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Texts -- 1 Samuel 28:4-25 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- 1Sa 28:1-25 -- The Witch of Endor
Bible Dictionary
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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.
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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...
[isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...
[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,...
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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...
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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...
[isbe] DIVINATION - div-i-na'-shun: 1. Definition 2. Kinds of Divination 3. Fundamental Assumption in Divination 4. Legitimate and Illegitimate Divination 5. The Bible and Divination 6. Modes of Divination Mentioned in the Bible: T...
[smith] is a "foretelling future events, or discovering things secret by the aid of superior beings, or other than human means." It is used in Scripture of false systems of ascertaining the divine will. It has been universal in all a...
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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...
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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:...
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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).
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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" (...
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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...
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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 ...
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En-Dor
[isbe] EN-DOR - en'-dor `en dor, Josh 17:11; `en dor, 1 Sam 28:7; `en do'r, Ps 83:10; Codex Alexandrinus, Nendor; Codex Vaticanus, Aeldor): A town in the lot of Issachar assigned to Manasseh (Josh 17:11). Here dwelt the woman who h...
[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.
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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...
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Magic
[ebd] The Jews seem early to have consulted the teraphim (q.v.) for oracular answers (Judg. 18:5, 6; Zech. 10:2). There is a remarkable illustration of this divining by teraphim in Ezek. 21:19-22. We read also of the divining cup ...
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INTERCESSION
[isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...
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Necromancy
[nave] NECROMANCY, Deut. 18:11; 26:14; Isa. 8:19; 29:4. Instance of The witch of En-dor, 1 Sam. 28:7-19. See: Familiar Spirits; Sorcery; Witchcraft.
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Miracles
[nave] MIRACLES. Index of Sub-topics Catalog of, and Supernatural Events, Of Jesus, in Chronological Order, Of the Disciples of Jesus; Convincing Effect of; Design of; Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit; Miscellany of Minor Sub-...
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WOMAN
[isbe] WOMAN - woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"): I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES 1. Prominence of Women 2. Social Equality 3. Marriage Laws 4. Inheritance 5. Dome...
Arts
Questions
- 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...
- 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...
- Here's probably the best word on the Urim and Thummim. It's a couple of paragraphs from Dr. Bruce Waltke's excellent book (which I highly recommend), entitled, "Finding the Will of God" (pp. 62-64): "The priest could use t...
Sermon Illustrations
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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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...
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The context of this section is significant as usual. Verses 1-8 deal with people who ministered to Yahweh in various ways for the people, and verses 15-22 concern the delivery of God's revelations to His people. Verses 9-14 c...
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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...
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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...
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The Hebrew word used to describe Samuel in verse 1 (naar) elsewhere refers to a young teenager (cf. 17:33). Consequently we should probably think of a boy in his early teens as we read this section. At this time in Israel's h...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Samuel's death and the mention of Saul's commendable removal of mediums and spiritists prepare for what follows (cf. Lev. 19:3; Deut. 18:11). Mediums are people who communicate with the dead, and spiritists are those who comm...
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Evidently Saul knew the woman would not cooperate with him if she knew who he was, so he disguised himself (v. 8). He further hid his hypocrisy by visiting her under cover of darkness. Saul sank so low as to swear to the woma...
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Samuel's soul had been at peace in the place of departed spirits, but now Saul had disturbed that rest. Saul described his reason for doing so. He wanted to obtain divine guidance concerning the Philistines from Samuel since ...
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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...
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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...
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The lords or commanders of the Philistine city-states mustered their troops and marched north to the town of Aphek.280Aphek stood near Philistia's northern border with Israel. The Philistine lords were on their way to the Jez...
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David obtained an answer through the Urim and Thummim, which the high priest carried in the breastpiece of his ephod (cf. 23:2, 4, 9). God no longer responded to Saul's prayers (28:15), but He did answer David's (v. 8). David...
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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...
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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 ...
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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...
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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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At first, David piously tried to salve Joab's conscience for his complicity in Uriah's death (11:25). The Hebrew word translated "displease"literally means "be evil in your sight."David was calling what was sin something othe...
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As the book begins, the young woman and young man have already met and "fallen in love."In verses 2-4a the girl voices her desire for her boyfriend's physical affection."It is significant to this work that the girl speaks fir...
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8:11 Isaiah now passed along instruction that Yahweh had powerfully given him warning him against following the popular reliance on human strength.8:12-13 The Lord told him not to fear the armies of Judah's enemies, but God H...
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13:17 The Lord also directed Ezekiel to speak judgment to the female false prophets who were concocting their own messages and passing them off as divine revelations (cf. Isa. 3:16-4:1; 32:9-13; Amos 4:1-3).13:18 He was to an...
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The few remaining Israelites would be silent as they disposed of the corpses of their fellows (v. 3), but God would also be silent in that day of judgment.8:11 As part of His judgment, God would withhold His words from His pe...
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The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
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3:17-18 If Peter's charges against his hearers were harsh (vv. 13-15), his concession that they acted out of ignorance was tender. Peter undoubtedly hoped that his gentle approach would win a reversal of his hearers' attitude...
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9:20 These three severe judgments (fire, smoke, and brimstone, vv. 17-18) will not move the remaining unbelievers as a whole to repent (cf. Exod. 7:13, 23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20; 11:10)."In all cases in the apocaly...
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
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1 Samuel 28:15Among all the persons of Scripture who are represented as having fallen away from God and wrecked their lives, perhaps there is none so impressive as the giant form of the first king of Israel. Huge and black, s...