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1 Samuel 28

KJV · Chapter 28/31

1And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

2And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.

3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

6And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

7Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, 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 En–dor.

8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

9And 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 for my life, to cause me to die?

10And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

12And 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.

13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

16Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

18Because 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.

19Moreover 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 of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

20Then Saul fell straightway 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.

21And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, 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.

22Now 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.

23But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

24And 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:

25And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

📖 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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