Text -- 1 Samuel 28:1-9 (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?”

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: 1Sa 28:2

He speaks ambiguously, as he did before.

Wesley: 1Sa 28:5

Had he kept close to God, he needed not fear all the armies of the Philistines.

Wesley: 1Sa 28:7

_One that converseth with the devil, or dead men's ghosts, and by them can discover future things. See Isa 8:19.

Wesley: 1Sa 28:8

Both because he was ashamed to be known, or thought guilty of this practice; and because he suspected, the woman, had she known him, would not practice her art before him.

JFB: 1Sa 28:1

The death of Samuel, the general dissatisfaction with Saul, and the absence of David, instigated the cupidity of those restless enemies of Israel.

JFB: 1Sa 28:1

This was evidently to try him. Achish, however, seems to have thought he had gained the confidence of David and had a claim on his services.

JFB: 1Sa 28:2

This answer, while it seemed to express an apparent cheerfulness in agreeing to the proposal, contained a studied ambiguity--a wary and politic generality.

JFB: 1Sa 28:2

Or, "my life"; that is, "captain of my bodyguard," an office of great trust and high honor.

JFB: 1Sa 28:3

This event is here alluded to as affording an explanation of the secret and improper methods by which Saul sought information and direction in the present crisis of his affairs. Overwhelmed in perplexity and fear, he yet found the common and legitimate channels of communication with Heaven shut against him. And so, under the impulse of that dark, distempered, superstitious spirit which had overmastered him, he resolved, in desperation, to seek the aid of one of those fortune telling impostors whom, in accordance with the divine command (Lev 19:31; Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27; Deu 18:11), he had set himself formerly to exterminate from his kingdom.

JFB: 1Sa 28:4

Having collected their forces for a last grand effort, they marched up from the seacoast and encamped in the "valley of Jezreel." The spot on which their encampment was fixed was Shunem (Jos 19:18), now Sulem, a village which still exists on the slope of a range called "Little Hermon." On the opposite side, on the rise of Mount Gilboa, hard by "the spring of Jezreel," was Saul's army--the Israelites, according to their wont, keeping to the heights, while their enemies clung to the plain.

JFB: 1Sa 28:7-8

From the energetic measures which he himself had taken for extirpating the dealers in magical arts (the profession having been declared a capital offense), his most attached courtiers might have had reason to doubt the possibility of gratifying their master's wish. Anxious inquiries, however, led to the discovery of a woman living very secluded in the neighborhood, who had the credit of possessing the forbidden powers. To her house he repaired by night in disguise, accompanied by two faithful servants.

JFB: 1Sa 28:7-8

"the fountain of the circle" (that figure being constantly affected by magicians) was situated directly on the other side of the Gilboa range, opposite Tabor; so that, in this midnight adventure, Saul had to pass over the shoulder of the ridge on which the Philistines were encamped.

JFB: 1Sa 28:8-14

This pythoness united to the arts of divination a claim to be a necromancer (Deu 18:11); and it was her supposed power in calling back the dead of which Saul was desirous to avail himself. Though she at first refused to listen to his request, she accepted his pledge that no risk would be incurred by her compliance. It is probable that his extraordinary stature, the deference paid him by his attendants, the easy distance of his camp from En-dor, and the proposal to call up the great prophet and first magistrate in Israel (a proposal which no private individual would venture to make), had awakened her suspicions as to the true character and rank of her visitor. The story has led to much discussion whether there was a real appearance of Samuel or not. On the one hand, the woman's profession, which was forbidden by the divine law, the refusal of God to answer Saul by any divinely constituted means, the well-known age, figure, and dress of Samuel, which she could easily represent herself, or by an accomplice--his apparition being evidently at some distance, being muffled, and not actually seen by Saul, whose attitude of prostrate homage, moreover, must have prevented him distinguishing the person though he had been near, and the voice seemingly issuing out of the ground, and coming along to Saul--and the vagueness of the information, imparted much which might have been reached by natural conjecture as to the probable result of the approaching conflict--the woman's representation--all of this has led many to think that this was a mere deception. On the other hand, many eminent writers (considering that the apparition came before her arts were put in practice; that she herself was surprised and alarmed; that the prediction of Saul's own death and the defeat of his forces was confidently made), are of opinion that Samuel really appeared.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:1

The Philistines gathered their armies together - Sir Isaac Newton conjectures that the Philistines had got a great increase to their armies by vast numbers of men which Amasis had driven out of Egypt. This, with Samuel’ s death, and David’ s disgrace, were no inconsiderable motives to a new war, front which the Philistines had now every thing to hope

Clarke: 1Sa 28:1

Thou shalt go out with me to battle - This he said, being deceived by what David had told him.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:2

Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do - This was another equivocal answer; and could only be understood by his succeeding conduct. It might imply what he could do in favor of the Philistines against Israel; or in favor of Israel against the Philistines. Achish understood it in the former sense; and therefore he said to David, I will make thee keeper of my head for ever; i.e., Thou shalt be captain of my life-guards.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:3

Samuel was dead - And there was no longer a public accredited prophet to consult

Clarke: 1Sa 28:3

Those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards - See the note on Lev 19:31, and Exo 22:18.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:5

When Saul saw - He saw from the superiority of his enemies, from the state of his army, and especially from his own state towards God, that he had every thing to fear.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:6

The Lord answered him not - He used the three methods by which supernatural intelligence was ordinarily given: -

1.    Dreams. - The person prayed for instruction; and begged that God would answer by a significant dream

2.    Urim. - This was a kind of oracular answer given to the high priest when clothed with the ephod, on which were the Urim and Thummim. How these communicated the answer, is not well known

3.    Prophets. - Who were requested by the party concerned to consult the Lord on the subject in question, and to report his answer. The prophets at that time could only be those in the schools of the prophets, which Samuel had established at Naioth and Gibeah. These were the only successors of Samuel that we know of.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:7

Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit - Literally, Seek me a woman, בעלת אוב baalath ob , the mistress of the Obidiah or Pythonic spirit - one who had a familiar spirit, whom she could invoke when she pleased, and receive answers from him relative to futurity

Strange that a man, who had banished all such from the land, as dangerous to the state, as impostors and deceivers, should now have recourse to them as the only persons in whom he could safely put his confidence in the time in which Jehovah had refused to help him

Clarke: 1Sa 28:7

At En-dor - This was a city in the valley of Jezreel, at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where the army of Saul had now encamped.

Clarke: 1Sa 28:8

Saul disguised himself - That he might not be known by the woman, lest she, being terrified, should refuse to use her art.

Defender: 1Sa 28:7

Communication with spirits is evidently as old as history, but has been strictly forbidden by God (Deu 18:9-14). The entities called forth by spirit mediums (a process called "channeling" in the New Age movement) are not the spirits of deceased human beings, as often claimed, but are evil spirits, or demons, under the direction of Satan. When a spirit controls the body of a medium, essentially the body is demon possessed. Any "guidance" from such a source will inevitably be deceptive and dangerous, leading the one so deceived still further from the Lord."

TSK: 1Sa 28:1

that the : 1Sa 7:7, 1Sa 13:5, 1Sa 17:1, 1Sa 29:1

Philistines : Jdg 3:1-4

thou shalt go : 1Sa 27:12, 1Sa 29:2, 1Sa 29:3

TSK: 1Sa 28:2

Surely : 1Sa 27:10; 2Sa 16:16-19; Rom 12:9

TSK: 1Sa 28:3

Samuel : 1Sa 25:1; Isa 57:1, Isa 57:2

put away : 1Sa 28:9; Exo 22:18; Lev 19:31, Lev 20:6, Lev 20:27; Deu 18:10, Deu 18:11; Act 16:16-19

TSK: 1Sa 28:4

Shunem : Jos 19:18; 2Ki 4:8

Gilboa : 1Sa 31:1; 2Sa 1:6, 2Sa 1:21, 2Sa 21:12

TSK: 1Sa 28:5

he was afraid : Job 15:21, Job 18:11; Psa 48:5, Psa 48:6, Psa 73:19; Pro 10:24; Isa 7:2, Isa 21:3, Isa 21:4; Isa 57:20, Isa 57:21; Dan 5:6

TSK: 1Sa 28:6

inquired : 1Sa 14:37; 1Ch 10:14; Pro 1:27, Pro 1:28; Lam 2:9; Eze 20:1-3; Joh 9:31; Jam 4:3

by dreams : Gen 28:12-15, Gen 46:2-4; Num 12:6; Job 33:14-16; Jer 23:28; Mat 1:20

by Urim : Exo 28:20; Num 27:21; Deu 33:8

by prophets : Psa 74:9; Lam 2:9; Eze 20:3

TSK: 1Sa 28:7

Seek me : 2Ki 1:2, 2Ki 1:3, 2Ki 6:33; Isa 8:19, Isa 8:20; Lam 3:25, Lam 3:26; Hab 2:3

a familiar spirit : 1Sa 28:3; Deu 18:11; Isa 19:3; Act 16:16

that I may : Lev 19:31; 1Ch 10:13; Isa 8:19

Endor : En-dor, a city of Manasseh, was situated in the plain of Jezreel; and Eusebius and Jerome inform us, that it was a great town in their days, four miles south from Mount Tabor, near Nain, towards Scythopolis. This agrees with Maundrell, who says, that not many miles eastward of Tabor, you see mount Hermon, at the foot of which is seated Nain and Endor; and Burckhardt says, that in two hours and a half from Nazareth, towards Scythopolis or Bisan, they came to the village of Denouny, near which are the ruins of Endor; where the witch’ s grotto is shewn. Jos 17:11; Psa 83:10

TSK: 1Sa 28:8

disguised : 1Ki 14:2, 1Ki 14:3, 1Ki 22:30, 1Ki 22:34; Job 24:13-15; Jer 23:24; Joh 3:19

I pray thee : Deu 18:11; 1Ch 10:13; Isa 8:19

bring me : 1Sa 28:15

TSK: 1Sa 28:9

how he hath : 1Sa 28:3

wherefore : 2Sa 18:13; 2Ki 5:7

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 1Sa 28:2

Thou shalt know ... - David dissembled (compare also 1Sa 29:8), hoping, no doubt, that something would happen to prevent his fighting against his king and country.

Keeper of mine head - Captain of his bodyguard.

Barnes: 1Sa 28:3

It does not appear when Saul had suppressed witchcraft; it was probably in the early part of his reign.

Familiar spirits ... wizards - i. e. ventriloquists ... wise or cunning men. See Lev 19:31 note.

Barnes: 1Sa 28:4

Gilboa - Now called Jebel Fukuak. But the ancient name is preserved in the village of Jelbon, situated on the south side of the mountain. It was separated from Shunem (see the marginal reference) by the deep valley of Jezreel. The Philistines either advanced along the seacoast, and then entered the valley of Jezreel from the west, or they came by the present road right through Samaria, starting from Aphek 1Sa 29:1.

Barnes: 1Sa 28:6

When Saul inquired of the Lord ... - It is said 1Ch 10:14 that one reason why the Lord killed Saul, and gave his kingdom to David, was because he inquired not of the Lord. The explanation of this apparent discrepancy is to be found in the fact that inquiring of the familiar spirit was positively antagonistic to inquiring of the Lord. That Saul received no answer - when he "inquired of the Lord"by dreams, which was an immediate revelation to himself; by Urim, which was an answer through the high priest clothed in the ephod; or by prophets, which was an answer conveyed through some seer speaking by the Word of the Lord 1Sa 22:5 - was a reason for self-abasement and self-examination, to find out and, if possible, remove the cause, but was no justification whatever of his sin in asking counsel of familiar spirits.

Barnes: 1Sa 28:7

Enquire - A different word from that in 1Sa 28:6, though nearly synonymous with it. It is more frequently applied to inquiry of a false god, as e. g. 2Ki 1:2; Isa 8:19; Isa 19:3.

En-dor (see Jos 11:2 note) was seven or eight miles from the slopes of Gilboa, on the north of little Hermon, where the Philistines were encamped; so that Saul must have run great risks in going there.

Barnes: 1Sa 28:8

Divine - Compare to 1Sa 6:2, note; Num 23:23, note.

Bring me him up - The art of the ventriloquist seems to have been always connected with necromancy. The Greeks had necromancers who called up departed spirits to give answers to those who consulted them.

Poole: 1Sa 28:1

Thou shalt go out with me to battle: this he saith, partly to try his sincerity; and partly in confidence of David’ s fidelity.

Poole: 1Sa 28:2

David speaks ambitiously, as he did before, that Achish might understand him, as he did, of his acting for him against the Israelites; whereas he meant it of his acting for the Israelites against the Philistines, to which he was obliged both by God’ s express command, and by his indelible and manifold obligations to God, and to God’ s people, and by his own manifest interest. Though it is likely he would have managed his affairs with all possible regard and care of Achish’ s person, to whom alone, upon the matter, David stood obliged, and not to the rest of the Philistines, who had an ill opinion of him, as we shall see.

Therefore for that valour which I doubt not thou wilt show on my behalf.

Of mine head i.e. of my body and life, the captain of my life-guard.

Poole: 1Sa 28:3

Samuel was dead: this is mentioned here as the reason why Saul did not inquire of Samuel; which, if he had now been alive, he would have done.

In his own city where he had his birth and education, and most settled habitation, 1Sa 19:18 .

Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards according to God’ s command, Lev 19:31 20:6,27 De 18:11 . This he did, either by Samuel’ s instigation; or from a conceit that the evil spirit came upon him by some of their means; or that he might gain the repute of a religious prince, which was very useful to him; or that he might quiet his troubled conscience, and please God as far as his interest would give him leave. And this is here related, partly to show that a hypocrite and wicked man may obey some of God’ s commands, and principally to bring in the following history.

Out of the land of Israel.

Poole: 1Sa 28:4

Shunem a town in the tribe of Issachar, Jos 19:18 .

Gilboa a mountain not far from the valley of Jezreel, where the battle was fought, 1Sa 31:1 2Sa 1:21 . So the two armies seem to be placed in the same manner as they were 1Sa 17 , each upon a hill, and a valley between them.

Poole: 1Sa 28:5

Saul saw the host from Mount Gilboa 1Sa 31:1 .

His heart greatly trembled partly, from the greatness and resoluteness of the host of the Philistines, who were the aggressors; partly, from the loss of David, who might have been of great use to him at this time; partly, from the conscience of his own manifest guilt, and just expectation of Divine vengeance oft threatened, and now in all likelihood to be inflicted upon him.

Poole: 1Sa 28:6

Saul inquired of the Lord in his slight and perfunctory way, as 1Sa 14:19 , as appears from hence, that when God did not speedily answer him, he goes to the devil for an answer, 1Sa 28:7 ; for which reason he is said,

not to have

inquired of the Lord 1Ch 10:14 , i.e. not seriously, and after the right order. Possibly he inquired by some prophet then with him, or by the priest before the ark.

The Lord answered him not because he sought him not in due order; not by the Urim and Thummim which were in the ephod, which he by his cruelty to the priests had lost, 1Sa 23:6 ; and because he did not truly repent of nor put away his sins, which provoked God, and kept him from answering, as Saul well knew by his own conscience and experience, 1Sa 14:37-39 .

Neither by dreams

nor by Urim, nor by prophets i.e. neither by ordinary means, nor extraordinary.

Poole: 1Sa 28:7

Seek me a woman rather than a man; for he thought that sex most likely to be given to those wicked arts, as being the weaker sex, and so aptest to be deceived, and most prone to superstition, and ofttimes most malicious and revengeful. That hath a familiar spirit ; one that converseth with the devil, and dead men’ s ghosts, and by them can discover future things. See Isa 8:19 .

His servants said to him instead of dissuading him from this wicked and destructive practice, which they should and would have done, if they had either loved God or their king, they further him in it.

En-dor a place in the tribe of Manasseh, within Jordan, not very fir from the place where the armies were encamped.

