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Texts -- 1 Samuel 28:20-25 (NET)

Context
28:20 Saul quickly fell full length on the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words . He was completely drained of energy , not having eaten anything all that day and night . 28:21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how terrified he was, she said to him, “Your servant has done what you asked . I took my life into my own hands and did what you told me. 28:22 Now it’s your turn to listen to your servant ! Let me set before you a bit of bread so that you can eat . When you regain your strength , you can go on your way .” 28:23 But he refused , saying , “I won’t eat !” Both his servants and the woman urged him to eat, so he gave in . He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed . 28:24 Now the woman had a well-fed calf at her home that she quickly slaughtered . Taking some flour , she kneaded bread and baked it without leaven . 28:25 She brought it to Saul and his servants , and they ate . Then they arose and left that same night .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Witchcraft

    [ebd] (1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture. The "witch of En-dor" (1 Sam. 28) was a necrom...
    [nave] WITCHCRAFT Law concerning, Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27. Witch of Endor, 1 Sam. 28:7-25. Witches destroyed, 1 Sam. 28:3, 9. See: Sorcery.

  • Saul

    [ebd] asked for. (1.) A king of Edom (Gen. 36:37, 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48. (2.) The son of Kish (probably his only son, and a child of prayer, "asked for"), of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the Jewish nation. T...
    [nave] SAUL 1. Called also Shaul. King of Edom, Gen. 36:37, 38; 1 Chr. 1:48, 49. 2. King of Israel. A Benjamite, son of Kish, 1 Sam. 9:1, 2. Sons of, 1 Chr. 8:33. His personal appearance, 1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23. Made king of Israel,...

  • COMMUNION WITH DEMONS; DEVILS

    [isbe] COMMUNION WITH DEMONS; DEVILS - de'-monz, (dev'-'-lz): I. Use of Term: The actual expression "communion with demons" (koinonoi ton daimonion) occurs but once in Scripture (1 Cor 10:20) where its figurative meaning is evident...

  • En-Dor

    [nave] EN-DOR, a city of Manasseh, Josh. 17:11. The witch of, consulted by Saul, 1 Sam. 28:7-25. Deborah triumphs at, over Sisera, Judg. 4; Psa. 83:10.

  • EN-DOR, WITCH OF

    [isbe] EN-DOR, WITCH OF - wich: In 1 Sam 28:3-25, it is narrated how Saul, in despair of mind because Yahweh had forsaken him, on the eve of the fatal battle of Gilboa, resorted in disguise to "a woman that had a familiar spirit" (...

  • SAMUEL, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] SAMUEL, BOOKS OF - || I. PLACE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL IN THE HEBREW CANON II. CONTENTS OF THE BOOKS AND PERIOD OF TIME COVERED BY THE HISTORY III. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. Life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 through 15) 2. Reign and D...

  • WITCH; WITCHCRAFT

    [isbe] WITCH; WITCHCRAFT - wich, wich'-kraft: 1. Meaning and Use of the Words 2. Biblical Usage 3. Common Elements in Witchcraft and Ancient Oriental Magic 4. Rise, Spread and Persecution of Witchcraft LITERATURE 1. Meaning and Use...

  • CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF - kron'-i-k'-ls (dibhere ha-yamim, "The Words of the Days"; Septuagint paraleipomenon: 1. The Name 2. The Position of Chronicles in the Old Testament 3. Two Books, or One? 4. The Contents 5. Sources Bibl...

  • BETH-SHEMITE

    [isbe] BETH-SHEMITE - beth-she'-mit beth-shimshi (1 Sam 6:14,28)): An inhabitant of Beth-shemesh in Judah (compare BETH-SHEMESH 1).

  • Sorcery

    [nave] SORCERY, divination by an alleged assistance of evil spirits. Forbidden, Lev. 19:26-28, 31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14. Denounced, Isa. 8:19; Mal. 3:5. Practiced: By the Egyptians, Isa. 19:3, 11, 12; by the magicians, Ex. 7:11, 22...

  • David

    [ebd] beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother's name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25. As to his personal ...

  • Familiar Spirits

    [nave] FAMILIAR SPIRITS Consulting of, forbidden, Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10, 11; vain, Isa. 8:19; 19:3. Those who consulted, to be cut off, Lev. 20:6, 27. Instances of Those Who Consulted Saul, 1 Sam. 28:3-25; 1 Chr. 10:...

  • Divination

    [ebd] of false prophets (Deut. 18:10, 14; Micah 3:6, 7, 11), of necromancers (1 Sam. 28:8), of the Philistine priests and diviners (1 Sam. 6:2), of Balaam (Josh. 13:22). Three kinds of divination are mentioned in Ezek. 21:21, by a...

  • ASTROLOGY

    [isbe] ASTROLOGY - as-trol'-o-ji: I. THE DESIRE TO FORECAST THE FUTURE 1. Methods of Soothsaying 2. Divination 3. Looking in the Liver 4. The Astrologers, or Dividers of the Heavens 5. The Stargazers, or Seers of the Constellations...

