe disse: Não temas: porém que é o que vês? Então a mulher disse a Saul: Vejo deuses que sobem da terra.

14E lhe disse: Como é a sua figura? E disse ella: Vem subindo um homem ancião, e está envolto n'uma capa. Entendendo Saul que era Samuel, inclinou-se com o rosto em terra, e se prostrou.

15Samuel disse a Saul: Porque me desinquietaste, fazendo-me subir? Então disse Saul: Mui angustiado estou, porque os philisteos guerreiam contra mim, e Deus se tem desviado de mim, e não me responde mais, nem pelo ministerio dos prophetas, nem por sonhos; por isso te chamei a ti, para que me faças saber o que hei de fazer.

16Então disse Samuel: Porque pois a mim me perguntas, visto que o Senhor te tem desamparado, e se tem feito teu inimigo?

17Porque o Senhor tem feito para comtigo como pela minha bocca te disse, e tem rasgado o reino da tua mão, e o tem dado ao teu companheiro David.

18Como tu não déste ouvidos á voz do Senhor, e não executaste o fervor da sua ira contra Amalek, por isso o Senhor te fez hoje isto.

19E o Senhor entregará tambem a Israel comtigo na mão dos philisteos, e ámanhã tu e teus filhos estareis comigo; e o arraial de Israel o Senhor entregará na mão dos philisteos.

20E immediatamente Saul caiu estendido por terra, e grandemente temeu por causa d'aquellas palavras de Samuel: e não houve força n'elle; porque não tinha comido pão todo aquelle dia e toda aquella noite.

21Então veiu a mulher a Saul, e, vendo que estava tão perturbado, disse-lhe: Eis que deu ouvidos a tua creada á tua voz, e puz a minha vida na minha mão, e ouvi as palavras que disseste.

22Agora pois ouve tambem tu as palavras da tua serva, e porei um bocado de pão diante de ti, e come, para que tenhas forças para te pôres a caminho.

23Porém elle o recusou, e disse: Não comerei. Porém os seus creados e a mulher o constrangeram; e deu ouvidos á sua voz: e levantou-se do chão, e se assentou sobre uma cama

24E tinha a mulher em casa uma bezerra cevada, e se apressou, e a degolou, e tomou farinha, e a amassou, e a cozeu em bolos asmos.

25E os trouxe diante de Saul e de seus creados, e comeram: depois levantaram-se e se foram n'aquella mesma noite.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

On the eve of a great battle against the Philistines, Saul, desperate and receiving no answer from God, illegally consults a medium at Endor to summon the spirit of Samuel, who prophesies his imminent death and Israel's defeat.

Explanation

The tragic irony is evident: the same Saul who had driven diviners and mediums out of Israel, in keeping with the Mosaic law, now desperately turns to this forbidden practice precisely because 'the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets' (v.6) — showing the complete spiritual isolation that his accumulated disobedience had produced. Samuel's appearance, whether a genuine manifestation exceptionally permitted by God or an experience interpreted differently by scholars, brings a message of final, irrevocable judgment, without a single word of hope or possibility of change for Saul. The scene ends with a strangely human moment amid the despair: the medium and Saul's servants persuade him to eat before leaving, showing practical care even in the face of the most devastating news imaginable.