Poole: 1Sa 28:8

Saul disguised himself both because he was ashamed to be known, or thought guilty of this practice; and because he suspected that the woman, had she known him, would not practise her art before him.

Poole: 1Sa 28:9

Woman said, Behold, thou knowest for his speech and garb discovered him to be an Israelite, and therefore acquainted with these matters.

To cause me to die by accusing me to Saul as guilty of a capital crime.

Haydock: 1Sa 28:1

Woman. The Rabbins pretend that she was Abner's mother, (Calmet) which is extremely improbable, as he was of the tribe of Benjamin, and a man of such renown. (Salien) ---

Theodoret follows their opinion, in supposing that the woman was startled, because Samuel appeared in a standing posture, and not with his feet upwards, or lying down on his back, as in a coffin, which they say (Calmet) is the usual manner of spirits appearing to people of her character. (Bellarmine, Purgat. ii. 6.) ---

She cried out, because he appeared before she had begun her incantations, and was arrayed like a priest, according to Josephus, (Haydock) in great majesty, or she pretended to see him, the better to impose upon the king; for some think that all was a delusion. (Calmet) ---

Saul. This she learnt either from Samuel, (Josephus) or from her familiar spirit. (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:1

Israel. God made use of the ill-will of the Philistines to punish Saul, and to make way for David to the throne. (Salien) ---

Each of the five lords brought their armies into the field, where they were united. Achis, placing the greatest confidence in David, requires his attendance. (Calmet)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:2

Do; or "can do." Thou wilt be convinced of my valour and fidelity. (Haydock) ---

But could David lawfully fight against his brethren? or could he desert Achis in the heat of the engagement? His answer is ambiguous. (Calmet) ---

He prudently committed his cause into the hands of Providence, resolved to do nothing contrary to his duty, and to abide by God's decision, in this critical juncture, so that Cajetan blames him unjustly. (Salien; Menochius; Tirinus) ---

Guard. Septuagint, "captain of my body guard."

Haydock: 1Sa 28:3

Samuel. His death is here recorded, as well as the abolition of magic, to explain what follows, when Saul, not being able to obtain an answer from God, as his prophet had been withdrawn in anger, had recourse to the devil. (Haydock) ---

Land, while he reigned virtuously, (Menochius) according to the law, Leviticus xix 31., and Deuteronomy xviii. 11.

Haydock: 1Sa 28:4

Gelboe. So that he occupied the parts south of the vale of Jezrahel, while the Philistines were encamped on the north, in the tribe of Issachar. (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:5

Dismayed. It was so numerous, while his own conscience upbraided him with being at enmity with God, who increased his fears. (Salien)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:6

Dreams. During which God often revealed his will. See Deuteronomy xiii. 3. ---

Priests. Hebrew, "nor by Urim." It seems Saul had appointed some priests, and had fabricated a fresh ephod, with the Urim, &c., after the departure of Abiathar. (Calmet) ---

But Salien calls this in question, and there might neither be priests nor prophets for Saul to consult. (Haydock) ---

God despised a man, who had slain so many of his sacred ministers. (Menochius)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:7

Spirit. Hebrew, "an ob, " or vessel distended, as such impostors seemed to swell at the presence of the spirit. Septuagint, "a belly talker." They endeavour to speak from that part. We read of some who, without magic, have possessed the art in great perfection, so as to deceive the company, and make them think that some one was calling them from a great distance; as was the case with one Farming in England, 1645. (Dickenson, c. 9.) ---

Brodeus mentions that the valet of Francis I could thus counterfeit the speech of people deceased, and by these means prevailed upon a rich woman to marry him, and a banker of Lyons to give him a large sum of money. James Rodoginus, a possessed person in Italy, 1513, could make articulate sounds from the hollow of his belly, when his lips and nostrils were closed up. The oracles of idols were generally given in a low tone, as if they proceeded from the earth. Submissi petimus terram & vox fertur ad aures. (Virgil) ---

Those of Apollo were the most famous, and hence a divining spirit is called a Python. Saul must have been stupidly blind, thus to depend on what he had formerly banished with such care. (Calmet) ---

He flattered himself that some would still be left, especially among the women, who are most addicted to superstition, as well as to religion. (Menochius) ---

Endor was distant from Gelboe about four hours' walk. (Adrichomius) ---

But Saul made a long circuit to avoid the enemy. (Salien, v. 20.)

Haydock: 1Sa 28:8

Clothes, that he might not fill the woman or his army with dismay. (Calmet)

Gill: 1Sa 28:1

And it came to pass in those days,.... That David was in the country of the Philistines:

that the Philistines gathered their armies together: out of their five principalities or lordships:

for warfare to fight with Israel; with whom they were continually at war, and though sometimes there was a cessation of arms, yet never any settled peace; and the Philistines took every opportunity and advantage against them, as they now did; when David was among them, and so had nothing to fear from him, but rather expected his assistance; and Samuel was dead, and Saul in a frenzy:

and Achish said unto David: who seems to have been at the head of the combined armies of the Philistines:

know thou assuredly that thou shall go with me to battle, thou and thy men; against Israel; which was a trying thing to David, and whereby he was like to be drawn into a dilemma; either to fight against his country, which he could not do conscientiously; or be guilty of ingratitude to Achish, and incur his displeasure, and be liable to be turned out of his country, or treated in a worse manner, even he and his men, to be seized on and cut to pieces by the forces of the Philistines, should he refuse.

Gill: 1Sa 28:2

And David said to Achish, surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do,.... By which he would have Achish understand, and so he did, that he would exert himself in favour of the Philistines, and against Israel, and do great and brave things, of which Achish would be, made sensible, through his heroic courage and valour; though he meant rather what he could and should do for Israel against the Philistines, if he had an opportunity: but it seems best of all to consider David as quite undetermined, and at a loss what to do, hoping that God in his providence would extricate him out of this difficulty, and direct him what he should do, which then Achish would know; and accordingly he was delivered out of it:

and Achish said to David: putting confidence in him on account of his answer, and believing he was hearty in engaging in the war with the Philistines against Israel:

therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever; the captain of his bodyguard, which post he should hold for life; or he proposed to put him into this post, that he might be with him, near his person, and under his eye, that he might observe how he behaved himself; which may show some suspicion of him.

Gill: 1Sa 28:3

Now Samuel was dead,.... Had been so for some time; which is mentioned before, 1Sa 25:1; and here repeated, partly to observe the reason of the Philistines renewing the war, and partly to account for the conduct of Saul, in seeking to a witch to raise Samuel, and for the sake of that story:

and all Israel lamented him; as they had great reason to do; See Gill on 1Sa 25:1; and buried him in Ramah, even his own city; there being two Ramahs, as Kimchi observes, it is added, "in his own city", to show that he was buried in that Ramah which was his native place, and where his constant residence was; though, as he says, it may mean that he was buried within the city, and not without it; but the Targum gives a different sense,"and they buried him in Ramah, and mourned for him every man in his city:"

and Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards,

out of the land: out of the land of Israel; had by an edict banished them, or had given orders that neither witches nor wizards should abide in the land; but should be taken up, and prosecuted according to the law of God; which he had done either at the instigation of Samuel; or, as some think, from a conceit that the evil spirit he had been troubled with was owing to them; or to make some appearance of a zeal for religion, and the honour and glory of God: this is observed to show the inconstancy of Saul, and his folly in applying after this to a person of such a character, and to account for the fears of the woman when applied to, and afterwards when she was engaged, when she found it was by Saul; see 1Sa 28:7.

Gill: 1Sa 28:4

And the Philistines gathered themselves together,.... From different parts, and formed a considerable army:

and came and pitched in Shunem; a city, in the borders of the tribe of Issachar, of which See Gill on Jos 19:18,

and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa; a range of mountains, near Jezreel, and which Jerom ^b calls the mountains of the Philistines, six miles from Scythopolis, where there is a large village called Gelbus.

Gill: 1Sa 28:5

And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines,.... From the mountains of Gilboa, where he had pitched his camp:

he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled; on sight of the numbers of them, and thinking perhaps of the death of Samuel, and of the loss of David; who was now among the Philistines, and might possibly fight against him, and for the Philistines, of which he might be informed; however, he was not with him, and his conscience might accuse him of various sins he had been guilty of, for which he might fear the Lord would now reckon with him.

Gill: 1Sa 28:6

And when Saul inquired of the Lord,.... And this being not done truly and heartily, nor continued in, it was as if he had not inquired, and especially after he had inquired of one that had a familiar spirit, as Kimchi observes; for so it is said, 1Ch 10:14,

the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams; which he dreamed himself, from whence he could not conclude anything relating to the will of God; so the Targum,"the Lord did not receive his prayer even by dreams;''or by dreamers, diviners, who pretended to give answers by dreams:

nor by Urim; there being no priest to consult in this way, Abiathar having fled with the ephod, in which were the Urim and Thummim, to David, 1Sa 23:9; though some think that he sent to Abiathar, who was with David, to inquire for him; and others that he made another ephod with Urim, and appointed another priest to consult by them; neither of which are probable:

nor by prophets; of which there was a school not far from him, even at Naioth in Ramah, of which Samuel in his lifetime was president; but neither by the one nor the other could Saul get an answer from God, who for his sins had departed from him.

Gill: 1Sa 28:7

Then said Saul unto his servants,.... That waited upon him, to some of them, to such as he could place most confidence in to keep a secret; perhaps only the two after mentioned:

seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her; that was mistress of the bottle, a ventriloquist, that spoke out of her belly, or seemed to do; who had the spirit of Python or divination, conversed with the devil, and by his assistance pretended to bring up a dead person, and thereby foretell things to come; See Gill on Deu 18:11; a woman is pitched upon, because such were most addicted to those wicked arts, and being of the weaker sex, were more easily imposed upon by Satan; and Saul showed himself to be as weak, to seek after such persons; but being left of God, he acted the part of a mad man, as well as of a bad man:

and his servants said to him, behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor; a city in the tribe of Manasseh, of which see Jos 17:11; it was not far from Gilboa. Mr. Maundrell speaks ^c of it as near Nain, at the foot of Mount Hermon; and turning, a little southward, he says, you have in view the high mountains of Gilboa. It is a tradition of the Jews ^d that this woman was the mother of Abner, the wife of Zephaniah; some say her name was Zephaniah; but, as Abarbinel observes, if so she would have known Saul, and also Saul would have known her, and what she was, if, as they say, she was spared because of her relation to him; nor needed he to have inquired of his servants for such a woman.

Gill: 1Sa 28:8

And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment,.... Stripped himself of his royal robes, or military apparel, as supreme commander, and clothed himself in the habit of a peasant or a common soldier; and this not only that he might not be known by the woman, but that he might pass from his army incognito, and it might not be known that he was gone, and especially whither he was gone:

and he went, and two men with him: these, according to the tradition of the Jews ^e, were Abner and Amasa; but it is not probable that Saul should leave his army destitute of their general at such a time as this:

and they came to the woman by night; not only that they might not be seen, but because it was a work of darkness they were going about, and it was only in the night season that such persons exercised their black art; though the Jews ^f say it was day, only because of their distress it was like tonight with them; but the literal sense is best:

and he said, I pray thee divine unto me by the familiar spirit; exercise her art of divination, by the assistance of the familiar spirit she conversed with:

and bring me up whom I shall name unto thee: that is, from the dead; for necromancy was the kind of divination she professed; and such persons pretended to have a power to bring up a deceased person, and consult with him about secret and future things.

Gill: 1Sa 28:9

And the woman said unto him,.... Not knowing who he was:

behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done; for by his speech and habit she perceived he was an Israelite, and so must be acquainted with what had passed in the nation, especially of a public nature, and which made a great noise, as doubtless this, lid:

how he both cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards,

out of the land; as many of them as he had knowledge of, or information about; and by this it appears that he did not merely expel them his dominions, but he put them to death, according to the law of God, Exo 22:18; so the putting them out of the land, 1Sa 28:3, was putting them to death, and the woman's after reasoning confirms this: one should think for Saul to be told this to his face must fill him with shame and confusion, and his conscience must accuse him of sin and folly to make this attempt; and he must stand self-convicted and self-condemned; and it was enough to have deterred him from pursuing his scheme, had not his heart been strangely hardened:

wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? she suspected that Saul and his men were persons that came to entrap her; that when they had prevailed upon her to exercise her art, would turn informers against her, to the taking away of her life, it being death to practise it.

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.”

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 28:1

And 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, ^{( a )} Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

^{( a )} Though it was a great grief to David to fight against the people of God, yet such was his infirmity, he did not dare deny him.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 28:3

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

^{( b )} According to the commandment of God, (Exo 22:18; Deu 18:10-11).

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 28:6

And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by ^{( c )} Urim, nor by prophets.

^{( c )} Meaning, the high priest, (Exo 28:30).

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 28:8

And Saul ^{( d )} 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.

^{( d )} He does not seek God in his misery, but is led by Satan to unlawful means, which in his conscience he condemns.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 1Sa 28:1-25

1 Achish puts confidence in David.

3 Saul having destroyed the witches,

4 and now in his fear forsaken of God,

7 has recourse to a witch;

8 who, encouraged by Saul, raises up Samuel.

15 Saul hearing his ruin, faints.

21 The woman and his servants refresh him with meat.

MHCC: 1Sa 28:1-6

David could not refuse Achish without danger. If he promised assistance, and then stood neuter, or went over to the Israelites, he would behave with ingratitude and treachery. If he fought against Israel, he would sin greatly. It seemed impossible that he should get out of this difficulty with a clear conscience; but his evasive answer, intended to gain time, was not consistent with the character of an Israelite indeed. Troubles are terrors to the children of disobedience. In his distress, Saul inquired of the Lord. He did not seek in faith, but with a double, unstable mind. Saul had put the law in force against those that had familiar spirits, Exo 22:18. Many seem zealous against, sin, when they are any way hurt by it, who have no concern for the glory of God, nor any dislike of sin as sin. Many seem enemies to sin in others, while they indulge it in themselves. Saul will drive the devil out of his kingdom, yet harbours him in his heart by envy and malice. How foolish to consult those whom, according to God's law, he had endeavoured to root out!

MHCC: 1Sa 28:7-19

When we go from the plain path of duty, every thing draws us further aside, and increases our perplexity and temptation. Saul desires the woman to bring one from the dead, with whom he wished to speak; this was expressly forbidden, Deu 18:11. All real or pretended witchcraft or conjuration, is a malicious or an ignorant attempt to gain knowledge or help from some creature, when it cannot be had from the Lord in the path of duty. While Samuel was living, we never read of Saul's going to advise with him in any difficulties; it had been well for him if he had. But now he is dead, " Bring me up Samuel." Many who despise and persecute God's saints and ministers when living, would be glad to have them again, when they are gone. The whole shows that it was no human fraud or trick. Though the woman could not cause Samuel's being sent, yet Saul's inquiry might be the occasion of it. The woman's surprise and terror proved that it was an unusual and unexpected appearance. Saul had despised Samuel's solemn warnings in his lifetime, yet now that he hoped, as in defiance of God, to obtain some counsel and encouragement from him, might not God permit the soul of his departed prophet to appear to Saul, to confirm his former sentence, and denounce his doom? The expression, " Thou and thy sons shall be with me," means no more than that they shall be in the eternal world. There appears much solemnity in God's permitting the soul of a departed prophet to come as a witness from heaven, to confirm the word he had spoken on earth.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 28:1-6

Here is, I. The design of the Philistines against Israel. They resolved to fight them, 1Sa 28:1. If the Israelites had not forsaken God, there would have been no Philistines remaining to molest them; if Saul had not forsaken him, they would by this time have been put out of all danger by them. The Philistines took an opportunity to make this attempt when they had David among them, whom they feared more than Saul and all his forces.