  • CALF

    [ebd] Calves were commonly made use of in sacrifices, and are therefore frequently mentioned in Scripture. The "fatted calf" was regarded as the choicest of animal food; it was frequently also offered as a special sacrifice (1 Sam...
    [isbe] CALF - kaf (`eghel; par, or par, often rendered "bullock"): The etymology of both words is uncertain, but the former has a close parallel in the Arabic `ijl, "calf." Par is generally used of animals for sacrifice, `eghel, in...
    [smith] The calf was held in high esteem by the Jews as food. (1 Samuel 28:24; Luke 15:23) The molten calf prepared by Aaron for the people to worship, (Exodus 32:4) was probably a wooden figure laminated with gold, a process whic...

  • Bread

    [isbe] BREAD - bred (lechem; artos): I. DIETARY PREEMINENCE II. MATERIALS 1. Barley 2. Wheat 3. Three Kinds of Flour III. BREAD-MAKING 1. Grinding 2. Kneading 3. Baking (1) Hot Stones (2) Baking Pans 4. Ovens (1) The Bowl-Oven (2) ...
    [smith] The preparation of bread as an article of food dates from a very early period. (Genesis 18:6) The corn or grain employed was of various sorts. The best bread was made of wheat, but "barley" and spelt were also used. (John 6:9...
    [nave] BREAD Called the Staff of Life, Ezek. 4:16; 5:16; 14:13. Kinds of Bread of affliction, 1 Kin. 22:27; Psa. 127:2; Hos. 9:4; Isa. 30:20; made with yeast, Lev. 7:13; 23:17; Hos. 7:4; Amos 4:5; Matt. 13:33; not made with yeast...

  • Samuel

    [isbe] SAMUEL - sam'-u-el (shemu'el; Samouel): The word "Samuel" signifies "name of God," or "his name is El" (God). Other interpretations of the name that have been offered are almost certainly mistaken. The play upon the name in ...
    [nave] SAMUEL Miraculous birth of, 1 Sam. 1:7-20. Consecrated to God before his birth, 1 Sam. 1:11, 22, 24-28. His mother's song of thanksgiving, 1 Sam. 2:1-10. Ministered in the house of God, 1 Sam. 2:11, 18, 19. Blessed of Go...

  • SANCTUARY

    [isbe] SANCTUARY - sank'-tu-a-ri, sank'-tu-a-ri (miqdash, miqqedhash, qodhesh, "holy place"; hagion): 1. Nature of Article 2. The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis The Three Stages 3. Difficulties of the Theory (1) Slaughter Not Necessari...

  • STRAIGHT; STRAIGHTWAY

    [isbe] STRAIGHT; STRAIGHTWAY - strat, strat'-wa: "Straiglit" and "strait" are two entirely different words that have no connection with each other in English, the former being derived from the Anglo-Saxon, while the latter has come...

  • HOUSE

    [smith] The houses of the rural poor in Egypt, as well as in most parts of Syria, Arabia and Persia, are generally mere huts of mud or sunburnt bricks. In some parts of Palestine and Arabia stone is used, and in certain districts cav...
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Arts

Questions

  • From the first mention of the tree of life in Paradise, the eating of which would make immortal, the idea of a continued existence has had a place in Jewish theology. Many passages might be quoted to show this belief. See the...
  • I would have problems with your view of praying to dead saints for several reasons. First, the Bible is clear that there is one Mediator between man and God, our Lord Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5. Our Lord lives forever to make...

Sermon Illustrations

Unclean Spirits

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Another preparation for entering Canaan involved appointing a new leader to take Moses' place.God foretold that Moses would die without entering the land (cf. 20:1-13). Graciously He allowed His servant to see the Promised La...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:101. Hannah's condition 1:1-82. Hannah's vow 1:9-183. Hannah's obedience 1:19-284. Hannah's song 2:1-10B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2...
  • The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. W...
  • In chapters 21-30 we see David's forces growing stronger and stronger while Saul's forces get weaker and weaker. This is a further demonstration of the fertility theme. However these chapters also develop the motif of the pro...
  • The writer's attention focused next on Saul's activities. He used the literary device of focusing on David, then on Saul, then on David, etc. He used the same technique in chapters 1-3 with Samuel and Eli's sons to contrast S...
  • Why did the writer give us so much information about this woman's concern for Saul? For one thing, it is another instance of the reversal of fortune motif that is so common in 1 and 2 Samuel. Saul should have executing the wo...
  • As Saul reached the depth of his fortunes, David attained the height of his popularity thus far. This chapter seems to antedate the previous one slightly. The writer appears to have incorporated it in his narrative here to hi...
  • The other Israelite soldiers retreated when they heard that Saul and his sons had died. This left towns in the region open for Philistine seizure. Instead of driving the native inhabitants out of the land Saul had made it pos...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. The First Book of Samuel. Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible series. Cambridge, Eng.: University Press, 1971._____. "The Verb Love--'Aheb in the David-Jonathan Narratives--A Footnote."Vetus ...
  • Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).10Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13)."H...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
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