Text -- 1 Samuel 28:1-13 (NET)

The Witch of Endor

28:1 In those days the Philistines gathered their troops for war in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David, “You should fully understand that you and your men must go with me into the battle.” 28:2 David replied to Achish, “That being the case, you will come to know what your servant can do!” Achish said to David, “Then I will make you my bodyguard from now on.” 28:3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented over him and had buried him in Ramah, his hometown. In the meantime Saul had removed the mediums and magicians from the land. 28:4 The Philistines assembled; they came and camped at Shunem. Saul mustered all Israel and camped at Gilboa. 28:5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was absolutely terrified. 28:6 So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him– not by dreams nor by Urim nor by the prophets. 28:7 So Saul instructed his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants replied to him, “There is a woman who is a medium in Endor.” 28:8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing and left, accompanied by two of his men. They came to the woman at night and said, “Use your ritual pit to conjure up for me the one I tell you.” 28:9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has removed the mediums and magicians from the land! Why are you trapping me so you can put me to death?” 28:10 But Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not incur guilt in this matter!” 28:11 The woman replied, “Who is it that I should bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up for me Samuel.” 28:12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. The woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” 28:13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! What have you seen?” The woman replied to Saul, “I have seen one like a god coming up from the ground!”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:1

¹ tn Heb “their camps.”

² tc The translation follows the LXX (εἰς πόλεμον, eis polemon) and a Qumran ms מלחמה במלחמה ([m]lkhmh) bammilkhamah (“in the battle”) rather than the MT’s בַמַּחֲנֶה (bammakhaneh, “in the camp”; cf. NASB). While the MT reading is not impossible here, and although admittedly it is the harder reading, the variant fits the context better. The MT can be explained as a scribal error caused in part by the earlier occurrence of “camp” in this verse.

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:2

¹ tn Heb “the guardian for my head.”

² tn Heb “all the days.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:3

¹ tn Heb “in Ramah, even in his city.”

² tn The Hebrew term translated “mediums” actually refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits (see 2 Kgs 21:6). In v. 7 the witch of Endor is called the owner of a ritual pit. See H. Hoffner, “Second Millennium Antecedents to the Hebrew ’OñBù,” JBL 86 (1967): 385-401. Here the term refers by metonymy to the owner of such a pit (see H. A. Hoffner, TDOT 1:133).

³ sn See Isa 8:19 for another reference to magicians who attempted to conjure up underworld spirits.

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:5

¹ tn Heb “he was afraid, and his heart was very terrified.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:6

¹ sn See the note at 1 Sam 14:41.

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:7

¹ tn Heb “an owner of a ritual pit.” See the note at v. 3.

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:8

¹ tn Heb “Use divination for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me the one whom I say to you.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:9

¹ tn Heb “how he has cut off.”

² tn See the note at v. 3.

³ tn Heb “my life.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:12

¹ tn Heb “in a great voice.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 28:13

¹ tn Heb “gods.” The modifying participle (translated “coming up”) is plural, suggesting that underworld spirits are the referent. But in the following verse Saul understands the plural word to refer to a singular being. The reference is to the spirit of Samuel.