1 Samuel 28 10

1 Samuel 28:10 kjv

And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

1 Samuel 28:10 nkjv

And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

1 Samuel 28:10 niv

Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."

1 Samuel 28:10 esv

But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

1 Samuel 28:10 nlt

But Saul took an oath in the name of the LORD and promised, "As surely as the LORD lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this."

1 Samuel 28 verses

1 Samuel 28 10 Meaning

In 1 Samuel 28:10, King Saul, in an act of desperation and rebellion, swears a solemn oath to the medium of En-dor by the living God (the Lord), promising her immunity from punishment for performing a forbidden act—conjuring a spirit from the dead. This oath is made to persuade the hesitant medium to call up the spirit of Samuel, thereby attempting to bypass God's silence and established law.

1 Samuel 28 10 Context

1 Samuel 28:10 occurs during a desperate phase in King Saul's life. He has been rejected by God (1 Sam 15:23) for his disobedience, particularly for failing to fully execute God's judgment against the Amalekites. The Philistines are gathering a massive army for battle, and Saul is terrified (1 Sam 28:5). God has ceased to communicate with Saul—neither through dreams, nor Urim, nor prophets (1 Sam 28:6). In his extreme distress, ignoring God's previous command to purge the land of all mediums and spiritists (Lev 19:31, Deut 18:10-12), Saul disguises himself and seeks out a medium in En-dor to inquire of the dead, specifically Samuel. The medium, fearful of the severe penalties for her forbidden practice (Exod 22:18), expresses her hesitation. Saul's oath in verse 10 is a solemn, albeit blasphemous and hypocritical, attempt to assuage her fears and secure her forbidden service, thereby sealing his path further into direct rebellion against God's explicit commands.

1 Samuel 28 10 Word analysis

• Then Saul (וַיִּשָּׁבַע שָׁאוּל - va·yish·shava` sha·'ul): The conjunction "then" emphasizes the immediate sequence, showing Saul's determination in his desperation. The very act of "swearing" (שָׁבַע, shava`) carries the weight of a solemn declaration, often involving the invocation of a divine name to guarantee its truthfulness or binding nature. Saul, the anointed king, should have relied solely on the Lord, but here he employs a sacred covenant practice for an unholy purpose.
• swore to her (shava` lah): Indicates a direct and personal pledge to the medium, a deliberate act to reassure her despite his own knowledge of the forbidden nature of her practice.
• by the Lord (בַּיהוָה - ba·YHWH): This is a critical phrase. Saul is invoking the covenant name of God (YHWH) as the guarantor of his oath. This is deeply ironic and blasphemous. He uses God's sacred name while actively disobeying God's explicit command against mediums (Deut 18:10-12). It underscores the depth of his spiritual confusion and rebellion—he acknowledges YHWH's authority enough to swear by His life, yet directly defies His word. This points to a heart that seeks God's power without desiring God's will.
• saying, 'As the Lord lives,' (לֵאמֹר חַי־יְהוָה - lemor khay-YHWH): The phrase "As the Lord lives" (חַי־יְהוָה - ḥay-YHWH) is a standard and very serious form of oath in ancient Israel, often used to assert the truth or certainty of a statement or promise by invoking the very existence and power of God. It implies that if the oath is broken, the life of the one who swore (or a judgment from the one invoked) is at stake. For Saul, who is already estranged from God and knows God is not speaking to him, this oath highlights his extreme moral hypocrisy and spiritual blindness.
• 'no punishment (אִם־יִקְרָאֵךְ עָווֹן - 'im yik·ra·'eikh 'awon): The Hebrew "עָווֹן" ('awon) refers to iniquity, guilt, or the punishment for iniquity. Here it signifies legal or divine penalty. Saul is explicitly promising immunity from the judgment due for performing sorcery. The form of the Hebrew clause implies "surely no punishment will happen to you."
• shall come upon you (yik·ra·'eikh): Implies "befall you" or "find you," highlighting the unavoidable nature of divine justice, from which Saul attempts to shield the medium through his own power.
• for this thing.' (בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה - ba·da·var ha·zeh): Refers to the specific act of conjuring a spirit, the very thing forbidden by God. This makes the oath exceptionally targeted and rebellious. Saul, despite being king and bound to uphold God's law, actively conspires to violate it and pledges protection to another in that violation.

Words-group analysis:

• "Saul swore... by the Lord... 'As the Lord lives'": This sequence of phrases encapsulates Saul's profound spiritual crisis and moral hypocrisy. He leverages the most sacred form of oath, invoking the living God of Israel, while simultaneously pursuing a course of action explicitly forbidden by that very God. This reflects a fragmented understanding of divine authority – he acknowledges God's power but utterly rejects His moral command and relationship. His actions demonstrate that his fear of man (the medium's refusal, his military predicament) has tragically superseded his fear of the Lord.
• "no punishment shall come upon you for this thing": This is Saul’s blasphemous promise of impunity. By declaring that no punishment will befall the medium for "this thing" (necromancy), he places himself in a position of authority equal to or above God’s law. This audacious claim underlines his rebellion; he acts as if he can overrule divine decree, thereby intensifying his own guilt before God. It reveals the king's distorted spiritual state, where self-preservation overrides adherence to divine command.

1 Samuel 28 10 Bonus section

Saul's oath is ultimately ironic because, despite his promise of "no punishment," the very next day he would meet his end in battle (1 Sam 31), an outcome interpreted in 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 as divine judgment for his unfaithfulness and particularly for consulting the medium. Thus, the medium escaped human judgment due to Saul's oath, but Saul himself did not escape divine judgment, having compounded his previous sins by defying God’s law regarding mediums while invoking God’s very name to do so. This passage underscores that human promises cannot negate divine decrees. The fear of punishment exhibited by the medium, an outsider to Israel, ironically reflects a greater awareness of God's laws against sorcery than that shown by Saul, the anointed king of Israel. This narrative is a strong polemic against necromancy and a reminder of the futility of human attempts to manipulate or circumvent God's will.

1 Samuel 28 10 Commentary

1 Samuel 28:10 showcases the tragic culmination of King Saul's spiritual downfall. Abandoned by God due to his persistent disobedience, and facing a formidable Philistine army, Saul resorts to the forbidden practice of necromancy. His solemn oath "by the Lord" to assure the medium's safety is profoundly hypocritical and blasphemous. He invokes the sacred name of God (YHWH), the very God he has continually disobeyed and who has ceased communicating with him, to facilitate an act that directly violates divine law (Deut 18:10-12). This act highlights his deep desperation and his prioritizing of immediate worldly answers over humble obedience and reliance on God. Saul's oath demonstrates his fear of human consequence (the medium's fear) over the fear of divine judgment, sealing his fate as one who persistently rejected God's word for his own perceived advantage. It stands as a stark warning against seeking counsel outside of God's revealed will and acting as if one can escape divine consequences for willful sin, even under dire circumstances.