1 Samuel 28:3

KJV

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

KJV (with Strong's)

Now Samuel {H8050} was dead {H4191}, and all Israel {H3478} had lamented {H5594} him, and buried {H6912} him in Ramah {H7414}, even in his own city {H5892}. And Saul {H7586} had put away {H5493} those that had familiar spirits {H178}, and the wizards {H3049}, out of the land {H776}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Now Sh'mu'el was dead; all Isra'el had mourned him and buried him in his city, Ramah. Also Sha'ul had expelled from the land those who tell the future by communicating with the dead or with a demonic spirit.

Berean Standard Bible

Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

American Standard Version

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

Commentary

### SUMMARY
1 Samuel 28:3 serves as a pivotal transitional verse, meticulously establishing the dire spiritual and political landscape that compels King Saul's subsequent desperate and illicit actions. It first chronicles the deeply mourned passing of Samuel, Israel's revered prophet and judge, marking the definitive end of an era characterized by direct prophetic guidance. Immediately following this profound loss, the text ironically highlights Saul's earlier, seemingly righteous, initiative to purge the land of those who practiced divination and consulted familiar spirits, a detail that sharply contrasts with his impending, flagrant violation of this very prohibition in his ultimate moment of spiritual and military crisis.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse strategically positions itself as a crucial narrative hinge, immediately preceding the climactic and tragic account of King Saul's final, desperate attempt to seek divine guidance through forbidden means. Samuel's death, meticulously documented here, leaves Saul bereft of the legitimate prophetic voice he once had, a voice he had largely disregarded throughout his reign. The narrative's deliberate inclusion of Saul's prior expulsion of mediums and wizards creates a profound and poignant irony, directly foreshadowing his own egregious violation of this very law in the subsequent verses of [1 Samuel 28](/1_samuel/28 "1 Samuel 28 - Saul and the Medium of Endor"). This narrative sequence masterfully emphasizes the escalating spiritual decline of Saul, culminating in his abandonment of God's explicit commands in the face of an overwhelming Philistine threat, a crisis vividly detailed in [1 Samuel 28:4-5](/1_samuel/28-4-5 "1 Samuel 28:4-5 - The Philistine Encampment and Saul's Fear").

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** Within ancient Israel, the practices of divination, necromancy, and consulting "familiar spirits" were not merely frowned upon but were explicitly and vehemently forbidden by Mosaic Law, as unequivocally stated in [Deuteronomy 18:10-12](/deuteronomy/18-10-12 "Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - Abominable Practices"). These prohibitions served to fundamentally distinguish Israel from the surrounding pagan nations, where such occult practices were commonplace and deeply integrated into religious life. Samuel, whose passing is noted in this verse, had been an monumental figure in Israel's history—serving as the last judge, a preeminent prophet, and the divine instrument for anointing both Saul and David. His death thus marked the conclusion of a profoundly significant era of direct prophetic guidance and moral authority, leaving a palpable void in the spiritual leadership of the nation. Saul's initial purge of these forbidden practitioners, while outwardly appearing pious, may have been a superficial act of political expediency or a fleeting moment of obedience, given his consistent pattern of self-reliance and outright disobedience throughout his turbulent reign, vividly illustrated in instances such as [1 Samuel 13:8-14](/1_samuel/13-8-14 "1 Samuel 13:8-14 - Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice and Rejection") and [1 Samuel 15:1-23](/1_samuel/15-1-23 "1 Samuel 15:1-23 - Saul's Disobedience Regarding the Amalekites").

* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to the development of several overarching themes woven throughout the book of 1 Samuel. Firstly, it starkly highlights **The Void of Legitimate Divine Counsel**, as Samuel's death removes the primary human conduit for God's direct word to Israel and, more acutely, to Saul, who had already experienced God's profound silence due to his persistent rebellion (cf. [1 Samuel 28:6](/1_samuel/28-6 "1 Samuel 28:6 - God's Silence to Saul")). Secondly, the verse underscores **Saul's Deepening Spiritual Decline and Hypocrisy**. His earlier act of expelling mediums, while superficially commendable, is dramatically revealed as a superficial, external conformity when contrasted with his desperate and immediate turn to the very practices he once condemned. This tragic inconsistency powerfully illustrates the inherent danger of external religious observance divorced from genuine internal transformation and heart-felt devotion. Finally, the verse unequivocally reinforces the **Unwavering Condemnation of Occult Practices**. By explicitly mentioning "familiar spirits" and "wizards," the text reiterates the severe and absolute biblical stance against any attempt to bypass God's sovereignty or to seek knowledge and guidance from sources other than Him, emphasizing that such acts are an abomination and an affront to the divine.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Familiar spirits (Hebrew, _ʼôwb'_):** From the same root as "father" (אָב), this term refers to a mumble or hollow sound, akin to the sound from a water skin. It denotes a necromancer or ventriloquist, someone who claims to communicate with the dead, often through a spirit believed to be that of a deceased person. In the biblical context, it signifies a direct and severe violation of God's command against seeking guidance from spirits other than Him, as explicitly seen in [Leviticus 19:31](/leviticus/19-31 "Leviticus 19:31 - Do Not Turn to Mediums").
* **Wizards (Hebrew, _yiddᵉʻônîy'_):** Derived from the root "to know" (יָדַע), this term describes individuals who claim to possess special, secret knowledge, often acquired through occult or forbidden means. These practitioners were believed to have insight into hidden matters, frequently through divination or magic, practices God explicitly forbade for His people, distinguishing Israel from surrounding pagan cultures.
* **Put away (Hebrew, _çûwr'_):** This primitive root means "to turn off," "remove," or "withdraw." In this context, it describes Saul's decisive action of expelling or eliminating those who practiced forbidden forms of divination from the land. This act, while outwardly compliant with Mosaic law, is later revealed to be an act of superficial obedience rather than genuine spiritual transformation, given Saul's subsequent desperate turn to such practices.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city."**: This opening clause establishes a profound national loss and marks a significant turning point in Israel's history. Samuel, who served as the last judge, a pivotal prophet who anointed both Saul and David, and a consistent voice for God, is now gone. His death is met with widespread and deep mourning across all Israel, underscoring his immense spiritual and political influence. His burial in his hometown of Ramah signifies a definitive end to his earthly ministry and physical presence, leaving a spiritual void that King Saul, in particular, would feel acutely, especially given his prior rejection of Samuel's counsel.
* **"And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land."**: This second clause presents a stark contrast and masterfully sets up the tragic irony that permeates the ensuing narrative of 1 Samuel 28. It serves as a crucial reminder to the reader that Saul, at some earlier point in his reign, had outwardly conformed to God's law by purging the land of forbidden occult practitioners. This act, on its surface, would have been perceived as a righteous enforcement of the Mosaic covenant. However, the deliberate placement of this detail immediately before Saul's desperate and illicit turn to a medium dramatically reveals the superficiality or political expediency of his earlier action, highlighting the deep-seated inconsistency and ultimately rebellious nature of his heart.

#### Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs **Juxtaposition** by placing the profound national mourning for Samuel's death directly alongside the seemingly pious act of Saul's purge of occultists. This deliberate arrangement creates a powerful and tragic **Irony**, as Saul's past outward obedience to the law against divination stands in stark, hypocritical contrast to his desperate future actions within the very same chapter. The mention of Samuel's death also functions as a potent **Foreshadowing**, signaling the profound spiritual void and the absence of legitimate divine counsel that will inevitably drive Saul to seek forbidden and condemned means of guidance. Furthermore, the narrative utilizes **Ellipsis** by not explicitly detailing *why* Saul performed the purge, allowing the discerning reader to infer the likely political motivation or superficial nature of his obedience, especially when viewed against the backdrop of his subsequent spiritual collapse and ultimate rejection of God.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 28:3 powerfully illustrates the severe consequences of spiritual declension and the inherent dangers of seeking guidance outside of God's divinely ordained means. Samuel's death creates a profound void of legitimate prophetic authority, but Saul's prior, seemingly righteous act of expelling mediums highlights a critical theological truth: outward conformity to religious law, when divorced from genuine inward devotion and obedience to God, is ultimately futile and self-deceptive. When God's legitimate voice is rejected, or when He appears silent due to unrepentant sin, humanity often resorts to illicit and divinely condemned practices in moments of desperation. This verse unequivocally underscores God's absolute sovereignty and His exclusive right to reveal truth, condemning all attempts to bypass Him through divination, necromancy, or any form of occult practice as an abomination and a profound turning away from the true, living source of all wisdom, power, and life.

* [Deuteronomy 18:10-12](/deuteronomy/18-10-12 "Prohibition of Occult Practices")
* [1 Samuel 15:23](/1_samuel/15-23 "Rebellion as Witchcraft")
* [Isaiah 8:19-20](/isaiah/8-19-20 "Turn to God's Law and Testimony")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This verse offers a sobering and profound reflection on the nature of true faith, the perils of spiritual desperation, and the deceptive allure of forbidden shortcuts. King Saul's tragic trajectory, from outwardly expelling mediums to desperately seeking one himself, serves as a stark and timeless warning: external acts of piety, while commendable in themselves, hold little spiritual value if the heart is not genuinely and fully committed to God. When legitimate avenues for divine guidance seem closed, or when God appears to be silent, our natural human inclination might be to seek "shortcuts" or forbidden knowledge, driven by fear or a desire for control. However, the narrative of Saul powerfully reminds us that such paths lead only to deeper spiritual bondage, further alienation from God, and ultimately, destruction. Instead, believers are called to cultivate a steadfast and unwavering trust in God's sovereignty, even in His silence, diligently seeking Him through fervent prayer, through His revealed Word, and through the wise counsel of His Spirit-filled people. Our response to crisis and uncertainty should always be to draw closer to the Lord, not to stray into practices He condemns, trusting implicitly that His wisdom and timing are perfect, even when they are not immediately apparent or when His answers differ from our expectations.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do I typically respond when God seems silent or when answers to my prayers are not immediately forthcoming?**
* **Are there areas in my life where my outward religious obedience or conformity might unknowingly mask an inward lack of genuine devotion and surrender to God?**
* **What "forbidden shortcuts" or illicit sources of guidance might I be tempted to turn to in moments of desperation, fear, or profound uncertainty, rather than waiting on the Lord?**

