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1 Samuel 28

BLIVRE · Chapter 28/31

1E aconteceu que em aqueles dias os filisteus juntaram seus acampamentos para lutar contra Israel. E disse Aquis a Davi: Sabe de certo que hás de sair comigo à campanha, tu e os teus.

2E Davi respondeu a Aquis: Saberás, pois, o que fará teu servo. E Aquis disse a Davi: Portanto te farei guarda de minha cabeça todos os dias.

3Já Samuel era morto, e todo Israel o havia lamentado, e haviam-lhe sepultado em Ramá, em sua cidade. E Saul havia lançado da terra os encantadores e adivinhos.

4Pois como os filisteus se juntaram, vieram e assentaram acampamento em Suném: e Saul juntou a todo Israel, e assentaram acampamento em Gilboa.

5E quando viu Saul o acampamento dos filisteus, temeu, e perturbou-se seu coração em grande maneira.

6E consultou Saul ao SENHOR; mas o SENHOR não lhe respondeu, nem por sonhos, nem por Urim, nem por profetas.

7Então Saul disse a seus criados: Buscai-me uma mulher que tenha espírito de necromante, para que eu vá a ela, e por meio dela pergunte. E seus criados lhe responderam: Eis que há uma mulher em En-Dor que tem espírito de necromante.

8E Saul se disfarçou, vestiu outras roupas, e foi-se com dois homens, e vieram àquela mulher de noite; e ele disse: Eu te rogo que me adivinhes pelo espírito de pitonisa, e me faças subir a quem eu te disser.

9E a mulher lhe disse: Eis que tu sabes o que Saul fez, como exterminou da terra os necromantes e os adivinhos; por que, pois, pões tropeço à minha vida, para me fazer morrer?

10Então Saul jurou a ela pelo SENHOR, dizendo: Vive o SENHOR, que nenhum mal te virá por isto.

11A mulher então disse: A quem te farei vir? E ele respondeu: Faze-me vir a Samuel.

12E vendo a mulher a Samuel, clamou em alta voz, e falou aquela mulher a Saul, dizendo:

13Por que me enganaste? que tu és Saul. E o rei lhe disse: Não temas: que viste? E a mulher respondeu a Saul: Vi deuses que sobem da terra.

14E ele lhe disse: Qual é sua forma? E ela respondeu: Um homem ancião vem, coberto de um manto. Saul então entendeu que era Samuel, e humilhando o rosto à terra, fez grande reverência.

15E Samuel disse a Saul: Por que me inquietaste fazendo-me vir? E Saul respondeu: Estou muito angustiado; pois os filisteus lutam contra mim, e Deus se afastou de mim, e não me responde mais, nem por meio de profetas, nem por sonhos: por isto te chamei, para que me declares o que tenho de fazer.

16Então Samuel disse: E para que perguntas a mim, havendo-se afastado de ti o SENHOR, e é teu inimigo?

17o SENHOR pois fez como falou por meio de mim; pois cortou o SENHOR o reino de tua mão, e o deu a tua companheiro Davi.

18Como tu não obedeceste à voz do SENHOR, nem cumpriste o furor de sua ira sobre Amaleque, por isso o SENHOR te fez isto hoje.

19E o SENHOR entregará a Israel também contigo nas mãos dos filisteus: e amanhã estareis comigo, tu e teus filhos; e ainda o acampamento de Israel o SENHOR entregará nas mãos dos filisteus.

20Naquele mesmo momento Saul caiu estendido ao chão, e teve grande temor pelas palavras de Samuel; que não restou nele esforço nenhum, porque em todo aquele dia e aquela noite não havia comido pão.

21Então a mulher veio a Saul, e vendo-lhe em grande maneira perturbado, disse-lhe: Eis que tua criada obedeceu à tua voz, e pus minha vida em minha mão, e ouvi as palavras que tu me disseste.

22Rogo-te, pois, que tu também ouças a voz de tua serva: porei eu diante de ti um bocado de pão que comas, para que te fortaleças, e vás teu caminho.

23E ele o recusou, dizendo: Não comerei. Mas seus criados juntamente com a mulher lhe obrigaram, e ele os obedeceu. Levantou-se, pois, do chão, e sentou-se sobre uma cama.

24E aquela mulher tinha em sua casa um bezerro gordo, o qual matou logo; e tomou farinha e amassou-a, e cozeu dela pães sem levedura.

25E o trouxe diante de Saul e de seus criados; e assim que comeram, se levantaram, e partiram aquela 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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