Fun facts

  • The practice of necromancy (consulting the dead) is explicitly forbidden in Leviticus 19:31 and Deuteronomy 18:10-11, making Saul's action here a double transgression — against both God's law and his own earlier decree against mediums.
  • This episode inspired the idiomatic expression 'the witch of Endor,' still used today in Western culture to refer to mediums or mystical figures associated with communicating with the dead.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 28:1Achish summons David to fight alongside the Philistines against Israel itself — the direct, dangerous result of the deception David had carefully built up in the previous chapter.
  2. 1 Samuel 28:2David’s ambiguous reply, neither confirming nor denying which side he would fight for, is read by Achish in the most favorable possible way — the Philistine king promotes David to his personal bodyguard.
  3. 1 Samuel 28:3This reminder of Samuel’s death and of Saul’s own decree against mediums ironically sets up the next scene, in which the king will break his own law by desperately seeking out a medium.
  4. 1 Samuel 28:4Shunem and Gilboa lay close together in the Jezreel Valley — the two camps’ proximity already anticipates the direct clash that will define the rest of the book.
  5. 1 Samuel 28:5Saul’s fear at the size of the Philistine army contrasts with the confidence he showed early in his reign — Samuel’s absence and God’s silence have left him visibly more vulnerable.
  6. 1 Samuel 28:6Dreams, Urim (the priestly instrument of inquiry), and prophets were the three legitimate channels through which an Israelite could seek an answer from God — silence on all three at once is the strongest possible sign that God had withdrawn from Saul.
  7. 1 Samuel 28:7It is ironic that Saul himself had banished mediums and fortune-tellers from Israel earlier, and now must disguise himself to secretly consult one in Endor — it shows how desperate he is now that the normal channels to God have gone silent.
  8. 1 Samuel 28:8Saul has to disguise himself from the very law he himself enacted against mediums — the irony of a king hiding his own identity to commit the crime he had made illegal.
  9. 1 Samuel 28:9The woman recognizes the real danger of her own practice, showing that Saul’s crackdown on mediums had been effective enough to leave her genuinely afraid of being caught and executed.
  10. 1 Samuel 28:10Saul uses God’s own name to guarantee safety for a practice God’s own law explicitly forbade — a contradiction the text neither hides nor softens.
  11. 1 Samuel 28:11Asking specifically for Samuel, the very prophet who had already announced his rejection as king, shows how desperate Saul was for any guidance at all, even from someone who had only ever brought him bad news.
  12. 1 Samuel 28:12The medium’s own genuine shock, on realizing something real and unexpected was happening, suggests that even she did not expect such a concrete result from her usual practice.
  13. 1 Samuel 28:13“Gods” here translates a Hebrew word (elohim) that could also describe supernatural or spirit beings in general, not necessarily deities — the wording reflects how hard this concept is to capture in translation.
  14. 1 Samuel 28:14Saul recognizes Samuel only from the description of his robe and his age — the same kind of robe Saul himself had accidentally torn years earlier in chapter 15, a symbol of the lost kingdom.
  15. 1 Samuel 28:15Saul openly admits his despair: every normal channel of communication with God had already failed before he resorted to this forbidden method as a last resort.
  16. 1 Samuel 28:16Samuel confirms, as directly as possible, that God’s silence was not a technical failure or whim, but the deliberate consequence of a rejection announced years earlier.
  17. 1 Samuel 28:17Samuel repeats almost word for word the same sentence from chapter 15 — the judgment announced then still stands, and is now about to be fulfilled in full.
  18. 1 Samuel 28:18Samuel directly links the current military crisis to a specific act of disobedience from decades before — showing how the consequences of past choices can take a long time to fully play out.
  19. 1 Samuel 28:19The most devastating prophecy in the whole book announces not only Saul’s death but also that of his sons, and the complete defeat of the Israelite army the following day.
  20. 1 Samuel 28:20Saul’s physical collapse combines the emotional shock of the devastating news with his prolonged fasting — he was likely already physically weak even before hearing the final prophecy.
  21. 1 Samuel 28:21The medium reminds Saul of the risk she herself took by helping him, perhaps hoping for some consideration in return given the pitiful state she found him in.
  22. 1 Samuel 28:22Even after delivering the worst possible news through Samuel’s appearance, the woman shows genuine practical care, insisting Saul eat before facing the journey back.
  23. 1 Samuel 28:23Saul’s initial refusal reflects utter despair — only the combined insistence of his own servants and the medium manages to convince him to take even minimal care of himself before the final battle.
  24. 1 Samuel 28:24Quickly preparing a substantial meal, including meat from a specially fattened animal, shows that the woman had reasonable means and genuine generosity, despite her marginal and forbidden trade.
  25. 1 Samuel 28:25The final meal before the battle that will kill Saul carries a tragic irony — a last night of hospitality coming, of all people, from a medium he himself had made it law to banish.

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