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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 1 Samuel 28:7–14. His two-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here, I. Saul seeks for a witch, Sa1 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, Sa1 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, Sa1 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, Sa1 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 (Sa1 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, Sa1 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? Sa1 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, (Sa1 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 (Sa1 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? Sa1 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.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
And his servants said to her, etc. Correctly it is narrated that the woman with a familiar spirit, whom some call a ventriloquist, lived in Endor, which means in the fountain or eye of generation, so that the very place of her habitation bears witness to the already lost Synagogue, which, deceived by the serpent's conversation, feigns to give light and the cup of wisdom to its listeners.
And Saul said to his servants: Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, etc. Denied an answer by the Lord, Saul sought a woman with an unclean spirit, through whom he might inquire; and with the cessation of the prophets and the ceremonies of old after the Lord's passion, the people of the Jews consult and frequent the synagogue of Satan, such as today is their synagogue, having a familiar spirit, which in their language signifies the mouth of the abyss. Nor is anything understood better than entrance into eternal punishments. But even the name itself, customary from the meaning of the perfidious faction, does not differ. For it is said to be derived from Apollo Pythius, who was a diligent practitioner of these arts, who himself is said to have borrowed such a name from that place, because he struck the serpent Python in vengeance for his son being killed by him.
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Summary
1 Samuel 28:7 marks a tragic turning point in King Saul's reign, revealing his profound spiritual desperation and moral collapse. Facing an overwhelming Philistine threat and having been abandoned by legitimate divine counsel—God no longer answering him through dreams, Urim, or prophets—Saul, in a desperate and rebellious act against Mosaic Law, instructs his servants to locate a woman possessing a "familiar spirit." His intent is to seek illicit guidance, leading his servants to identify such a practitioner in Endor, thereby setting the stage for one of the most controversial and ultimately tragic encounters in the Old Testament.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is strategically positioned at a critical juncture in the narrative of Saul's decline, immediately following the explicit declaration of God's silence to him in 1 Samuel 28:6. The preceding verses have meticulously established the dire circumstances: Samuel, Saul's spiritual mentor and the last prophet through whom God had spoken definitively to the king, has died (1 Samuel 28:3). Furthermore, the formidable Philistine army has gathered at Shunem, poised for a decisive battle at Mount Gilboa, creating an atmosphere of intense fear and impending doom for Israel and its king (1 Samuel 28:4). Saul's desperate command in 1 Samuel 28:7 is thus a direct and tragic consequence of his spiritual isolation and the overwhelming external threat, highlighting his complete abandonment of legitimate divine counsel for forbidden practices.
Historical & Cultural Context
The practice of necromancy, or consulting the dead, and engaging with "familiar spirits" (understood as mediums or spiritists) was vehemently and repeatedly prohibited under Mosaic Law. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 explicitly condemns those who "practice divination or tell fortunes or interpret omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead," unequivocally declaring such practices an "abomination to the Lord." Ironically, Saul himself had previously undertaken a zealous purge of mediums and spiritists from the land, as noted in 1 Samuel 28:3. This historical backdrop underscores the profound gravity of Saul's sin and his utter disregard for divine authority in his moment of crisis, transforming his previous righteous act into a glaring example of hypocrisy.
Key Themes
The narrative of 1 Samuel 28 powerfully illustrates several profound and recurring themes within the book of Samuel and the broader Old Testament. Firstly, it showcases the theme of Divine Abandonment and its Consequences, as God's silence to Saul directly precipitates the king's desperate and sinful actions, demonstrating the severe spiritual repercussions of persistent disobedience, as highlighted in 1 Samuel 15:23. Secondly, the passage highlights the Dangers of Forbidden Practices, emphasizing that turning to illicit spiritual sources in times of crisis is not only a direct affront to God's sovereignty but also leads to deeper spiritual entanglement, deception, and ultimately, divine judgment. Finally, it underscores the theme of Spiritual Decline and Hypocrisy, revealing Saul's tragic journey from an anointed king who once championed God's law to a desperate man who flagrantly violates it, exposing the moral bankruptcy that results from a life lived apart from genuine repentance and faith.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to a necromancer or a medium who claims to consult the dead. The word ʼôwb itself can denote a "mumble" or "hollow sound," possibly alluding to the ventriloquistic nature of such practices, where the medium speaks as if from a jar or from the ground, mimicking the voice of the dead. It signifies a forbidden, demonic, or at least highly deceptive, spiritual practice that bypasses God's ordained channels of communication and directly challenges His exclusive authority as the sole source of true revelation. Its appearance here highlights Saul's turn to a practice explicitly condemned by God.
This primitive root means "to search out by any method," "to strive after," or "to request." While it can be used in a neutral sense, in this context, it emphasizes Saul's active and deliberate pursuit of a forbidden spiritual encounter. He is not merely stumbling into this sin but is actively "seeking" out a means to bypass God's silence, demonstrating a willful determination to find answers outside of divine will, regardless of the prohibition.
This primitive root means "to tread or frequent," "to follow for pursuit or search," or by implication, "to seek or ask." In a religious context, it often carries the weight of seeking divine counsel or revelation, as seen in instances where people "inquire of the Lord." Here, Saul uses it in the context of seeking information from a forbidden source, highlighting the perversion of a legitimate act of seeking guidance. His "enquiry" is not a humble request for divine guidance but a desperate, illicit attempt to manipulate spiritual forces outside of God's will.