II. The expectation Achish had of assistance from David in this war, and the encouragement David gave him to expect it: " Thou shalt go with me to battle, "says Achish. "If I protect thee, I may demand service from thee;"and he will think himself happy if he may have such a man as David on his side, who prospered whithersoever he went. David gave him an ambiguous answer: "We will see what will be done; it will be time enough to talk of that hereafter; but surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do "(1Sa 28:2), that is, "I will consider in what post I may be best able to serve thee, if thou wilt but give me leave to choose it."Thus he keeps himself free from a promise to serve him and yet keeps up his expectation of it; for Achish took it in no other sense than as an engagement to assist him, and promised him, thereupon, that he would make him captain of the guards, protector, or prime-minister of state.

III. The drawing of the armies, on both sides, into the field (1Sa 28:4): The Philistines pitched in Shunem, which was in the tribe of Issachar, a great way north from their country. The land of Israel, it seems, was ill-guarded, when the Philistines could march their army into the very heart of the country. Saul, while he pursued David, left his people naked and exposed. On some of the adjacent mountains of Gilboa Saul mustered his forces, and prepared to engage the Philistines, which he had little heart to do now that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him.

IV. The terror Saul was in, and the loss he was at, upon this occasion: He saw the host of the Philistines, and by his own view of them, and the intelligence his spies brought him, he perceived they were more numerous, better armed, and in better heart, than his own were, which made him afraid, so that his heart greatly trembled, 1Sa 28:5. Had he kept close to God, he needed not have been afraid at the sight of an army of Philistines; but now that he had provoked God to forsake him his interest failed, his armies dwindled and looked mean, and, which was worse, his spirits failed him, his heart sunk within him, a guilty conscience made him tremble at the shaking of a leaf. Now he remembered the guilty blood of the Amalekites which he had spared, and the innocent blood of the priests which he had spilt. His sins were set in order before his eyes, which put him into confusion, embarrassed all his counsels, robbed him of all his courage, and produced in him a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation. Note, Troubles are terrors to the children of disobedience. In this distress Saul enquired of the Lord, 1Sa 28:6. Need drives those to God who in the day of their prosperity slighted his oracles and altars. Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, Isa 26:16. Did ever any seek the Lord and not find him? Yes, Saul did; the Lord answered him not, took no notice either of his petitions or of his enquiries; gave him no directions what to do, nor any encouragement to hope that he would be with him. Should he be enquired of at all by such a one as Saul? Eze 14:3. No, he could not expect an answer of peace, for, 1. He enquired in such a manner that it was as if he had not enquired at all. Therefore it is said (1Ch 10:14), He enquired not of the Lord; for he did it faintly and coldly, and with a secret design, if God did not answer him, to consult the devil. He did not enquire in faith, but with a double unstable mind. 2. He enquired of the Lord when it was too late, when the days of his probation were over and he was finally rejected. Seek the Lord while he may be found, for there is a time when he will not be found. 3. He had forfeited the benefit of all the methods of enquiry. Could he that hated and persecuted Samuel and David, who were both prophets, expect to be answered by prophets? Could he that had slain the high priest, expect to be answered by Urim? Or could he that had sinned away the Spirit of grace, expect to be answered by dreams? No. Be not deceived, God is not mocked.

V. The mention of some things that had happened a good while ago, to introduce the following story, 1Sa 28:3. 1. The death of Samuel. Samuel was dead, which made the Philistines the more bold and Saul the more afraid; for, had Samuel been alive, Saul probably thought that his presence and countenance, his good advice and good prayers, would have availed him in his distress. 2. Saul's edict against witchcraft. He had put the laws in execution against those that had familiar spirits, who must not be suffered to live, Exo 22:18. Some think that he did this in the beginning of his reign, while he was under Samuel's influence; others think that it was lately done, for it is spoken of here (1Sa 28:9) as a late edict. Perhaps when Saul was himself troubled with an evil spirit he suspected that he was bewitched, and, for that reason, cut off all that had familiar spirits. Many seem zealous against sin, when they themselves are any way hurt by it (they will inform against swearers if they swear at them, or against drunkards if in their drink they abuse them), who otherwise have no concern for the glory of God, nor any dislike of sin as sin. However it was commendable in Saul thus to use his power for the terror and restraint of these evil-doers. Note, Many seem enemies to sin in others, while they indulge it in themselves. Saul will drive the devil out of his kingdom, and yet harbour him in his heart, by envy and malice.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 28:7-14

Here, I. Saul seeks for a witch, 1Sa 28:7. When God answered him not, if he had humbled himself by repentance and persevered in seeking God, who knows but that at length he might have been entreated for him? but, since he can discern no comfort either from heaven or earth (Isa 8:21, Isa 8:22), he resolves to knock at the gates of hell, and to see if any there will befriend him and give him advice: Seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit, 1Sa 28:7. And his servants were too officious to serve him in this evil affair; they presently recommended one to him at Endor (a city not far off) who had escaped the execution of Saul's edict. To her he resolves to apply. Herein he is chargeable, 1. With contempt of the God of Israel; as if any creature could do him a kindness when God had left him and frowned upon him. 2. With contradiction to himself. He knew the heinousness of the sin of witchcraft, else he would not have cut off those that had familiar spirits; yet now he had recourse to that as an oracle which he had before condemned as an abomination. It is common for men to inveigh severely against those sins which they are in no temptation to, but afterwards to be themselves overcome by them. Had one told Saul, when he was destroying the witches, that he himself would, ere long, consult with one, he would have said, as Hazael did, What? Is thy servant a dog? But who knows what mischiefs those will run into that forsake God and are forsaken of him?

II. Hearing of one he hastens to her, but goes by night, and in disguise, only with two servants, and probably on foot, 1Sa 28:8. See how those that are led captive by Satan are forced, 1. To disparage themselves. Never did Saul look so mean as when he went sneaking to a sorry witch to know his fortune. 2. To dissemble. Evil works are works of darkness, and they hate the light, neither care for coming to it. Saul went to the witch, not in his robes, but in the habit of a common soldier, not only lest the witch herself, if she had known him, should decline to serve him, either fearing he came to trepan her or resolving to be avenged on him for his edict against those of her profession, but lest his own people should know it and abhor him for it. Such is the power of natural conscience that even those who do evil blush and are ashamed to do it.

III. He tells her his errand and promises her impunity. 1. All he desires of her is to bring up one from the dead, whom he had a mind to discourse with. It was necromancy or divination by the dead, that he hoped to serve his purpose by. This was expressly forbidden by the law (Deu 18:11), seeking for the living to the dead, Isa 8:19. Bring me up him whom I shall name, 1Sa 28:8. This supposes that it was generally taken for granted that souls exist after death, and that when men die there is not an end of them: it supposes too that great knowledge was attributed to separate souls. But to think that any good souls would come up at the beck of an evil spirit, or that God, who had denied a man the benefit of his own institutions, would suffer him to reap any real advantage by a cursed diabolical invention, was very absurd. 2. She signifies her fear of the law, and her suspicion that this stranger came to draw her into a snare (1Sa 28:9): Thou knowest what Saul has done. Providence ordered it so that Saul should be told to his face of his edict against witches, at this very time when he was consulting one, for the greater aggravation of his sin. She insists upon the peril of the law, perhaps to raise her price; for, though no mention is made of her fee, no doubt she demanded and had a large one. Observe how sensible she is of danger from the edict of Saul, and what care she is in to guard against it; but not at all apprehensive of the obligations off God's law and the terrors of his wrath. She considered what Saul had done, not what God had done, against such practices, and feared a snare laid for her life more than a snare laid for her soul. It is common for sinners to be more afraid of punishment from men than of God's righteous judgment. But, 3. Saul promises with an oath not to betray her, 1Sa 28:10. It was his duty as a king to punish her and he knew it, yet he swears no to do it; as if he could by his own oath bind himself from doing that which, by the divine command, he was bound to do. But he promised more than he could perform when he said, There shall no punishment happen to thee; for he that could not secure himself could much less secure her from divine vengeance.

IV. Samuel, who was lately dead, is the person whom Saul desired to have some talk with; and the witch, with her enchantments, gratifies his desire, and brings them together. 1. As soon as Saul had given the witch the assurance she desired (that he would not discover her) she applied to her witchcrafts, and asked very confidently, Whom shall I bring up to thee? 1Sa 28:11. Note, Hopes of impunity embolden sinners in their evil ways and harden their hearts. 2. Saul desires to speak with Samuel: Bring me up Samuel. Samuel had anointed him to the kingdom and had formerly been his faithful friend and counsellor, and therefore with him he wished to advise. While Samuel was living at Ramah, not far from Gibeah of Saul, and presided there in the school of the prophets, we never read of Saul's going to him to consult him in any of the difficulties he was in (it would have been well for him if he had); then he slighted him, and perhaps hated him, looking upon him to be in David's interest. But now that he is dead, "O for Samuel again! By all means, bring me up Samuel. "Note, Many that despise and persecute God's saints and ministers when they are living would be glad to have them again when they are gone. Send Lazarus to me, and send Lazarus to my father's house, Luk 16:24-27. The sepulchres of the righteous are garnished. 3. Here is a seeming defector chasm in the story. Saul said, Bring me up Samuel, and the very next words are, When the woman saw Samuel, (1Sa 28:12), whereas one would have expected to be told how she performed the operation, what spells and charms she used, or that some little intimation would be given of what she said or did; but the profound silence of the scripture concerning it forbids our coveting to know the depths of Satan (Rev 2:24) or to have our curiosity gratified with an account of the mysteries of iniquity. It has been said of the books of some of the popish confessors that, by their descriptions of sin, they have taught men to commit it; but the scripture conceals sinful art, that we may be simple concerning evil, Rom 16:19. 4. The witch, upon sight of the apparition, was aware that her client was Saul, her familiar spirit, it is likely, informing her of it (1Sa 28:12): " Why hast thou deceived me with a disguise; for thou art Saul, the very man that I am afraid of above any man?"Thus she gave Saul to understand the power of her art, in that she could discover him through his disguise; and yet she feared lest, hereafter, at least, he should take advantage against her for what she was now doing. Had she believed that it was really Samuel whom she saw, she would have had more reason to be afraid of him, who was a good prophet, than of Saul, who was a wicked king. But the wrath of earthly princes is feared by most more than the wrath of the King of kings. 5. Saul (who, we may suppose, was kept at a distance in the next room) bade her not to be afraid of him, but go on with the operation, and enquired what she saw? 1Sa 28:13. O, says the woman, I saw gods (that is, a spirit) ascending out of the earth; they called angels gods, because spiritual beings. Poor gods that ascend out of the earth! But she speaks the language of the heathen, who had their infernal deities and had them in veneration. If Saul had thought it necessary to his conversation with Samuel that the body of Samuel should be called out of the grave, he would have taken the witch with him to Ramah, where his sepulchre was; but the design was wholly upon his soul, which yet, if it became visible, was expected to appear in the usual resemblance of the body; and God permitted the devil, to answer the design, to put on Samuel's shape, that those who would not receive the love of the truth might be given up to strong delusions and believe a lie. That it could not be the soul of Samuel himself they might easily apprehend when it ascended out of the earth, for the spirit of a man, much more of a good man, goes upward, Ecc 3:21. But, if people will be deceived, it is just with God to say, "Let them be deceived."That the devil, by the divine permission, should be able to personate Samuel is not strange, since he can transform himself into an angel of light! nor is it strange that he should be permitted to do it upon this occasion, that Saul might be driven to despair, by enquiring of the devil, since he would not, in a right manner, enquire of the Lord, by which he might have had comfort. Saul, being told of gods ascending, was eager to know what was the form of this deity, and in what shape he appeared, so far was he from conceiving any horror at it, his heart being wretchedly hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Saul, it seems, was not permitted to see any manner of similitude himself, but he must take the woman's word for it, that she saw an old man covered with a mantle, or robe, the habit of a judge, which Samuel had sometimes worn, and some think it was for the sake of that, and the majesty of its aspect, that she called this apparition Elohim, a god or gods; for so magistrates are styled, Psa 82:1. 6. Saul, perceiving, by the woman's description, that it was Samuel, stooped with his face to the ground, either, as it is generally taken, in reverence to Samuel, though he saw him not, or perhaps to listen to that soft and muttering voice which he now expected to hear (for those that had familiar spirits peeped and muttered, Isa 8:19); and it should seem Saul bowed himself (probably by the witch's direction) that he might hear what was whispered and listen carefully to it; for the voice of one that has a familiar spirit is said to come out of the ground, and whisper out of the dust, Isa 29:4. He would stoop to that who would not stoop to the word of God.

Keil-Delitzsch: 1Sa 28:1-2

"In those days," i.e., whilst David was living in the land of thePhilistines, it came to pass that the Philistines gathered their armiestogether for a campaign against Israel. And Achish sent word to David thathe was to go with him in his army along with his men; and David answered(1Sa 28:2), " Thereby (on this occasion) thou shalt learn what thy servant willdo ."This reply was ambiguous. The words "what thy servant will do"contained no distinct promise of faithful assistance in the war with theIsraelites, as the expression " thy servant "is only the ordinary periphrasisfor " I "in conversation with a superior. And there is just as little groundfor inferring from 1Sa 29:8 that David was disposed to help thePhilistines against Saul and the Israelites; for, as Calovius has observed,even there he gives no such promise, but "merely asks for information,that he may discover the king's intentions and feelings concerning him: hesimply protests that he has done nothing to prevent his placing confidencein him, or to cause him to shut him out of the battle."Judging from his previous acts, it would necessarily have been against hisconscience to fight against his own people. Nevertheless, in the situationin which he was placed he did not venture to give a distinct refusal to thesummons of the king. He therefore gave an ambiguous answer, in the hopethat God would show him a way out of this conflict between his inmostconviction and his duty to obey the Philistian king. He had no doubtprayed earnestly for this in his heart. And the faithful God helped Hisservant: first of all by the fact that Achish accepted his indefinitedeclaration as a promise of unconditional fidelity, as his answer " so ( לכן , itaque , i.e., that being the case, if thy conduct answers tothy promise) " I will make thee the keeper of my head "(i.e., of my person)implies; and still more fully by the fact that the princes of the Philistinesoverturned the decision of their king (1Sa 29:3.).

Keil-Delitzsch: 1Sa 28:3-25

Saul with the witch at Endor . - The invasion of Israel by the Philistines,which brought David into so difficult a situation, drove king Saul todespair, so that in utter helplessness he had recourse to ungodly means ofinquiring into the future, which he himself had formerly prohibited, and tohis horror had to hear the sentence of his own death. This account isintroduced with the remark in 1Sa 28:3 that Samuel was dead and had beenburied at Ramah (cf. 1Sa 25:1; וּבעירו , with an explanatory vav , and indeed in his own city), and that Saul had expelled " those that hadfamiliar spirits and the wizards out of the land "(on the terms employed, oboth and yiddonim , see at Lev 19:31). He had done this in accordancewith the law in Lev 19:31; Lev 20:27, and Deu 18:10.

1Sa 28:4-5

When the Philistines advanced and encamped at Shunem , Saulbrought all Israel together and encamped at Gilboa , i.e., upon the mountainof that name on the north-eastern edge of the plain of Jezreel, whichslopes off from a height of about 1250 feet into the valley of the Jordan,and is not far from Beisan. On the north of the western extremity of thismountain was Shunem , the present Sulem or Solam (see at Jos 19:18); itwas hardly two hours distant, so that the camp of the Philistines might beseen from Gilboa. When Saul saw this, he was thrown into such alarm thathis heart greatly trembled. As Saul had been more than once victorious inhis conflicts with the Philistines, his great fear at the sight of the Philistianarmy can hardly be attributed to any other cause than the feeling that Godhad forsaken him, by which he was suddenly overwhelmed.

