1 Samuel 28:13 kjv
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
1 Samuel 28:13 nkjv
And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth."
1 Samuel 28:13 niv
The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth."
1 Samuel 28:13 esv
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
1 Samuel 28:13 nlt
"Don't be afraid!" the king told her. "What do you see?" "I see a god coming up out of the earth," she said.
1 Samuel 28 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prohibition of Necromancy and Divination | ||
| Deut 18:10-12 | There shall not be found among you ...one who practices divination or a soothsayer... or a medium... or one who inquires of the dead. | God strictly forbids all forms of necromancy. |
| Lev 19:31 | Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists; you will be defiled by them. | Direct command against consulting mediums. |
| Lev 20:6 | If a person turns to mediums and spiritists... I will set My face against that person... | Divine wrath against those practicing divination. |
| Isa 8:19 | When people tell you, "Consult the mediums and spiritists who whisper..." Should not a people consult their God? | Emphasizes seeking God, not the dead. |
| Saul's Spiritual Condition and Desperation | ||
| 1 Sam 28:6 | And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. | God's silence prompts Saul's sin. |
| 1 Chr 10:13-14 | So Saul died for his unfaithfulness... because he did not inquire of the LORD but consulted a medium. | Highlights Saul's fatal error. |
| The Appearance and Identity of Samuel | ||
| 1 Sam 28:14 | Then said the woman, "I see an old man coming up; and he is wrapped in a robe." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel... | The medium's later description confirms Samuel's identity. |
| Matt 17:3-4 (Transfiguration) | And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. | Similar instances of dead prophets appearing. |
| God's Sovereignty and Communication | ||
| Num 12:6 | If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak with him in a dream. | God's usual methods of revelation. |
| Heb 1:1 | God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, | God reveals Himself through various means. |
| Ps 77:7-10 | "Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?" | A cry of desperation similar to Saul's. |
| Lam 3:8 | Even when I call out and cry for help, He shuts out my prayer. | Feeling God's silence. |
| Prov 1:28 | Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; They will seek Me diligently but will not find Me. | Consequences of not seeking God initially. |
| The Nature of Sheol/Underworld | ||
| Isa 14:9 | Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come... | Depicts Sheol as a realm of the dead. |
| Ps 6:5 | For in death there is no remembrance of You; In Sheol who will give You thanks? | Discusses consciousness or activity in Sheol. |
| Ps 88:10-12 | Will You perform wonders for the dead?... Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave... | Questioning post-death activity/remembrance. |
| Luke 16:22-26 | Lazarus and the rich man in Hades. | Description of the after-death experience. |
| Job 7:9 | As the cloud fades and vanishes, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. | Highlights the normal finality of Sheol, emphasizing the abnormality here. |
| Rev 20:13-14 | And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. | The resurrection from Hades/Sheol at judgment. |
| Warning Against Deceptive Spirits | ||
| 1 Tim 4:1 | But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away... by paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, | Warns against non-Godly spiritual sources. |
| 2 Cor 11:14 | No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. | Danger of spiritual deception. |
| Jer 27:9 | So do not listen to your prophets or your diviners or your dreamers... | Counsel against relying on false spiritual sources. |
1 Samuel 28 verses
1 Samuel 28 13 Meaning
The verse captures the moment of the spirit's appearance to the medium of En-dor. When King Saul urged her not to be afraid and asked what she saw, she reported seeing "gods ascending out of the earth." This initial perception of hers describes a divine or supernatural being(s) emerging from the netherworld, signaling a profoundly impactful and unexpected manifestation from the realm of the dead.
1 Samuel 28 13 Context
This verse is situated within a critical chapter depicting King Saul's spiritual nadir and his impending demise. Facing the formidable Philistine army, Saul sought guidance from the LORD, but received no answer through accepted divine means—dreams, Urim, or prophets (1 Sam 28:6). Desperate and abandoned by God due to his previous disobedience (1 Sam 15), Saul turned to the very necromancy he himself had once forbidden in Israel (1 Sam 28:3; Deut 18:10-12). He sought out a medium at En-dor to conjure the spirit of Samuel. Verse 13 describes the immediate reaction and initial vision of the medium once the spiritual invocation began. Her fear and subsequent description signify the supernatural, startling event that transpires, indicating an unexpected, genuine manifestation from the dead, not a mere trick, even though it occurred through a forbidden means.
1 Samuel 28 13 Word analysis
- And the king said unto her, "Be not afraid:
- "King": Refers to Saul. His royal title underscores the gravity and public example of his forbidden act, descending to consult a medium out of desperation. It highlights the depth of his spiritual decline.
- "Be not afraid": Saul's command reveals the medium's immediate and visible terror. Her fear was not necessarily of Saul's request or her illegal practice, but of what she saw. This suggests a genuine, unforeseen spiritual manifestation occurred, exceeding her usual controlled or feigned conjurations.
- for what sawest thou?
- "what sawest thou?": Saul's urgent inquiry. He is eager, perhaps anxious, to hear her report, as his entire desperate scheme hinges on the outcome of her vision. His impatience contrasts with God's patient (though now silent to Saul) forms of communication.
- And the woman said unto Saul, "I saw gods ascending out of the earth."
- "I saw": Her direct statement emphasizes a genuine, visual experience rather than a pretense or mere spiritual "feeling."
- "gods" (Hebrew: elohim): This is a crucial term. While Elohim most commonly refers to God (Yahweh), it can also denote:
- True angels or divine beings (Ps 8:5).
- False gods/idols (Judg 16:23).
- Rulers or judges (Exod 21:6, Ps 82:1).In this context, it is unlikely she means pagan gods ascending. Instead, elohim here likely refers to powerful, supernatural beings or a divine being/spirit (singular, i.e., Samuel) possessing unusual authority or awe-inspiring presence, perhaps because of his former prophetic office. The Medium may have been shocked because she genuinely perceived an elohim where she perhaps expected less or a familiar demonic entity. It's a broad term for powerful, supernatural, divine-like beings. The King James Version (KJV) rendering "gods" should not be misunderstood as validating polytheism, but as her astonished description of an unearthly being of immense significance.
- "ascending out of the earth": This phrase literally indicates the spirit(s) emerging from the netherworld, specifically Sheol, the common grave of all humanity. It contrasts with spirits or angels that typically descend from heaven (heavenly beings), thereby identifying the origin of this particular manifestation as from the realm of the dead, reinforcing that it was indeed the spirit of Samuel. This ascending action visually represents Samuel being brought up from the underworld.
1 Samuel 28 13 Bonus section
It is significant that the medium, rather than Saul, first saw the ascending "gods" or divine being. Her immediate fear and awe indicate that what appeared was beyond her normal power or expectation, suggesting that God, not the medium's art, controlled the appearance of Samuel. Had it been a common demon, she might not have been so surprised or afraid, as it would likely have been under her dominion. The subsequent dialogue and specific description of an "old man wrapped in a robe" in the following verse (1 Sam 28:14) then specifically identify the elohim she saw as the spirit of Samuel himself, making her initial description a profound and awe-inspiring, albeit generic, assessment of the powerful supernatural being that God allowed to rise from Sheol. This entire episode serves as a powerful biblical polemic against attempts to seek spiritual guidance outside of God's appointed means.
1 Samuel 28 13 Commentary
1 Samuel 28:13 unveils the immediate and profound impact of the conjured spirit on the medium. Her cry of fear and subsequent description of "gods ascending out of the earth" powerfully conveys a supernatural reality. This was no charade; the elohim she witnessed, understood as a divine or powerfully supernatural entity, truly emerged from the netherworld. The KJV's "gods" translation, reflecting a plural, underscores her astonishment at encountering a potent spiritual manifestation. While consulting the dead was strictly forbidden by God, this instance shows God's sovereign hand allowing Samuel's spirit to appear, not to validate necromancy, but to deliver a final, condemnatory message to Saul, further emphasizing the irreversible consequences of Saul's persistent disobedience and spiritual rebellion.