### FAQ
**Why was Samuel's death so significant for Israel and for Saul?**

Answer: Samuel was not merely a prophet but also the last of the judges, a spiritual anchor, and the divine instrument through whom God had established the monarchy in Israel, anointing both Saul and David. His death, recorded in [1 Samuel 28:3](/1_samuel/28-3 "1 Samuel 28:3 - Samuel's Death and Saul's Purge"), left a profound void, removing a consistent, legitimate voice of God from the land. For Saul, who had already fallen out of God's favor and was experiencing divine silence (as noted in [1 Samuel 28:6](/1_samuel/28-6 "1 Samuel 28:6 - God's Silence to Saul")), Samuel's absence meant the loss of his last human recourse for divine counsel, pushing him to desperate and ultimately forbidden measures.

**What does "familiar spirits" mean, and why was it forbidden?**

Answer: The King James Version's "familiar spirits" translates the Hebrew word _'ob_, which refers to a spirit, often believed to be the ghost of a dead person, that communicates through a medium. This practice is known as necromancy, the attempt to consult the dead. It was strictly forbidden in Israel (e.g., [Deuteronomy 18:10-12](/deuteronomy/18-10-12 "Deuteronomy 18:10-12 - Abominable Practices")) because it bypassed God as the sole legitimate source of divine revelation, sought knowledge from demonic or deceptive entities, and was a direct affront to God's sovereignty, holiness, and the exclusive covenant relationship He desired with His people.

**Was Saul's earlier purge of mediums and wizards a sign of true repentance or piety?**

Answer: While Saul's act of expelling those with familiar spirits and wizards (mentioned in [1 Samuel 28:3](/1_samuel/28-3 "1 Samuel 28:3 - Samuel's Death and Saul's Purge")) outwardly conformed to God's law, the subsequent narrative in [1 Samuel 28:7-19](/1_samuel/28-7-19 "1 Samuel 28:7-19 - Saul and the Medium of Endor") reveals that it was likely not a sign of genuine, heart-deep repentance or piety. His immediate and desperate turn to a medium when God remained silent indicates that his earlier obedience was superficial, perhaps politically motivated to appear righteous, rather than stemming from a transformed heart truly devoted to the Lord. It highlights the tragic inconsistency and hypocrisy of his faith, demonstrating a pattern of external compliance without internal transformation.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The tragic narrative of Saul's spiritual decline and his desperate turn to forbidden practices in [1 Samuel 28:3](/1_samuel/28-3 "1 Samuel 28:3 - Samuel's Death and Saul's Purge") finds its ultimate resolution and perfect fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Saul's desperate search for a word from God through a medium underscores humanity's profound and inherent need for divine guidance, a need that Saul, having tragically rejected God's legitimate prophets and Spirit, could never genuinely meet. In stark contrast, Jesus is the ultimate and perfect Prophet, the very Word of God incarnate, through whom God speaks clearly, definitively, and exhaustively to humanity (cf. [Hebrews 1:1-2](/hebrews/1-1-2 "Hebrews 1:1-2 - God Has Spoken Through His Son")). Unlike the deceptive "familiar spirits" and "wizards" whom Saul both expelled and then tragically sought, Christ perfectly casts out all evil spirits by His own inherent authority (e.g., [Mark 1:27](/mark/1-27 "Mark 1:27 - Jesus' Authority Over Unclean Spirits")), demonstrating His supreme and unchallenged power over all dark forces and spiritual deception. Furthermore, Saul's inability to access God's presence highlights the insurmountable barrier of sin that separated him. Jesus, through His once-for-all atoning sacrifice on the cross, serves as our Great High Priest, providing perpetual, direct, and confident access to the Father's throne of grace (cf. [Hebrews 4:14-16](/hebrews/4-14-16 "Hebrews 4:14-16 - Approach the Throne of Grace with Confidence")). He is the true source of all wisdom, life, and genuine spiritual guidance, fulfilling all legitimate prophecy and offering a relationship with God that does not depend on human intermediaries or forbidden practices, but solely on saving faith in Him (cf. [John 14:6](/john/14-6 "John 14:6 - Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Leviticus 19:31

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God.

1 Samuel 25:1

¶ And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Leviticus 20:27

A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood [shall be] upon them.

Exodus 22:18

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

Deuteronomy 18:10

There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Deuteronomy 18:11

Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Acts 16:16

¶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: