1 Samuel 28:12

28:12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. ¹  The woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

1 Samuel 28:11

28:11 The woman replied, “Who is it that I should bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up for me Samuel.”

1 Samuel 1:18

1:18 She said, “May I, your servant, find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and got something to eat. ²  Her face no longer looked sad.

1 Samuel 1:26

1:26 She said, “Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the Lord.

1 Samuel 28:13

28:13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! What have you seen?” The woman replied to Saul, “I have seen one like a god ³  coming up from the ground!”

1 Samuel 28:23

28:23 But he refused, saying, “I won’t eat!” Both his servants and the woman urged ⁴  him to eat, so he gave in. ⁵  He got up from the ground and sat down on the bed.

1 Samuel 1:23

1:23 So her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what you think best. ⁶  Stay until you have weaned him. May the Lord fulfill his promise.” ⁷ 

So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

1 Samuel 2:20

2:20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord raise up for you descendants ⁸  from this woman to replace the one that she ⁹  dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would go to their ¹⁰  home.

1 Samuel 28:8-9

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.” ¹¹ 

28:9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you are aware of what Saul has done; he has removed ¹²  the mediums and magicians ¹³  from the land! Why are you trapping me ¹⁴  so you can put me to death?”

1 Samuel 28:21

28:21 When the woman came to Saul and saw how terrified he was, she said to him, “Your servant has done what you asked. ¹⁵  I took my life into my own hands and did what you told me. ¹⁶ 

[28:12]  ¹ tn Heb “in a great voice.”

[1:18]  ² tc Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack the words “and got something to eat.”

[28:13]  ³ tn Heb “gods.” The modifying participle (translated “coming up”) is plural, suggesting that underworld spirits are the referent. But in the following verse Saul understands the plural word to refer to a singular being. The reference is to the spirit of Samuel.

[28:23]  ⁴ tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss in reading וַיִּפְצְרוּ (vayyiftseru, “and they pressed”; from the root פצר, psr) rather than the MT’s וַיִּפְרְצוּ (vayyifretsu, “and they broke forth”; from the root פרצ, prs).

[28:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “he listened to their voice.”

[1:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[1:23]  ⁶ tn Heb “establish his word.” This apparently refers to the promise inherent in Eli’s priestly blessing (see v. 17).

[2:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “seed.”

[2:20]  ⁷ tn The MT has a masculine verb here, but in light of the context the reference must be to Hannah. It is possible that the text of the MT is incorrect here (cf. the ancient versions), in which case the text should be changed to read either a passive participle or better, the third feminine singular of the verb. If the MT is correct here, perhaps the masculine is to be understood in a nonspecific and impersonal way, allowing for a feminine antecedent. In any case, the syntax of the MT is unusual here.

[2:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “his.”

[28:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “Use divination for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me the one whom I say to you.”

[28:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “how he has cut off.”

[28:9]  ⁹ tn See the note at v. 3.

[28:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my life.”

[28:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “listened to your voice.”

[28:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “listened to your words that you spoke to me.”