1Sa 28:6

In his anxiety he inquired of the Lord; but the Lord neitheranswered him by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets, that is to say,not by any of the three media by which He was accustomed to makeknown His will to Israel. בּיהוה שׁאל is the termusually employed to signify inquiring the will and counsel of God throughthe Urim and Thummim of the high priest (see at Jdg 1:1); and this is thecase here, with the simple difference that here the other means of inquiringthe counsel of God are also included. On dreams, see at Num 12:6. According to Num 27:21, Urim denotes divine revelation through the highpriest by means of the ephod . But the high priest Abiathar had been withthe ephod in David's camp ever since the murder of the priests at Nob (1Sa 22:20., 1Sa 23:6; 1Sa 30:7). How then could Saul inquire of God through theUrim? This question, which was very copiously discussed by the earliercommentators, and handled in different ways, may be decided very simplyon the supposition, that after the death of Ahimelech and the flight of hisson, another high priest had been appointed at the tabernacle, and anotherephod made for him, with the choshen or breastplate, and the Urim andThummim. It is no proof to the contrary that there is nothing said aboutthis. We have no continuous history of the worship at the tabernacle, but onlyoccasional notices. And from these it is perfectly clear that the publicworship at the tabernacle was not suspended on the murder of the priests,but was continued still. For in the first years of David's reign we find thetabernacle at Gibeon, and Zadok the son of Ahitub, of the line of Eleazar,officiating there as high priest (1Ch 16:39, compared with 1Ch 6:8and 1Ch 6:53); from which it follows with certainty, that after the destructionof Nob by Saul the tabernacle was removed to Gibeon, and the worship ofthe congregation continued there. From this we may also explain in a verysimple manner the repeated allusions to two high priests in David's time (2Sa 18:17; 2Sa 15:24, 2Sa 15:29, 2Sa 15:35; 1Ch 15:11; 1Ch 18:16). The reason why the Lorddid not answer Saul is to be sought for in the wickedness of Saul, whichrendered him utterly unworthy to find favour with God.

1Sa 28:7-14

Instead of recognising this, however, and searching his ownheart, Saul attempted to obtain a revelation of the future in ungodly ways. He commanded his servants (1Sa 28:7) to seek for a woman that had a familiarspirit. Baalath-ob : the mistress (or possessor) of a conjuring spirit, i.e., ofa spirit with which the dead were conjured up, for the purpose of makinginquiry concerning the future (see at Lev 19:31). There was a woman ofthis kind at Endor , which still exists as a village under the old name uponthe northern shoulder of the Duhy or Little Hermon (see at Jos 17:11),and therefore only two German (ten English) miles from the Israelitishcamp at Gilboa.

1Sa 28:8

Saul went to this person by night and in disguise, that he mightnot be recognised, accompanied by two men; and said to her, "Divine tome through necromancy, and bring me up whomsoever I tell thee." Thewords "bring me up,"etc., are an explanation or more precise definition of"divine unto me,"etc. Prophesying by the Ob was probably performed bycalling up a departed spirit from Sheol, and obtaining prophecies, i.e.,disclosures concerning one's own fate, through the medium of such a spirit. On the form קסומי ( Chethibh ), see at Jdg 9:8.

1Sa 28:9

Such a demand placed the woman in difficulty. As Saul had driventhe necromantists out of the land, she was afraid that the unknown visitor(for it is evident from 1Sa 28:12 that she did not recognise Saul at first) mightbe laying a snare for her soul with his request, to put her to death, i.e.,might have come to her merely for the purpose of spying her out as aconjurer of the dead, and then inflicting capital punishment upon heraccording to the law (Lev 20:27).

1Sa 28:10-11

But when Saul swore to her that no punishment should fallupon her on that account ( יקּרך אם , " shall assuredly notfall upon thee "), an oath which showed how utterly hardened Saul was,she asked him, " Whom shall I bring up to thee? "and Saul replied, "Bringme up Samuel," sc., from the region of the dead, or Sheol , which wasthought to be under the ground. This idea arose from the fact that the deadwere buried in the earth, and was connected with the thought of heaven asbeing above the earth. Just as heaven, regarded as the abode of God and theholy angels and blessed spirits, is above the earth; so, on the other hand,the region of death and the dead is beneath the ground. And with ourmodes of thought, which are so bound up with time and space, it isimpossible to represent to ourselves in any other way the difference andcontrast between blessedness with God and the shade-life in death.

1Sa 28:12

The woman then commenced her conjuring arts. This must besupplied from the context, as 1Sa 28:12 merely states what immediatelyensued. "When the woman saw Samuel, she cried aloud," sc., at the formwhich appeared to her so unexpectedly. These words imply mostunquestionably that the woman saw an apparition which she did notanticipate, and therefore that she was not really able to conjure updeparted spirits or persons who had died, but that she either merelypretended to do so, or if her witchcraft was not mere trickery anddelusion, but had a certain demoniacal background, that the appearance ofSamuel differed essentially from everything she had experienced andeffected before, and therefore filled her with alarm and horror. The veryfact, whoever, that she recognised Saul as soon as Samuel appeared,precludes us from declaring her art to have been nothing more than juggleryand deception; for she said to him, " Why hast thou cheated me, as thou artcertainly Saul? "i.e., why hast thou deceived me as to thy person? whydidst thou not tell me that thou wast king Saul? Her recognition of Saulwhen Samuel appeared may be easily explained, if we assume that thewoman had fallen into a state of clairvoyance , in which she recognisedpersons who, like Saul in his disguise, were unknown to her by face.

1Sa 28:13

The king quieted her fear, and then asked her what she had seen;whereupon she gave him a fuller description of the apparition: "I saw acelestial being come up from the earth." Elohim does not signify gods here,nor yet God; still less an angel or a ghost, or even a person of superiorrank, but a celestial (super-terrestrial), heavenly, or spiritual being.

1Sa 28:14

Upon Saul's further inquiry as to his form, she replied, "An oldman is ascending, and he is wrapped in a mantle." Meïl is the prophet'smantle, such as Samuel was accustomed to wear when he was alive (see 1Sa 15:27). Saul recognised from this that the person who had been calledup was Samuel, and he fell upon his face to the ground, to give expressionto his reverence. Saul does not appear to have seen the apparition itself. But it does not follow from this that there was no such apparition at all,and the whole was an invention on the part of the witch. It needs anopened eye, such as all do not possess, to see a departed spirit or celestialbeing. The eyes of the body are not enough for this.

1Sa 28:15-17

Then Samuel said, " Why hast thou disturbed me (sc., frommy rest in Hades; cf. Isa 14:9), to bring me up? "It follows, no doubt, fromthis that Samuel had been disturbed from his rest by Saul; but whether thishad been effected by the conjuring arts of the witch, or by a miracle ofGod himself, is left undecided. Saul replied, " I am sore oppressed, for thePhilistines fight against me, and God has departed from me, and answersme no more, either by prophets or by dreams; then I had thee called (onthe intensified form ואקראה , vid., Ewald , §228, c .), to makeknown to me what I am to do ."The omission of any reference to the Urimis probably to be interpreted very simply from the brevity of the account,and not from the fact that Saul shrank from speaking about the oracle ofthe high priest, on account of the massacre of the priests which had takenplace by his command. There is a contradiction, however, in Saul's reply: for if God had forsakenhim, he could not expect any answer from Him; and if God did not replyto his inquiry through the regularly appointed media of His revelation,how could he hope to obtain any divine revelation through the help of awitch? "When living prophets gave no answer, he thought that a dead onemight be called up, as if a dead one were less dependent upon God thanthe living, or that, even in opposition to the will of God, he might replythrough the arts of a conjuring woman. Truly, if he perceived that Godwas hostile to him, he ought to have been all the more afraid, lest Hisenmity should be increased by his breach of His laws. But fear andsuperstition never reason"(Clericus). Samuel points out this contradiction(1Sa 28:16): " Why dost thou ask me, since Jehovah hath departed from thee,and is become thine enemy? "The meaning is: How canst thou expect ananswer under these circumstances from me, the prophet of Jehovah? ערך , from ער , signifies an enemy here (from עיר , fervour ); and this meaning is confirmed by Psa 139:20 and Dan 4:16(Chald.). There is all the less ground for any critical objection to thereading, as the Chaldee and Vulgate give a periphrastic rendering of"enemy,"whilst the lxx, Syr., and Arab. have merely paraphrasedaccording to conjectures. Samuel then announced his fate (1Sa 28:17-19): " Jehovah hath performed forhimself, as He spake by me ( לו , for himself, which the lxx and Vulg. have arbitrarily altered into לך , σοί , tibi (to thee), iscorrectly explained by Seb. Schmidt, 'according to His grace, or to fulfiland prove His truth'); and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand,and given it to thy neighbour David ."The perfects express the purpose ofGod, which had already been formed, and was now about to be fulfilled.

1Sa 28:18-19

The reason for Saul's rejection is then given, as in 1Sa 15:23 : " Because ( כּאשׁר , according as) thou ... hast not executed thefierceness of His anger upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done thisthing to thee this day .""This thing"is the distress of which Saul hadcomplained, with its consequences. ויתּן , that Jehovah maygive (= for He will give) Israel also with thee into the hand of thePhilistines. "To- morrow wilt thou and thy sons be with me (i.e. in Sheol,with the dead); also the camp of Israel will Jehovah give into the hand ofthe Philistines ,"i.e., give up to them to plunder. The overthrow of thepeople was to heighten Saul's misery, when he saw the people plungedwith him into ruin through his sin ( O. v. Gerlach ). Thus was the last hopetaken from Saul. His day of grace was gone, and judgment was now toburst upon him without delay.

1Sa 28:20

These words so alarmed him, that he fell his whole length uponthe ground; for he had been kneeling hitherto (1Sa 28:14). He "fell straightway ( lit . he hastened and fell) upon the ground. For he was greatly terrified atthe words of Samuel: there was also no strength in him, because he hadeaten no food the whole day and the whole night ,"sc., from mentalperturbation or inward excitement. Terror and bodily exhaustion causedhim to fall powerless to the ground.

1Sa 28:21-22

The woman then came to him and persuaded him tostrengthen himself with food for the journey which he had to take. It byno means follows from the expression "came unto Saul," that the womanwas in an adjoining room during the presence of the apparition, and whilstSamuel was speaking, but only that she was standing at some distance off,and came up to him to speak to him when he had fallen fainting to theground. As she had fulfilled his wish at the risk of her own life, sheentreated him now to gratify her wish, and let her set a morsel of breadbefore him and eat. " That strength may be in thee when thou goest thyway "(i.e., when thou returnest).

This narrative, when read without prejudice, makes at once and throughoutthe impression conveyed by the Septuagint at 1Ch 10:13 : ἐπηρώτησε Σαοὺλ ἐν τῷ ἐγγαστριμύθῳ τοῦ ζητῆσαι, καὶ ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ προφήτης; and still more clearly at Ecclus. 46:20,where it is said of Samuel: "And after his death he prophesied, and showedthe king his end, and lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blotout the wickedness of the people."Nevertheless the fathers, reformers,and earlier Christian theologians, with very few exceptions, assumed thatthere was not a real appearance of Samuel, but only an imaginary one. According to the explanation given by Ephraem Syrus, an apparent imageof Samuel was presented to the eye of Saul through demoniacal arts. Luther and Calvin adopted the same view, and the earlier Protestanttheologians followed them in regarding the apparition as nothing but adiabolical spectre, a phantasm, or diabolical spectre in the form of Samuel,and Samuel's announcement as nothing but a diabolical revelation made bydivine permission, in which truth is mixed with falsehood.

(Note: Thus Luther says (in his work upon the abuses of the Mass,1522): "The raising of Samuel by a soothsayer or witch, in 1Sa 28:11-12, was certainly merely a spectre of the devil; not onlybecause the Scriptures state that it was effected by a woman who wasfull of devils (for who could believe that the souls of believers, whoare in the hand of God, Ecclus. 3:1, and in the bosom of Abraham,Luk 16:31, were under the power of the devil, and of simple men?),but also because it was evidently in opposition to the command ofGod that Saul and the woman inquired of the dead. The Holy Ghostcannot do anything against this himself, nor can He help those whoact in opposition to it."Calvin also regards the apparition as only aspectre (Hom. 100 in 1 Samuel.): "It is certain,"he says, "that it was notreally Samuel, for God would never have allowed His prophets to besubjected to such diabolical conjuring. For here is a sorceress calling upthe dead from the grave. Does any one imagine that God wished Hisprophet to be exposed to such ignominy; as if the devil had powerover the bodies and souls of the saints which are in His keeping? Thesouls of the saints are said to rest and live in God, waiting for theirhappy resurrection. Besides, are we to believe that Samuel took hiscloak with him into the grave? For all these reasons, it appearsevident that the apparition was nothing more than a spectre, and thatthe senses of the woman herself were so deceived, that she thoughtshe saw Samuel, whereas it really was not he."The earlier orthodoxtheologians also disputed the reality of the appearance of thedeparted Samuel on just the same grounds; e.g., Seb. Schmidt( Comm .); Aug. Pfeiffer; Sal. Deyling; and Buddeus, Hist. Eccl. V. t. ii. p. 243, and many more.)

It was not till the seventeenth century that the opinion was expressed,that the apparition of Samuel was merely a delusion produced by thewitch, without any real background at all. After Reginald Scotus and Balth. Becker had given expression to this opinion, it was more fully elaboratedby Ant. van Dale, in his dissert . de divinationibus idololatricis sub V. T.; and in the so-called age of enlightenment this was the prevailing opinion,so that Thenius still regards it as an established fact, not only that thewoman was an impostor, but that the historian himself regarded the wholething as an imposture. There is no necessity to refute this opinion at thepresent day. Even Fr. Boettcher ( de inferis , pp. 111ff.), who looks uponthe thing as an imposture, admits that the first recorder of the occurrence"believed that Samuel appeared and prophesied, contrary to theexpectation of the witch;"and that the author of the books of Samuel wasconvinced that the prophet was raised up and prophesied, so that after hisdeath he was proved to be the true prophet of Jehovah, although throughthe intervention of ungodly arts (cf. Eze 14:7, Eze 14:9). But the view held bythe early church does not do justice to the scriptural narrative; and hencethe more modern orthodox commentators are unanimous in the opinionthat the departed prophet did really appear and announce the destructionof Saul, not, however, in consequence of the magical arts of the witch, butthrough a miracle wrought by the omnipotence of God.

This is most decidedly favoured by the fact, that the prophetic historian speaks throughout of the appearance, not of a ghost, but of Samuel himself. He does this not only in 1Sa 28:12, "When the woman saw Samuel she cried aloud,"but also in 1Sa 28:14, 1Sa 28:15, 1Sa 28:16, and 1Sa 28:20. It is also sustained by the circumstance, that not only do the words of Samuel to Saul, in 1Sa 28:16-19, create the impression that it is Samuel himself who is speaking; but his announcement contains so distinct a prophecy of the death of Saul and his sons, that it is impossible to imagine that it can have proceeded from the mouth of an impostor, or have been an inspiration of Satan. On the other hand, the remark of Calvin, to the effect that "God sometimes give to devils the power of revealing secrets to us, which they have learned from the Lord,"could only be regarded as a valid objection, provided that the narrative gave us some intimation that the apparition and the speaking were nothing but a diabolical delusion. But it does nothing of the kind. It is true, the opinion that the witch conjured up the prophet Samuel was very properly disputed by the early theologians, and rejected by Theodoret as "unholy, and even impious;"and the text of Scripture indicates clearly enough that the very opposite was the case, by the remark that the witch herself was terrified at the appearance of Samuel (1Sa 28:12). Shöbel is therefore quite correct in saying: "It was not at the call of the idolatrous king, nor at the command of the witch, - neither of whom had the power to bring him up, or even to make him hear their voice in his rest in the grave, - that Samuel came; nor was it merely by divine 'permission,' which is much too little to say. No, rather it was by the special command of God that he left his grave (?), like a faithful servant whom his master arouses at midnight, to let in an inmate of the house who has wilfully stopped out late, and has been knocking at the door. 'Why do you disturb me out of my sleep?' would always be the question put to the unwelcome comer, although it was not by his noise, but really by his master's command, that he had been aroused. Samuel asked the same question."The prohibition of witchcraft and necromancy (Deu 18:11; Isa 8:19), which the earlier writers quote against this, does not preclude the possibility of God having, for His own special reasons, caused Samuel to appear. On the contrary, the appearance itself was of such a character, that it could not fail to show to the witch and the king, that God does not allow His prohibitions to be infringed with impunity. The very same thing occurred here, which God threatened to idolaters through the medium of Ezekiel (Eze 14:4, Eze 14:7,Eze 14:8): "If they come to the prophet, I will answer them in my own way."Still less is there any force in the appeal to Luk 16:27., where Abraham refuses the request of the rich man in Hades, that he would send Lazarus to his father's house to preach repentance to his brethren who were still living, saying, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."For this does not affirm that the appearance of a dead man is a thing impossible in itself, but only describes it as useless and ineffectual, so far as the conversion of the ungodly is concerned.

The reality of the appearance of Samuel from the kingdom of the deadcannot therefore be called in question, especially as it has an analogon inthe appearance of Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration of Christ (Mat 17:3; Luk 9:30-31); except that this difference must not be overlooked,namely, that Moses and Elijah appeared "in glory,"i.e., in a glorified form,whereas Samuel appeared in earthly corporeality with the prophet'smantle which he had worn on earth. Just as the transfiguration of Christwas a phenomenal anticipation of His future heavenly glory, into whichHe was to enter after His resurrection and ascension, so may we think ofthe appearance of Moses and Elijah "in glory"upon the mount oftransfiguration as an anticipation of their heavenly transfiguration ineternal life with God. It was different with Samuel, whom God brought upfrom Hades through an act of His omnipotence. This appearance is not to be regarded as the appearance of one who hadrisen in a glorified body; but though somewhat spirit-like in its externalmanifestation, so that it was only to the witch that it was visible, and notto Saul, it was merely an appearance of the soul of Samuel, that had beenat rest in Hades, in the clothing of the earthly corporeality and dress of theprophet, which were assumed for the purpose of rendering it visible. Inthis respect the appearance of Samuel rather resembled the appearances ofincorporeal angels in human form and dress, such as the three angels whocame to Abraham in the grove at Mamre (Gen 18), and the angel whoappeared to Manoah (Judg 13); with this exception, however, that theseangels manifested themselves in a human form, which was visible to theordinary bodily eye, whereas Samuel appeared in the spirit-like form ofthe inhabitants of Hades. In all these cases the bodily form and clothingwere only a dress assumed for the soul or spirit, and intended to facilitateperception, so that such appearances furnish no proof that the souls ofdeparted men possess an immaterial corporeality.

(Note: Delitzsch ( bibl Psychol. pp. 427ff.) has very properly rejected,not only the opinion that Samuel and Moses were raised up from thedead for the purpose of a transient appearance, and then died again,but also the idea that they appeared in their material bodies, a notionupon which Calvin rests his argument against the reality of theappearance of Samuel. But when he gives it as his opinion, that theangels who appeared in human form assumed this form by virtue oftheir own power, inasmuch as they can make themselves visible towhomsoever they please, and infers till further from this, "that theoutward form in which Samuel and Moses appeared (whichcorresponded to their form when on this side the grave) was theimmaterial production of their spiritual and psychical nature,"heoverlooks the fact, that not only Samuel, but the angels also, in thecases referred to, appeared in men's clothing, which cannot possiblybe regarded as a production of their spiritual and psychical nature. The earthly dress is not indispensable to a man's existence. Adam andEve had no clothing before the Fall, and there will be no materialclothing in the kingdom of glory; for the "fine linen, pure and white,"with which the bride adorns herself for the marriage supper of theLamb, is "the righteousness of saints"(Rev 19:8).

1Sa 28:23-24

On Saul's refusing to take food, his servants (i.e., his twoattendants) also pressed him, so that he yielded, rose up from the ground,and sat down upon the bed ( Mittah : i.e., a bench by the wall of the roomprovided with pillows); whereupon the woman quickly sacrificed (servedup) a stalled calf, baked unleavened cakes, and set the food she hadprepared before the king and his servants. The woman did all this fromnatural sympathy for the unhappy king, and not, as Thenius supposes, toremove all suspicion of deception from Saul's mind; for she had notdeceived the king at all.

1Sa 28:25

When Saul and his servants had eaten, they started upon theirway, and went back that night to Gilboa, which was about ten milesdistant, where the battle occurred the next day, and Saul and his sons fell. "Saul was too hardened in his sin to express any grief or pain, either on hisown account or because of the fate of his sons and his people. In stoliddesperation he went to meet his fate. This was the terrible end of a manwhom the Spirit of God had once taken possession of and turned intoanother man, and whom he had endowed with gifts to be the leader of thepeople of God"( O. v. Gerlach ).

Constable: 1Sa 16:1--31:13

IV. SAUL AND DAVID 1 Sam. 16--31

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. We might call it the theme of the Lord's anointed.

"The theological thread running through Samuel and Kings is God's choice of a leader to represent Him as He implements His covenants with Israel."¹⁶⁸

Saul had been God's anointed vice-regent, but with Saul's rejection David began to move into that position. These chapters record the gradual transition and slow transformation of the nation as the Israelites and others increasingly realized that David was now God's anointed. Saul remained the Lord's anointed as long as he lived. Part of the reason David succeeded was he recognized this and related to Saul accordingly. However, David too was God's anointed though God was still preparing him to take leadership and mount the throne. While the hero of this last half of 1 Samuel is David, Saul is also prominent. Saul declined as the old anointed as David arose as the new anointed.

"There will be many twists in the story of David's progress towards the throne, and not a few crisis-points, yet all is told in the knowledge that God can put his men where he wants them to be, whether the route is direct, or ever so circuitous."¹⁶⁹

Chronology of David's Life170
Event	Date	Age	Reference
Birth	1041	0	2 Sam. 5:4-5
Anointing by Samuel	1029	12	1 Sam. 16:1-13
Defeat of Goliath	1024	17	1 Sam. 17
Exile from Saul	1020-1011	21-30	1 Sam. 21-31
Anointing as King over Judah	1011	30	2 Sam. 2:1-4
Anointing as King over all Israel	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:1-3
Philistines Wars	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:17-25
Conquest of Jerusalem	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:6-10
Mephibosheth's Move to Jerusalem	996	45	2 Sam. 9:1-13
The Three Year Famine	996-993	45-48	2 Sam. 21:1-14
The Ammonite Wars	993-990	48-51	2 Sam. 10-12
Adultery and Murder	992	49	2 Sam. 11
Birth of Solomon	991	50	2 Sam. 12:24-25
Rape of Tamar	987	54	2 Sam. 13:1-22
Death of Amnon	985	56	2 Sam. 13:23-36
Exile of Absalom	985-982	56-59	2 Sam. 13:37-39
Absalom's Return to Jerusalem	982-980	59-61	2 Sam. 14:21-24
Construction of Palace	980-978	61-63	1 Chron. 15:1
Construction of Tabernacle	977	64	1 Chron. 15:1
Move of Ark to Jerusalem	977	64	2 Sam. 6:12-19
Absalom's Rebellion and David's Exile	976	65	2 Sam. 15-18
Rebellion of Sheba	976	65	2 Sam. 20:1-22
The Census	975	66	2 Sam. 24:1-17
Purchase of Temple Site	973	68	2 Sam. 24:18-25
The Davidic Covenant	973	68	2 Sam. 7
Co-regency with Solomon	973-971	68-70	1 Chron. 23:1
Rebellion of Adonijah	972	69	1 Kings 1:5-37
Coronation of Solomon	971	70	1 Chron. 29:22-23
Death	971	70	1 Kings 2:10-11

Constable: 1Sa 21:1--30:31

C. David in Exile chs. 21-30

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 proper response to Yahweh's anointed.

Interesting, too, are the parallels between David's experiences as the Lord's anointed and Jesus Christ's as the Lord's anointed. Rejection preceded acceptance, and suffering preceded reigning in both cases. God blessed both of these servants personally, and they became a blessing to others because of their commitment to Yahweh and His Law.

"The true servant of God must willingly suffer affliction with the full assurance that God is performing His purposes. Positions of prominence and prestige are not to be sought and worked for. Rather, the leader who desires Christ's blessing must wait patiently on Him for advancement and promotion to opportunities of greater service."²²⁶

Several of the Psalms have their backgrounds in these chapters (Ps. 18; 34; 52; 54; 56; 57; 63; 124; 138; 142; and possibly others).

Constable: 1Sa 27:1--31:13

4. The end of Saul's reign chs 27-31

David's commitment to God resulted in his continuing to be God's instrument of blessing to the Israelites and His instrument of judgment to Israel's enemies. This was true in spite of David's failure to seek guidance from the Lord before moving back into Philistine territory. David's strength continued to grow as Saul's continued to wane. In these last chapters of 1 Samuel the writer moved back and forth first describing David's activities, and then Saul's, then David's, and then Saul's. This technique puts the fates of the two men in stark contrast side by side. Thus the book closes with the narrative contrast technique with which it opened in which the writer contrasted Samuel and Eli's sons.

Constable: 1Sa 28:1-2

The Philistines' preparations for war against Israel 28:1-2

David's response to Achish was deliberately ambiguous. He did not promise to fight for the Philistines but gave the impression he would (v. 2). Achish interpreted David's words as a strong commitment to him and rewarded David with a position as his bodyguard for life.

David continued to be a blessing to Israel as he obeyed God in Ziklag without giving any real help to Israel's enemy, the Philistines. This plan of David's, while yielding some positive benefits, involved him in deception and lying plus leaving him vulnerable to Achish if the Philistine king had learned what was really happening.

This whole pericope illustrates that when opposition from ungodly people persists God's people should continue to pray and to trust Him for protection rather than taking matters into our own hands. If we initiate a plan without seeking God's guidance, we may remove one source of aggravation and danger only to find ourselves in another. Such plans may result in some good, but they may also put us in situations where we find it even more tempting to disobey God (cf. Jacob). We should, instead, remember God's promises (e.g., 1 Pet. 1:3-9; 2 Pet. 1:2-4) and pray for His guidance (cf. Phil. 4:6-7).

Constable: 1Sa 28:3-25

Saul's attempt to secure divine guidance from a medium 28:3-25

The story involving Saul's meeting with the "witch" of En-dor is one of the best known in 1 Samuel. It contains some unique events that have troubled Bible students for many years. Again the spotlight of revelation turns back to Saul from David. We see here the spiritual insensibility of Saul due to his departure from God.

"This visit to the medium of Endor is cited by the Chronicler as proof positive that Saul deserved the judgment that fell on him at Gilboa (1 Ch. 10:13)."²⁷²

Constable: 1Sa 28:3-7

The threat of Philistine attack 28:3-7

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 communicate with evil spirits. The terms always go together in the Old Testament indicating the close relationship that exists between these activities. The Mosaic Law prescribed death for mediums and spiritists because God promised to give His people all the information He wanted them to have about the future from prophets (Deut. 18). It was unwise, even dangerous and therefore forbidden, for them to seek more information from these other sources.

Shunem lay on the south slope of the hill of Moreh that occupied part of the eastern end of the Jezreel plain in Issachar's territory. Gilboa lay opposite it to the south and was really the name of a mountain. This was the same area where Gideon had routed the Midianites (Judg. 7).

"The wording of this introduction (28:4f.) is notable, for it is strongly reminiscent of two other fateful confrontations between Saul and the Philistines, the first at Michmash/Gilgal (13:5f.), the second at Socoh/Elah (17:1f., 11)."²⁷³

Saul again feared the Philistines (v. 5). If this enemy succeeded, they would cut Israel in half geographically. God gave Saul no guidance in response to his prayers. Since Saul had refused to listen to God in the past (chs. 13; 15), God now refused to listen to him (cf. v. 18). He gave the king no revelation about how to proceed. Normally when people refuse to pay attention to the word of God, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to hear the word of God (cf. Jer. 7:13-16).

Saul then proceeded to try to obtain information about the future, specifically about the imminent encounter with the Philistines, from another supernatural source. Publicly Saul was against these diviners (v. 3), but privately he now sought one out. This is hypocrisy.

". . . Saul's attempts at inquiry were of so unworthy a nature that it would be an abuse of language to speak of him as really inquiring of Jehovah.'"²⁷⁴

Endor stood on the north slope of the hill of Moreh, on the other side from that on which the Philistines camped.

Constable: 1Sa 28:8-14

Saul's conversation with the medium 28:8-14

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 woman in the Lord's name that he would not punish her for breaking the Lord's Law (v. 10). This too was hypocrisy. He wanted to give a public impression of upholding the Mosaic Law, but really he broke it by seeking her out. Saul asked her to bring Samuel up from Sheol, the place of departed spirits.

I think it is most likely that God allowed Samuel, or a vision or apparition of Samuel, to appear as the text states (vv. 12, 15, 16) with another prophecy from the Lord (vv. 16-19). The woman also saw who Saul really was, and this surprise terrified her because she discovered that her life was in danger. Some interpreters have concluded that a demon who impersonated Samuel came up. However what this being proceeded to say in verses 16-19 argues against this. It was a message from God. Others have suggested that the woman tricked Saul into thinking that the person he saw was Samuel, but he was not. However her own surprise argues against this view (v. 12).²⁷⁵ This seems to have been a divine revelation to Saul, the last one God gave him.²⁷⁶

"The incident does not tell us anything about the veracity of claims to consult the dead on the part of mediums, because the indications are that this was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control."²⁷⁷

Saul assured the medium that she need not fear him. Any supernatural guidance he could obtain with her help was worth her life to him. She described Samuel as a divine being (Heb. elohim, lit. strong one). This is, of course, a common name of God in the Old Testament. However it also describes the judges in Israel who were divine beings in the sense that they served as judges under the Great Judge (Ps. 82:6; cf. John 10:35). Perhaps the woman meant that the man she saw looked like a judge or like a divine being because he was imposing. Samuel was one of the judges in Israel. She saw Samuel, or his apparition, coming up out of the earth (i.e., the netherworld). The ancients connected the area under the surface of the earth with the place of departed spirits because they buried people under the surface of the earth.

The writer identified Samuel as old and wrapped in a robe (v. 14). This in an interesting detail since Saul had previously torn Samuel's robe when Samuel announced that God had rejected Saul from being king (15:27). Samuel had told Saul, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today" (15:28; cf. 24:4). Saul recognized Samuel and bowed before him out of respect. This too was hypocritical since he had not previously obeyed Samuel nor was he about to act on the warning that Samuel would soon give him.

Guzik: 1Sa 28:1-25

1 Samuel 28 - Saul and the Medium of Endor

The first two verses of 1 Samuel 28 connect with the previous chapter, so they are examined in the commentary on 1 Samuel 27.

A. Saul's distressing situation

1. (3-5) Saul's fear at the attack from the Philistines.

Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.

a. Samuel had died: Samuel's death was originally reported in 1 Samuel 25:1. Here, the fact is mentioned again to emphasize the spiritual vacuum left by Samuel's departure.

b. Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land: To his credit, Saul obeyed the commands in the Mosaic Law to cast out those who practiced occultic arts. God commanded that mediums and spiritists (those who either can or claim to contact the dead and spirit beings) have no place among His people in passages such as Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 27 and in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. Saul did this in his earlier days, when he was still influenced by Samuel's leadership.

i. Things such as tarot cards, palm readers, horoscopes and Ouija Boards are modern attempts to practice forms of spiritism. They are dangerous links to the demonic, even if undertaken in a spirit of fun. Christians should have nothing to do with occultic arts or practices.

c. Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem: The geography of Shunem means that the Philistines made an aggressive attack against Saul and Israel.

i. "Shunem, in the Valley of Jezreel, was about twenty miles north of Aphek, the most northerly Philistine city. The fact that the Philistines had penetrated thus far gives an indication of their dominance over Saul's kingdom, and of their intention to press further east to the Jordan." (Baldwin <Baldwin.htm>)

d. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly: Long before his downward spiral, when Saul still walked in the Spirit, he was a man of great courage (as in 1 Samuel 11:6-11). Saul began to lose his courage when the Holy Spirit withdrew from him (1 Samuel 16:14), and now, after the death of Samuel (the only man to have much spiritual influence on Saul) his courage seems almost completely gone.

