1 Samuel 28:3

28:3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented over him and had buried him in Ramah, his hometown. ¹  In the meantime Saul had removed the mediums ²  and magicians ³  from the land.

1 Samuel 28:7

28:7 So Saul instructed his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, ⁴  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.”

1 Samuel 28:9

28:9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has removed ⁵  the mediums and magicians ⁶  from the land! Why are you trapping me ⁷  so you can put me to death?”

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.

⁴ tn Heb “an owner of a ritual pit.” See the note at v. 3.

⁵ tn Heb “how he has cut off.”

⁶ tn See the note at v. 3.

⁷ tn Heb “my life.”