Verse Breakdown
"Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit"
This opening clause immediately establishes Saul's desperate and rebellious intent. Having been abandoned by God, he actively seeks out a forbidden alternative. The command "Seek me a woman" demonstrates his agency in this sin, not merely passive acceptance, but an active pursuit of what is anathema to God. The specific request for a "woman that hath a familiar spirit" (a medium or necromancer) reveals the depth of his spiritual depravity and his willingness to transgress clear divine prohibitions.
"that I may go to her, and enquire of her."
This clarifies Saul's explicit purpose: he intends to personally consult this medium. The phrase "enquire of her" underscores his desire for illicit guidance, bypassing God's legitimate channels (prophets, Urim, dreams) which had ceased to function for him. This act is not born of ignorance but of willful rebellion, as Saul was well aware of the laws against such practices, having previously enforced them throughout the land.
"And his servants said to him, Behold, [there is] a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor."
The immediate response of Saul's servants indicates that such forbidden practices, despite Saul's earlier purge, were still present in the land. Their prompt identification of a medium in Endor (a village located across the Valley of Jezreel from Shunem, where the Philistines were camped) suggests that these practices were not entirely eradicated or that knowledge of them persisted. This detail further emphasizes the pervasive nature of spiritual corruption and the ease with which Saul could find someone willing to facilitate his transgression, highlighting the accessibility of sin when one is determined to pursue it.
Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices that deepen its impact. Irony is profoundly evident, as Saul, the king who once "put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land" (1 Samuel 28:3), now actively seeks one out. This dramatic reversal highlights the tragic arc of his spiritual decline and the hypocrisy born of his desperation. The setting itself provides a stark Contrast; the Philistine army is gathered for battle, representing a clear, physical threat, while Saul's internal struggle and spiritual abandonment represent a deeper, more insidious spiritual crisis. His turning to a medium underscores the Foreshadowing of his ultimate doom, as this act of rebellion against God's explicit command seals his fate and sets the stage for the grim prophecy delivered by the summoned spirit of Samuel, which will culminate in his death.
Theological and Thematic Connections
1 Samuel 28:7 stands as a stark theological warning against seeking guidance outside of God's revealed will, particularly in moments of extreme pressure or perceived divine silence. It underscores the absolute sovereignty of God as the sole legitimate source of truth and revelation, and the severe consequences of attempting to bypass or manipulate His authority through forbidden practices. Saul's desperation leads him to a profound act of spiritual rebellion, demonstrating that even when God seems silent, the answer is never to turn to illicit means, but rather to humble repentance, patient waiting, and renewed obedience to His established commands. This narrative powerfully reinforces the Old Testament's consistent condemnation of divination and necromancy as abominations that sever one's relationship with the living God and invite His judgment.
Reflection and Application
Saul's tragic decision in 1 Samuel 28:7 offers a timeless and sobering lesson for believers today. In our own moments of crisis, fear, or when God's guidance seems elusive, the temptation to seek quick fixes, unconventional advice, or even unbiblical solutions can be strong. This passage challenges us to resist such impulses, reminding us that true faith is demonstrated not by seeking answers from forbidden sources, but by patiently trusting in God's sovereignty, even in His silence. It calls us to cultivate a consistent walk of obedience, recognizing that spiritual compromise, even in desperation, leads to deeper entanglement and further alienation from God. Our reliance must always be on the Holy Spirit, the infallible Word of God, and the counsel of godly community, rather than resorting to practices that are anathema to divine truth and wisdom or seeking counsel from sources that promise insight apart from God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was consulting a "familiar spirit" or medium strictly forbidden by God?
Consulting a "familiar spirit" or medium was strictly forbidden by God because it represented a direct defiance of His sovereignty and a turning away from Him as the sole legitimate source of divine revelation and guidance. The Mosaic Law unequivocally condemned such practices as an "abomination to the Lord" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). This prohibition served multiple crucial purposes: it protected Israel from pagan spiritual practices that often involved demonic influence and deception; it maintained the purity of Israel's worship, ensuring that God alone was sought for counsel; and it prevented the people from falling into the manipulative and often destructive schemes of false prophets and charlatans. Seeking guidance from the dead or from spirits other than God was an act of spiritual adultery, severing the covenant relationship and inviting divine judgment (Leviticus 20:6).
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Saul's desperate and forbidden act in 1 Samuel 28:7 vividly contrasts with the ultimate source of divine revelation and guidance found in Jesus Christ. Saul sought illicit counsel from a "familiar spirit" because God had fallen silent, a silence brought about by Saul's persistent disobedience and rebellion. In stark contrast, Christ is the very Word of God made flesh, the perfect and complete revelation of the Father, through whom all things were created and sustained (John 1:1-3, John 1:14). While Saul sought a fleeting, deceptive voice from the dead, believers in Christ have direct and continuous access to the living God through the Holy Spirit, who indwells them and guides them into all truth (John 16:13). Saul's failure to trust God's sovereignty led him to spiritual compromise and ultimately, destruction. Jesus, however, perfectly trusted the Father, even unto death on the cross, becoming the one true Mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). His life, death, and resurrection provide the ultimate answer to humanity's search for meaning, guidance, and reconciliation, fulfilling the longing for divine connection that Saul tragically perverted.