2. (6) God will not speak to Saul.

And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

a. When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him: Saul is in a terrible place. The Philistines threaten Israel, Saul's courage has failed him, and now God is silent when Saul seeks Him. Saul hoped that God would speak to him through dreams, but God was silent. He hoped God would speak to him through the Urim, but God was silent. He wanted to hear from God through the prophets, but God would not talk to Saul.

b. Why is God silent towards Saul? Won't God answer everyone who seeks Him? Not always; not when a man is in a place of judgment as Saul is. King Saul has rejected and is currently rejecting God's previously revealed will. Since Saul doesn't care to obey God in what he already knows, God will not give him more to know.

i. At the very least, Saul knew that God did not want him hunting David and hoping to kill him. Saul said as much in passages such as 1 Samuel 24:16-20 and 26:21. Yet, Saul disregarded what he knew to be God's will in this matter. If we want God to guide us, we must follow what guidance we do have from Him.

c. When we reject the word of the LORD, we can still be comforted by the fact that He is speaking to us. As we continue to reject His word, He will stop speaking to us - and we will lose even that comfort.

B. Saul consults a spirit medium.

1. (7-8) Saul seeks out a medium.

Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor." So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."

a. Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her: It wasn't easy to find a medium in the land of Israel, because Saul had previously put them out of the land. So Saul asks his staff to find him one, and they suggest a woman in the city of En Dor.

i. Traditionally, this woman is known as the Witch of Endor. It may be appropriate to call her a witch, but it is more accurate to call her a medium or a necromancer - one who makes contact with the dead. The Hebrew word for medium is owb, and it has the idea of "mumbling" or speaking with a strange, hollow sound - as if one were "channeling," with a dead person speaking through them. The Hebrew word has in mind the sound the channel makes as they speak. The English word medium has in mind the concept of a channel - they stand in-between the world of the living and the dead, and communicate between the two worlds.

ii. Saul recognized that a medium would likely be a woman. It is a persistent fact that women are more drawn to such occultic arts than men are. If we were to ask the Apostle Paul why this is the case, he would reply as he did in 1 Timothy 2:14 - that Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. This means that although men are culpable for the fall (Adam was not deceived, but sinned knowing exactly what he did), women are not to be given place of doctrinal or teaching authority in the church, because as daughters of Eve they are more susceptible to deception themselves.

iii. "Seek me a woman, rather than a man; for he thought that sex most likely to be given to those wicked arts, as being the weaker sex, and so aptest to be deceived, and most prone to superstition." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

iv. Poole, writing about the servants of Saul who helped him find this medium: "Instead of dissuading him from this wicked and destructive practice, which they should and would have done, if they had either loved God or their king, they further him in it."

v. "Endor was only a short distance away, on the north of the Hill of Moreh, and accessible despite the Philistine forces close by." (Baldwin <Baldwin.htm>) Endor was "located four miles northeast of Shunem and thus dangerously close to where the Philistines were encamped." (Youngblood <ebc.htm>)

b. Saul disguised himself . . . and he went: as Saul seeks the medium, he brings upon himself a curse. God said in Leviticus 20:6: And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.

c. Bring up the one I shall name for you: Saul will ask the medium to channel the deceased prophet Samuel. He does this because he wants to know what God might say to him! Saul is like a man going to a palm reader to hear the will of God.

i. This shows the depth of Saul's fall from God, and how it has affected his mind. He obviously isn't thinking clearly here. Once Saul rejected the truth, he was likely to fall for even the most foolish deception.

2. (9-10) Saul answers the suspicions of the medium.

Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

a. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die? The medium wondered if this was a government "sting" operation; but Saul assures her - swearing in the name of the LORD, no less - that she won't be punished.

b. Saul swore to her by the LORD: Saul's oath in the name of the LORD reminds us that spiritual jargon means nothing. As certainly as the LORD lives, Saul was in complete disobedience and darkness! This is the last time Saul uses the name of the LORD. He uses it to swear to a medium that she will not be punished!

3. (11-14) To the medium's surprise, Samuel appears.

Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth." So he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming 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 down.

a. Bring up Samuel for me: Why did Saul want to see Samuel? Considering the times Samuel strongly rebuked Saul (such as in 1 Samuel 15:22-29), we might think that Samuel was the last person Saul would want to see. Probably, Saul wanted to remember his "good old days" with Samuel, when the prophet was his guide and mentor (1 Samuel 9:25-26).

i. In the midst of his sin, depression and demonic influence, Saul forgot that Samuel was in fact his adversary when he slipped into sin (1 Samuel 13:13-14 and 15:22-29).

b. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice: Why the medium so shocked? Probably she was a fraud, and most of her dealings with the spirit realm were mere tricks. Now, Samuel really appears from the world beyond, and she is completely surprised to have a real encounter with the spirit realm.

i. In addition, we can say that this medium was familiar with the presence of demonic spirits, the presence of the Holy Spirit was probably completely unfamiliar to her. The holy presence of the Holy Spirit may have seemed terrifying to her. "The indications are that this was an extraordinary event for her, and a frightening one because she was not in control." (Baldwin <Baldwin.htm>)

c. Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul! The medium is also surprised, because now she knows that she is practicing her craft before the same king who drove out all the mediums and spiritists from Israel. She has reason to be afraid, both of the real spiritual presence she sees, and the king right beside her.

i. How did the medium know that the man was King Saul? We simply are not told how she knew this. It might have been something that Samuel said when he first appeared. It might have been a word of supernatural knowledge, communicated to her either from God or from the world of the demonic.

d. And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth." The Hebrew word translated spirit in the New King James Version is actually the Hebrew word elohim - literally, "gods," but often applied to the One God in plural form, to both reflect the truth of the Trinity and God's greatness, which is indicated in the Hebrew by the plural form. When the medium says she saw an elohim, does she mean that she saw the One True God? Does she mean that Samuel is deified? No; speaking from her own pagan context, she calls this appearing of Samuel an elohim because that was what it seemed to be in her pagan vocabulary. It is only she who calls Samuel an elohim.

i. "It seems that in ancient times the deceased could be referred to as 'gods' in that they lived in the realm of the preternatural." (Youngblood <ebc.htm>)

ii. The medium and Saul encounter what the medium calls an elohim - "gods." But Saul will say, "God [elohim] has departed from me" (1 Samuel 28:15). Saul had no trouble understanding that even though the medium referred to Samuel as an elohim because of her occultic background, this appearance of Samuel was not the real God of heaven. He makes the distinction in is wording.

iii. "She useth the plural number, gods, either after the manner of the Hebrew language, which commonly useth that word of one person; or after the language and custom of the heathens." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

iv. Saul came "Ascending out of the earth, as though it came from the place of the dead." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

e. Saul perceived that it was Samuel: However Samuel appeared, he was visible to both the medium and Saul. This wasn't a "crystal ball" appearance that only the medium could pretend to see. Nor was it a "voice in the dark" that one might encounter in a séance. This was a real appearance of Samuel.

f. What is going on here? This strange incident is controversial, and several different approaches have been used to understand this passage. Here are four of the most commonly suggested possibilities.

i. Some believe that this was a hallucination of the medium. But this doesn't make sense, because it doesn't explain why the medium was so frightened. It doesn't explain why Saul saw Samuel also, and why Samuel spoke to Saul, not to the medium.

ii. Some believe that this was a deception by the medium. But this also isn't an adequate explanation, for the same reasons given to the previous suggestion.

iii. Some believe that this was a demonic impersonation of Samuel. It is possible that the medium, with her occultic powers, summoned a demonic spirit that deceived both her and Saul. But this suggestion is also inadequate, because it does not speak to the issue of motive. After all, what advantage does Satan gain by "Samuel's" words to Saul?

iv. Some believe that this was a genuine (but strange) appearance of Samuel. This is the best explanation, because it is supported by the reaction of the medium, who got more than she bargained for. It is also supported by the truth of what Samuel said (and the text says that Samuel said it). Some may say that it is impossible for Samuel to reappear in some way, coming from the world beyond back to this world. But Moses and Elijah also came from the world beyond back to this world when they appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3).

v. Clarke makes an additional valuable point: "I believe that the woman of En-dor had no power over Samuel; and that no incantation can avail over any departed saint of God, nor indeed over any human disembodied spirit." Samuel really came, but not because the medium called for him. Samuel appeared because God had a special purpose for it.

g. What was God's purpose in sending such a strange appearance of Samuel? This appearance of Samuel accomplished two things: it re-confirmed the coming judgment upon King Saul's in a dramatic way, and it taught the medium a powerful lesson about the dangers of her occultic craft.

i. "I believe Samuel did actually appear to Saul; and that he was sent by the especial mercy of God to warn this infatuated king of his approaching death, that he might have an opportunity to make his peace with his Maker." (Clarke <Clarke.htm>)

ii. When we close our ears to God, He will find unusual - and perhaps uncomfortable - ways to speak to us. "That he did appear to Saul, there can be no question, but he did not come in response to her call. He was sent of God, for the express purpose of rebuking Saul for his unholy traffic with these evil things, and to pronounce his doom." (Morgan)

C. Samuel speaks to Saul.

1. (15-18) Samuel tells King Saul why the LORD will not speak to him.

Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do." Then Samuel said: "Why then do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

a. Why have you disturbed me? Samuel's words would be in the mouth of anyone who had left the place of comfort and blessing in the world beyond to come back to the earth. Samuel would rather be back where he was!

i. This is an indication to us of the reality of the world beyond. Though he passed from this world, Samuel was in a real place, living a real existence. We need to live every day with the understanding of the reality of eternity, of the world beyond. Much of this life will only make sense in light of the world to come.

ii. Properly speaking, Samuel was not in heaven. Jesus explained in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) that before the finished work of Jesus on the cross, the believing dead went to a place of comfort and blessing known as Abraham's bosom. When Jesus finished his work on the cross, the sin's penalty was paid for these believing dead, and they were then ushered into heaven.

b. I am deeply distressed: Saul explains his problem to Samuel. First, the Philistines make war against me. But far worse than that is the fact that Saul knows that God has departed from me and does not answer me any more. Saul then reveals why he called for Samuel: that you may reveal to me what I should do.

i. God has departed from me: "God never departs from a man until the man has departed from Him. Then, in the interests of righteousness, God is against that man." (Morgan)

ii. What I should do: "Saul is asking for guidance when his course of action is obvious: he has to fight the Philistines. What he really wants is reassurance that all will be well and that he will win the battle." (Baldwin <Baldwin.htm>)

iii. Strangely, though Saul knew that God would not speak to him in any other way, or through any of the other prophets, he thought that somehow or some way the godly prophet Samuel, conjured by a medium, would speak wisdom to him! Even more strangely, Samuel will!

c. What does Samuel say to Saul? Why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? This is a very logical question for Samuel to ask. Samuel was on the LORD's side, so if the LORD wouldn't tell Saul what he wanted, he didn't have any reason to believe that Samuel would.

i. Perhaps Saul kept seeking, hoping that that the news would get better, but it never does!

d. As He spoke by me . . . the voice of the LORD: Essentially, Samuel confirms what God had already said to Saul. The message of the LORD to Saul is disturbingly consistent; no matter which strange way God chooses to bring the message.

i. The test for any "spirit encounter" or "angelic revelation" is its faithfulness to the Biblical message. It doesn't matter what kind of impressive encounter one has with a spiritual being; even if an angel from heaven (or Samuel himself!) preach any other gospel to you . . . let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

e. Because you did not . . . execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day: Samuel calls Saul's mind back to the events recorded in 1 Samuel 15. In that chapter, Samuel told Saul "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you . . . For He is not a man, that He should relent" (1 Samuel 15:28-29). Apparently, in the fifteen or so years since the events of 1 Samuel 15, Saul thought that perhaps the LORD had changed His mind! Samuel came to tell Saul that the LORD had not changed His mind at all.

i. Samuel makes this point exactly when he quotes from the 1 Samuel 15:28-29 passage with these words: For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. God's word to Saul didn't change at all from the time He first said it until the time it would be fulfilled. Perhaps Saul thought that time would change God's mind; but time never changes God's mind. Our repentance and genuine brokenness may change God's mind, but never time.

ii. When the medium saw Samuel, she said he was covered with a mantle. The mantle was probably Samuel's robe, which would have identified him as both a prophet and a priest. In 1 Samuel 15:27, when Samuel announced that God would take the kingdom away from Saul, Saul grabbed Samuel's robe in desperation. The Hebrew word used for robe in 1 Samuel 15:27 (meheel) is the same word used for mantle in 1 Samuel 28:14. It is likely that when Samuel appeared before the medium and Saul, he wore in this same torn robe to remind Saul that the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.

2. (19) Samuel tells Saul about his fate.

"Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

a. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me: Saul learns from Samuel that he will die the next day. In 1 Samuel 28:16, Saul asked to know what I should do. Samuel never told him what to do, because it was too late to do anything. All Samuel told him was what would happen, and God's judgment was already in motion.

i. Before this time, Saul had plenty of time to repent; but now time has run out. We can never assume that we will have as much time as we want to repent. The desire to repent, and the opportunity to repent are gifts from God. If we have the desire and the opportunity today, we must seize upon it, because it may not be there tomorrow.

ii. When Samuel said you and your sons will be with me, did it mean that Saul was going to heaven, that he would be with the believing dead? Not necessarily. In the story Jesus told in Luke 16:19-31, the blessed dead and the cursed dead were both in the same general area. The believing dead were in the place of comfort knows as the Abraham's bosom, but the cursed dead were in a place or torment. So, Saul would be in the same general area as Samuel, but not the same specific place.

b. The LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines . . . you and your sons: When judgment fell upon Saul, it would also trouble the people around him. His sons and all Israel would also suffer also.

i. "Can any person read this, properly considering the situation of this unfortunate monarch, the triumph of the enemies of God, and the speedy ruin in which the godlike Jonathan is about to be involved, without feeling the keenest anguish of heart?" (Clarke <Clarke.htm>)

D. Saul's reaction and departure.

1. (20) Saul reacts with fear and a loss of all strength.

Then immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

a. Because of the words of Samuel: It wasn't just that Samuel told Saul that he would die, or fall in battle before the Philistines. Far worse to Saul was the knowledge that the LORD was his adversary; that not only were the Philistines set against him, but so was the LORD God. Knowing this is more than Saul can bear.

2. (21-25) The medium comforts Saul.

And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way." But he refused and said, "I will not eat." So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

a. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled: It's a sad note when a practitioner of the occult is comforting the King of Israel. But they were two of the same kind; each lived in rebellion to God, and each was under judgment from the LORD.

b. And they ate: The dinner Saul ate that night was like the last meal of a man on death row, waiting execution in the morning.

c. Then he rose and went away that night: Saul leaves this strange encounter resigned to his fate. Even if he didn't learn his lessons from this, we can hear what the LORD would say in this chapter.

i. To hear from the LORD, we should begin by obeying what we already know He has told us in His word.

ii. We should reject any connection with the occult or spiritists.

iii. When we close our ears to God, He will find unusual - and perhaps uncomfortable - ways to speak to us.

iv. We must understand - and appreciate - the reality of the world beyond this present world.

v. The test of any spiritual experience or revelation is how it measures against God's Word.

vi. God's Word stays the same. Time does not make Him change His mind.

d. "The additional information, that within twenty-four hours he and his sons would be dead, was no help at all to his morale. Indeed he would have been better without it. He did himself no good by doing what he had decreed to be unlawful. God's word stood and could not be altered. He should have believed it instead of thinking that by further consultation he could reverse its judgment. The Lord did not answer him, because there was no more to be said." (Baldwin <Baldwin.htm>)

© 2001 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 1 Samuel (Outline)

• OF ELKANAH AND HIS TWO WIVES. (1Sa 1:1-8)
• HANNAH'S PRAYER. (1Sa 1:9-18)
• SAMUEL BORN. (1Sa 1:20)
• HANNAH'S SONG IN THANKFULNESS TO GOD. (1Sa 2:1-11)
• THE SIN OF ELI'S SONS. (1Sa 2:12-17)
• SAMUEL'S MINISTRY. (1Sa 2:18-26)
• A PROPHECY AGAINST ELI'S HOUSE. (1Sa 2:27-35)
• THE LORD APPEARS TO SAMUEL IN A VISION. (1Sa 3:1-10)
• ISRAEL OVERCOME BY THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 4:1-11)
• ELI HEARING THE TIDINGS. (1Sa 4:12-22)
• THE PHILISTINES BRING THE ARK INTO THE HOUSE OF DAGON. (1Sa 5:1-2)
• DAGON FALLS DOWN. (1Sa 5:3-5)
• THE PHILISTINES ARE SMITTEN WITH EMERODS. (1Sa 5:6-12)
• THE PHILISTINES COUNSEL HOW TO SEND BACK THE ARK. (1Sa 6:1-9)
• THE ARK AT KIRJATH-JEARIM. (1Sa 7:1-2)
• THE ISRAELITES, THROUGH SAMUEL'S INFLUENCE, SOLEMNLY REPENT AT MIZPEH. (1Sa 7:3-6)
• WHILE SAMUEL PRAYS, THE PHILISTINES ARE DISCOMFITED. (1Sa 7:7-14)
• OCCASIONED BY THE ILL-GOVERNMENT OF SAMUEL'S SONS, THE ISRAELITES ASK A KING. (1Sa. 8:1-18)
• SAUL, DESPAIRING TO FIND HIS FATHER'S ASSES, COMES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 9:1-14)
• GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE KINGDOM. (1Sa 9:15-27)
• SAMUEL ANOINTS SAUL, AND CONFIRMS HIM BY THE PREDICTION OF THREE SIGNS. (1Sa. 10:1-27)
• NAHASH OFFERS THEM OF JABESH-GILEAD A REPROACHFUL CONDITION. (1Sa 11:1-4)
• THEY SEND TO SAUL, AND ARE DELIVERED. (1Sa 11:5-11)
• SAUL CONFIRMED KING. (1Sa 11:12-15)
• SAMUEL TESTIFIES HIS INTEGRITY. (1Sa 12:1-5)
• HE TERRIFIES THEM WITH THUNDER IN HARVEST-TIME. (1Sa 12:17-25)
• SAUL'S SELECTED BAND. (1Sa 13:1-2)
• HE CALLS THE HEBREWS TO GILGAL AGAINST THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 13:3-4)
• THE PHILISTINES' GREAT HOST. (1Sa 13:5)
• THE ISRAELITES' DISTRESS. (1Sa 13:6-8)
• SAUL, WEARY OF WAITING FOR SAMUEL, SACRIFICES. (1Sa 13:9-16)
• JONATHAN MIRACULOUSLY SMITES THE PHILISTINES' GARRISON. (1Sa 14:1-14)
• SAUL SENT TO DESTROY AMALEK. (1Sa 15:1-6)
• HE SPARES AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SPOIL. (1Sa 15:7-9)
• GOD REJECTS HIS FOR DISOBEDIENCE. (1Sa 15:10-11)
• SAMUEL SENT BY GOD TO BETHLEHEM. (1Sa 16:1-10)
• HE ANOINTS DAVID. (1Sa 16:11-14)
• THE ISRAELITES AND PHILISTINES BEING READY TO BATTLE. (1Sa 17:1-3)
• GOLIATH CHALLENGES A COMBAT. (1Sa 17:4-11)
• DAVID ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE, AND SLAYS HIM. (1Sa. 17:12-58)
• JONATHAN LOVES DAVID. (1Sa 18:1-4)
• SAUL ENVIES HIS PRAISE. (1Sa 18:5-9)
• SEEKS TO KILL HIM. (1Sa 18:10-12)
• FEARS HIM FOR HIS GOOD SUCCESS. (1Sa 18:13-16)
• HE OFFERS HIM HIS DAUGHTER FOR A SNARE. (1Sa 18:17-21)
• JONATHAN DISCLOSES HIS FATHER'S PURPOSE TO KILL DAVID. (1Sa 19:1-7)
• SAUL'S MALICIOUS RAGE BREAKS OUT AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 19:8-17)
• DAVID FLEES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 19:18-23)
• SAUL PROPHESIES. (1Sa 19:24)
• DAVID CONSULTS WITH JONATHAN FOR HIS SAFETY. (1Sa 20:1-10)
• THEIR COVENANT RENEWED BY OATH. (1Sa 20:11-23)
• SAUL, MISSING DAVID, SEEKS TO KILL JONAHAN. (1Sa. 20:24-40)
• JONATHAN AND DAVID LOVINGLY PART. (1Sa 20:41-42)
• DAVID, AT NOB, OBTAINS OF AHIMELECH HALLOWED BREAD. (1Sa 21:1-7)
• HE TAKES GOLIATH'S SWORD. (1Sa 21:9)
• AT GATH HE FEIGNS HIMSELF MAD. (1Sa 21:10-15)
• DAVID'S KINDRED AND OTHERS RESORT TO HIM AT ADULLAM. (1Sa 22:1-8)
• DOEG ACCUSES AHIMELECH. (1Sa 22:9-16)
• SAUL COMMANDS TO KILL THE PRIESTS. (1Sa 22:17-19)
• ABIATHAR ESCAPES AND FLEES AFTER DAVID. (1Sa 22:20-23)
• DAVID RESCUES KEILAH. (1Sa 23:1-6)
• SAUL'S COMING, AND TREACHERY OF THE KEILITES. (1Sa 23:7-13)
• DAVID ESCAPES TO ZIPH. (1Sa 23:14-18)
• SAUL PURSUES HIM. (1Sa 23:19-29)
• DAVID IN A CAVE AT ENGEDI CUTS OFF SAUL'S SKIRT, BUT SPARES HIS LIFE. (1Sa 24:1-7)
• HE URGES THEREBY HIS INNOCENCY. (1Sa 24:8-15)
• SAMUEL DIES. (1Sa 25:1-9)
• THE CHURLISH ANSWER PROVOKES HIM. (1Sa 25:10-13)
• ABIGAIL PACIFIES HIM. (1Sa. 25:14-35)
• NABAL'S DEATH. (1Sa 25:36-44)
• SAUL COMES TO THE HILL OF HACHILAH AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 26:1-4)
• DAVID STAYS ABISHAI FROM KILLING SAUL, BUT TAKES HIS SPEAR AND CRUSE. (1Sa. 26:5-25)
• SAUL HEARING THAT DAVID WAS FLED TO GATH, SEEKS NO MORE FOR HIM. (1Sa 27:1-4)
• DAVID BEGS ZIKLAG OF ACHISH. (1Sa 27:5-12)
• ACHISH'S CONFIDENCE IN DAVID. (1Sa 28:1-6)
• SAUL SEEKS A WITCH, WHO, BEING ENCOURAGED BY HIM, RAISES UP SAMUEL. (1Sa. 28:7-25)
• DAVID MARCHING WITH THE PHILISTINES TO FIGHT WITH ISRAEL. (1Sa 29:1-5)
• THE AMALEKITES SPOIL ZIKLAG. (1Sa 30:1-5)
• BUT DAVID, ENCOURAGED BY GOD, PURSUES THEM. (1Sa 30:6-15)
• AND RECOVERS HIS TWO WIVES AND ALL THE SPOIL. (1Sa. 30:16-31)
• SAUL HAVING LOST HIS ARMY AT GILBOA, AND HIS SONS BEING SLAIN, HE AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER KILL THEMSELVES. (1Sa 31:1-7)
• THE PHILISTINES TRIUMPH OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES. (1Sa 31:8-10)
• THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY THEM AT JABESH. (1Sa 31:11-13)

TSK: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

The First Book of SAMUEL, otherwise called " The First Book of the KINGS."

TSK: 1 Samuel 28 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

1Sa 28:1, Achish puts confidence in David; 1Sa 28:3, Saul having destroyed the witches, 1Sa 28:4, and now in his fear forsaken of God, 1Sa 28:7, has recourse to a witch; 1Sa 28:8, who, encouraged by Saul, raises up Samuel; 1Sa 28:15, Saul hearing his ruin, faints; 1Sa 28:21, The woman and his servants refresh him with meat.

Poole: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.

THE ARGUMENT.

IT is not certainly known who was the penman of this Book, or whether it was written by one or more hands; nor is it or any great importance; for since there are sufficient evidences that God was the chief author of it, it matters not who was the instrument. As when it appears that such a thing was really an act of parliament, or of the council-table, it is not considerable who was the clerk or which was the pen that wrote it. And this is the less material in such historical hooks, wherein there is but little which concerns the foundation of faith and good life, and therefore it was not necessary to name the writer of them. It may abundantly suffice that there were in these times divers prophets and holy men of God; as Samuel, and Nathan, and Gad, and David himself, who might each of them write some part of this and the following book. But if any man will out of perverseness doubt or deny that these wrote it, yet this I suppose no discreet and impartial man will deny, that it is wholly incredible that such books should be written in their times, and recommended to the church as a part of the Holy Scriptures, and so received by the succeeding generation, without their approbation, who had so great a power and authority in the church and commonwealth of Israel.

Poole: 1 Samuel 28 (Chapter Introduction)

SAMUEL CHAPTER 28

Achish intending war against Israel, relieth on David, 1Sa 28:1,2 . Saul having destroyed the witches, yet, Samuel being dead, in his fear, forsaken of God, seeketh to a witch, 1Sa 28:3-8 . She, encouraged by Saul, raiseth Samuel; of whom hearing his approaching ruin, he fainteth, 1Sa 28:9-20 . The woman, with his servants, refresh him with meat, 1Sa 28:21-25 .

The Philistines were encouraged by Samuel’ s death, and Saul’ s degeneration, and David’ s presence with Achish.

MHCC: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

In this book we have an account of Eli, and the wickedness of his sons; also of Samuel, his character and actions. Then of the advancement of Saul to be the king of Israel, and his ill behaviour, until his death made way for David's succession to the throne, who was an eminent type of Christ. David's patience, modesty, constancy, persecution by open enemies and feigned friends, are a pattern and example to the church, and to every member of it. Many things in this book encourage the faith, hope, and patience of the suffering believer. It contains also many useful cautions and awful warnings.

MHCC: 1 Samuel 28 (Chapter Introduction)

(1Sa 28:1-6) Achish puts confidence in David, Saul's fear.

(1Sa 28:7-19) Saul consults a witch at Endor.

(1Sa 28:20-25) Saul's terror.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The First Book of Samuel

This book, and that which follows it, bear the name of Samuel in the title, not because he was the penman of them (except of so much of them as fell within his own time, to the twenty-fifth chapter of the first book, in which we have an account of his death), but because the first book begins with a large account of him, his birth and childhood, his life and government; and the rest of these two volumes that are denominated from him contains the history of the reigns of Saul and David, who were both anointed by him. And, because the history of these two kings takes up the greatest part of these books, the Vulgar latin calls them the First and Second Books of the Kings, and the two that follow the Third and Fourth, which the titles in our English Bibles take notice of with an alias: otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, etc. The Septuagint calls them the first and second Book of the Kingdoms. It is needless to contend about it, but there is no occasion to vary from the Hebrew verity. These two books contain the history of the last two of the judges, Eli and Samuel, who were not, as the rest, men of war, but priests (and so much of them is an appendix to the book of Judges), and of the first two of the kings, Saul and David, and so much of them is an entrance upon the history of the kings. They contain a considerable part of the sacred history, are sometimes referred to in the New Testament, and often in the titles of David's Psalms, which, if placed in their order, would fall in these books. It is uncertain who was the penman of them; it is probable that Samuel wrote the history of his own time, and that, after him, some of the prophets that were with David (Nathan as likely as any) continued it. This first book gives us a full account of Eli's fall and Samuel's rise and good government, ch. 1-8. Of Samuel's resignation of the government and Saul's advancement and mal-administration, ch. 9-15. The choice of David, his struggles with Saul, Saul's ruin at last, and the opening of the way for David to the throne, ch. 16-31. And these things are written for our learning.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel 28 (Chapter Introduction)

Preparations are herein making for that war which will put an end to the life and reign of Saul, and so make way for David to the throne. In this war, I. The Philistines are the aggressors and Achish their king makes David his confidant (1Sa 28:1, 1Sa 28:2). II. The Israelites prepare to receive them, and Saul their king makes the devil his privy-counsellor, and thereby fills the measure of his iniquity. Observe, 1. The despairing condition which Saul was in (1Sa 28:3-6). 2. The application he made to a witch, to bring him up Samuel (1Sa 28:7-14). 3. His discourse with the apparition (1Sa 28:15-19). The damp it struck upon him (1Sa 28:20-25).

Constable: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title

First and Second Samuel were originally one book called the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (made ca. 250 B.C.) was the first to divide it into two books. The Septuagint translators titled these books 1 and 2 Kingdoms. That division has persisted ever since and has even been incorporated into subsequent editions of the Hebrew Bible (since A.D. 1517). The title "Samuel" was given by Jerome in his Latin translation, the Vulgate (ca. A.D. 400).

The Jews gave the name "Samuel" to it because Samuel is the first major character in the book. Samuel anointed both Saul and David, so in this respect he was superior to them both.

Date and Writer

Statements in the Book of Samuel imply that someone who had witnessed at least some of the events recorded wrote it. However the original writer must have written most of it after Samuel's death (i.e., -1 Sam. 25-2 Sam. 24) and some of it even after the division of the kingdom following Solomon's death (e.g., 1 Sam. 27:6). These features have made it difficult to date the book.

"Our guess is that the author was a high state official in frequent attendance at the court, enjoying the full confidence of David and his household, who served David throughout his reign in Jerusalem and also Solomon during the early years of his reign, and whose duties may have been connected with literary work."¹

Most conservative scholars prefer the view that Samuel may have written or been responsible for noting the record of earlier events in the book (chs. 1-24). Then some unidentifiable writer put it in its final form later, perhaps soon after Solomon's death.

Rationalistic critics of the book tend to believe it was the result of much more piecing together, and some of them date its final form as late as 500 B.C.²

Scope

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.³ David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11; 5:5). This means he came to power in 1011 B.C. Saul also reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21) so he became king in 1051 B.C. We can estimate the date of Samuel's birth fairly certainly on the basis of chronological references in the text to have been about 1121 B.C.⁴ Thus the Book of Samuel covers about 1121-971 B.C., or about 150 years of history.

We should note that the first part of 1 Samuel overlaps historically with the end of the judges period that we find in the Book of Judges. Apparently Samson was born just a few years before Samuel. Samson's 20-year judgeship evidently began shortly before the battle of Aphek (1104 B.C.) at which time Eli died (1 Sam. 4:18). It ended not many years before the battle of Mizpah (1084 B.C.) when the Philistine domination of Israel ceased temporarily (1 Sam. 7:13). Samuel's ministry therefore probably ran concurrent with that of Samson until Samson died. Saul began to reign about 35 years after Samson died (i.e., 1051 B.C.). Samuel evidently lived about 30 years after that.⁵

Old Testament History
Events	Biblical References
Creation to Israel's move to Egypt	Genesis 1-50
The Exodus	Exodus 1-18
Israel at Mt. Sinai	Exodus 19--Numbers 10
The Wilderness Wanderings	Numbers 11-21
Israel on the Plains of Moab	Numbers 22--Joshua 2
The Conquest and Division of Canaan	Joshua 3-24
The Amphictyony	-Judges 1-1 Samuel 7
The Reign of Saul	1 Samuel 8-31; 1 Chronicles 10
The Reign of David	2 Samuel 1-24; 1 Chronicles 11-29
The Reign of Solomon	1 Kings 1-11; 2 Chronicles 1-9
The Divided Monarchy	-1 Kings 12-2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 10-31
The Surviving Kingdom of Judah	2 Kings 18-25; 2 Chronicles 32-36
The Return under Zerubbabel	Ezra 1-6
The Return under Ezra	Ezra 7-10
The Return under Nehemiah	Nehemiah 1-13

Message⁶

First and 2 Samuel are really one story. The translators divided them into two books for convenience, not because of subject matter.

First Samuel records Israel's transition from amphictyony to monarchy.

The key passage that explains this transition is 8:4-7. Two statements from this passage are especially significant.

The human desire that produced the transition expressed itself in verse 5: "Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." God had brought Israel into existence as a nation to be unlike all the nations (Exod. 19:5-6). The essence of its uniqueness was Yahweh's rule over it as King. God wanted Israel to be a demonstration for all the world to see how glorious it can be to live under the authority of God.

The real meaning of the people's request comes out in verse 7: ". . . they have rejected me from being king over them." During the period of the judges, religious apostasy spread and characterized Israel. The people refused to obey their King. It is this attitude that finds expression in verse 5. The people wanted to substitute the false for the true. This is the essence of sin, and it results in idolatry. Every idol is a witness to man's need of God. When people reject the true God they must put something in His place to meet that need. Human beings must have a god.

Israel turned from God as her King in 1 Samuel. She desired a king like the other nations. This book shows the immediate effects of that desire.

One of the great revelations of 1 Samuel is how from the human viewpoint God adapts to continue His reign.

This statement appears to contradict 8:7, but it does not. The people rejected Yahweh, but they did not dethrone Him. The first act is possible, the second is not. This is a major lesson of 1 Samuel. The great revelation of this book is not primarily its three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David. It is Yahweh reigning by adapting to human situations and moving surely and steadily toward the fulfillment of His purposes. In spite of disobedience or obedience, failure or success, rebellious or loyal people, the reign of God moves on. We see this great lesson in the history of 1 Samuel's three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David.

The writer introduced Samuel's story with his mother Hannah's experience with God. Hannah was a great woman of faith who lived in the judges period. Her faith became God's foothold for advance. Her song reveals a profound appreciation for Yahweh as the God who reigns over all (2:6-8, 10). The similarities between this prayer and Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1 are interesting and noteworthy.

Samuel was a prophet. In one sense he was the first of the prophets (Acts 3:24). Of course, Moses was a prophet and so was Abraham, but Samuel was the first of the order of prophets who mediated between God and the Israelites during the monarchy. The kings of Israel and Judah were never mediators between God and the people in the sense of speaking for God to the people. When the Israelites rejected Yahweh as their king, He withdrew from close communion and intimate fellowship with them. He never recognized their kings as standing between Himself and them to mediate His Word to the people. He chose their kings for them. He allowed their desire for a human king to work itself out in ultimate disaster through the centuries that followed. Yet He never spoke to the people through the king. He always spoke to them through the prophets. Samuel was the first of these. David, of course, was a king and a prophet. The role of the kings was to govern the people. The role of the prophets was to reveal God's will to them.

With Samuel the office of prophet in Israel emerges as that of Yahweh's authoritative representative to His people. Samuel became the king-maker finding and anointing both Saul and David. >From now on when God had a message for the people it normally did not come directly to the king but to the king and the people through the prophet. The prophet's office was always superior to that of Israel's kings. (You have the privilege of speaking for God to your generation. You have a high calling similar to that of Israel's prophets.) When Israel rejected Yahweh as her king, God chose Samuel, the child of a woman's simple faith, trained him in the tabernacle, and called him when he was only a boy. Then He gave him a message to deliver and sent him to anoint Saul as the king after the people's own heart, and David as the king after God's own heart. The prophets became God's mediators, His messengers, and the interpreters of His law. Thus Yahweh reigned though He adapted His methods of ruling by raising up the prophets. He called Samuel as the first of these mediators. During the monarchy God provided guidance through two offices rather than through one as He had done previously. The kings provided political leadership, and the prophets gave the people spiritual leadership. God had previously provided both types of leadership through single individuals namely Moses, Joshua, and the judges.

Saul's story is one of the most tragic in Scripture. It is unusually fascinating and has tremendous power in its appeal to our lives. When God placed Saul on Israel's throne He answered the prayer of His rebellious people in 8:5. God "gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them" (Ps. 106:15; NASB).

Saul was a revelation to the Israelites of what the possession of "a king like the nations" really meant. He had unusual physical strength, but he was fitful and he failed the people. He had mental acumen, but he was moody and eventually turned into a madman. He was sluggish and dull spiritually lacking in spiritual insight and power, and eventually he abandoned Yahweh for a witch.

His reign was also a disaster. At the beginning of his reign, Israel was virtually without a leader. At its end it was under the control of an enemy neighbor. Saul was never able to expand the borders of Israel because he never was strong enough to dominate his enemy neighbors. David on the other hand did both of these things. At the end of Saul's reign, Israel had almost destroyed itself through its wars with the Philistines.

David's story is one of the most glorious in Scripture. After Saul, God gave His people another king, but this time he was a man after God's own heart.

God prepared David for the throne by putting him through training as a shepherd in the fields, a courtier in the palace, and an "outlaw" in exile. (By "outlaw" I do not mean David was lawless but that he lived outside Saul's control.) His shepherd training prepared him to care for and protect the Israelites under his charge. His courtier experience prepared him to deal with high governmental leaders. His "outlaw" years perfected the disciplines that enabled him to become a strong ruler. These disciplines included relying on God in every situation, practicing self-restraint, and leading his people.

In all David's training God was reigning, moving forward to the fulfillment of His plans and purposes. God had previously done this by making the child of faith, Samuel, His prophet. He had also done this by making outwardly promising Saul a revelation to the nation of her sins in turning away from God.

The second great revelation of this book is that people cooperate with God by either being loyal or by being disloyal to Him.

In Samuel's case he had opportunity to glorify God because of his parentage, his call by God, and his appointment as God's prophet. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently God's messages got delivered, and God's work moved ahead. Samuel was an instrument of blessing.

In Saul's case he had opportunity to glorify God too. His opportunity came in his call by God, his anointing by Samuel, his friendship with Samuel, his popularity with the people, and his personal abilities. He responded disobediently, with disloyalty to God as seen in his vacillating and self-will. Consequently he failed as a king, and he died under the judgment of God. His life was a failure.

In David's case his opportunities were his call, his anointing, his waiting, and his suffering. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently he became God's instrument of progress and blessing. He was a success.

Each man had his opportunity, made his response, and experienced the consequences of his response. Two obeyed, one disobeyed. All cooperated with God in fulfilling His ultimate purposes either to his own blessing or to his own blasting.

As a result of these two major revelations I would summarize the message of 1 Samuel as follows. God will accomplish His purposes regardless of man's personal response to Him. However man's response to God's revealed will determines a person's own success or failure in life.

First Samuel teaches us the methods of the sovereign God. All territory is within God's jurisdiction, every person is under His control, and all events are in His hands. All of God's plans and purposes are moving toward accomplishment. He makes use of all antagonistic facts and forces as well as all positive facts and forces. He also makes use of all the agents He has chosen to use regardless of their responses. Paul's comments in 2 Tim. 2:20-21 are very much to the point here.

First Samuel also teaches us that God's ultimate victory is independent of the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups of people (e.g., Israel) toward Him. Nevertheless the ultimate destiny of individuals and groups of people depends on their attitudes and actions toward Him.

Samuel was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. Saul was disobedient, was God's instrument, and experienced destruction. David was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. My attitudes and actions do not determine God's ultimate victory, but they do determine my ultimate destiny. Everything depends on my choices and me regarding my earthly destiny. Nothing depends on me regarding God's ultimate victory. God uses all people, loyal and rebellious, to produce His ultimate purposes. However we determine the outcome of our lives by our attitudes and responses to Him. We see these principles working themselves out around us all the time. Dr. Walvoord is an example of a Samuel or a David in our day. The DTS graduates in prison are examples of the Sauls of our day.

Constable: 1 Samuel (Outline)

Outline

I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3

A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:10

1. Hannah's condition 1:1-8

2. Hannah's vow 1:9-18

3. Hannah's obedience 1:19-28

4. Hannah's song 2:1-10

B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2:11-36

1. Eli's sons' wickedness 2:11-17

2. Hannah's godly influence on Samuel and its effect 2:18-21

3. Eli's lack of influence on his sons and its effect 2:22-26

4. The oracle against Eli's house 2:27-36

C. God's first revelation to Samuel ch. 3

1. Samuel's call 3:1-18

2. Samuel's ministry 3:19-4:1a

II. The history of the ark of the covenant 4:1b-7:1

A. The capture of the ark 4:1b-22

1. The battle of Aphek 4:1b-11

2. The response of Eli 4:12-18

3. The response of Phinehas' wife 4:19-22

B. Pagan fertility foiled by God ch. 5

C. The ark returned to Israel by God 6:1-7:1

1. The plan to terminate God's judgment 6:1-9

2. The return of the ark to Bethshemesh 6:10-18

3. The removal of the ark to Kiriath-jearim 6:19-7:1

III. Samuel and Saul 7:2-15:35

A. Samuel's ministry as Israel's judge 7:2-17

1. Samuel's spiritual leadership 7:2-4

2. National repentance and deliverance 7:5-14

3. Samuel's regular ministry 7:15-17

B. Kingship given to Saul chs. 8-12

1. The demand for a king ch. 8

2. The anointing of Saul 9:1-10:16

3. The choice of Saul by lot 10:17-27

4. Saul's effective leadership in battle 11:1-11

5. The confirmation of Saul as king 11:12-12:25

C. Kingship removed from Saul chs. 13-15

1. Saul's disobedience at Gilgal 13:1-15

2. Saul's struggle against the Philistines 13:16-14:23

3. Saul's cursing of Jonathan 14:24-46

4. Saul's limited effectiveness in battle 14:47-52

5. Yahweh's final rejection of Saul ch. 15

IV. Saul and David 1 Sam. 16-31

A. David's rise as the new anointed 16:1-18:5

1. God's selection of David for kingship ch. 16

2. The reason for God's selection of David ch. 17

3. The results of God's selection of David ch. 18:1-19:17

B. David driven out by Saul 19:18-20:42

1. God's deliverance in Ramah 19:18-24

2. Jonathan's advocacy for David ch. 20

C. David in exile chs. 21-31

1. David's initial movements chs. 21-22

2. Saul's pursuit of David ch. 23

3. David's goodness to two fools ch. 24-26

4. The end of Saul's reign 27-31

(Continued in notes on 2 Samuel)

Constable: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel

Bibliography

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_____. "The Verb Love--'Aheb in the David-Jonathan Narratives--A Footnote." Vetus Testamentum 25:2 (April 1975):213-14.

Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonah. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1977.

Ahlstrom, G. W. "I Samuel 1, 15." Biblica 60:2 (1979):254.

_____. "The Travels of the Ark: A Religio-Political Composition." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 43 (1984):141-49.

Albright, William F. The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pelican Archaeology series. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, Eng.: Penguin Books, 1956.

_____. "What Were the Cherubim?" Biblical Archaeologist 1:1 (1938):1-3.

"Annotated Bibliography on I Samuel." Biblical Viewpoint 14:2 (November 1980):144-49.

Ap-Thomas, D. R. "Saul's Uncle.'" Vetus Testamentum 11 (1961):241-45.

Archer, Gleason L, Jr. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Regency Reference Library series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1982.

_____. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Revised ed. Chicago: Moody Press, 1974.

Baldwin, Joyce G. 1 & 2 Samuel. Tyndale Old Testament commentaries series. Leicester, Eng., and Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1988.

Baltzer, Klaus. The Covenant Formulary. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971.

Barker, Kenneth L. "The Antiquity and Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives." In A Tribute to Gleason Archer, pp.131-39. Edited by Walter C. Kaiser Jr. and Ronald F. Youngblood. Chicago: Moody Press, 1986.

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This and the following Book are called by the Hebrews, the Books of Samuel, because they contain the history of Samuel, and of the two kings, Saul and David, whom he anointed. They are more commonly named by the Fathers, the First and Second Book of Kings. As to the writer of them, it is the common opinion that Samuel composed the first book, as far as the twenty-fifth chapter; and that the prophets Nathan and Gad finished the first and wrote the second book. See 1 Paralipomenon, alias 1 Chronicles, xxix. 19. (Challoner) --- The authors of the Third and Fourth Books of Kings were also prophets, but we know not exactly their names. These works have nevertheless been always esteemed authentic (Haydock) and canonical. (Worthington) --- Ven. Bede takes occasion to observe, from the Books of Kings (or as the Septuagint read, "of kingdoms;" Haydock) being placed after that of Judges, that the everlasting kingdom of Christ will succeed the general judgment. The translation of the priesthood and of the regal dignity, recorded in these books, denote also that Christ would united both in his own person; as the two wives of Eleana intimated, that both Jews and Gentiles would acknowledge the same Lord. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine; &c.) --- The transactions of Heli, Samuel and Saul, and the persecutions which David sustained from the latter, form the subject of the first book, (Haydock) during the space of 100 years. All the four books carry down the sacred history near 600 years, from the year of the world 2849 till the transmigration of Juda, in the year 3420. (Calmet) (Usher)

Gill: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 1 SAMUEL

This book, in the Hebrew copies, is commonly called Samuel, or the Book of Samuel; in the Syriac version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet; and in the Arabic version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet, which is the First Book of the Kings; and the Septuagint version, the Book of the Kingdom: it has the name of Samuel, because it contains an history of his life and times; and the Jews say ^a it was written by him; and as it may well enough be thought to be, to the end of the twenty fourth chapter; and the rest might be written by Nathan and Gad, as may he gathered from 1Ch 29:29 as also the following book that bears his name; and both may be called the Books of Kings, because they give an account of the rise of the kings in Israel, and of the two first of them; though some think they were written by Jeremiah, as Abarbinel; and others ascribe them to Ezra: however, there is no doubt to be made of it that this book was written by divine inspiration, when we consider the series of its history, its connection and harmony with other parts of Scripture; the several things borrowed from it, or alluded to in the book of Psalms, particularly what is observed in Psa 113:7, seems to be taken out of 1Sa 2:8, and the sanction which the Lord gives to it, by referring to a fact in it, whereby he stopped the mouths of the Scribes and Pharisees cavilling at his disciples, Mat 12:3, compared with 1Sa 21:3, yea, even, as Huetius ^b observes, some Heathen writers have by their testimonies confirmed some passages in these books, which they seem to have been acquainted with, as Nicolaus of Damascus ^c, and Eupolemus ^d; it contains an history of the government of Eli, and of the birth of Samuel, and his education under him; of the succession of Samuel in it, and the resignation of it to Saul, when he was chosen king; of his administration of his office, and of things done in the time of it, both before and after his rejection, and of the persecution of David by Saul, and is concluded with his death.

Gill: 1 Samuel 28 (Chapter Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 28

The Philistines gathering together, to fight with Israel, Saul trembled at it, not being able to get any answer from the Lord about it in any way whatever, 1Sa 28:1; upon which he applies to a woman that had a familiar spirit to bring him up Samuel, which she did, 1Sa 28:7; and what passed between Saul and Samuel, or at least the apparition in his form, is recorded, 1Sa 28:15; which so struck him, as to make him strengthless, and so melancholy, that he refused to eat until persuaded, or rather compelled, by the woman and his servants, 1Sa 28:20.