1 Samuel 28 19

1 Samuel 28:19 kjv

Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 28:19 nkjv

Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 28:19 niv

The LORD will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 28:19 esv

Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."

1 Samuel 28:19 nlt

What's more, the LORD will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The LORD will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat."

1 Samuel 28 19 Cross References

VerseTextReference
1 Sam 13:13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly…Saul's disobedience leading to rejection
1 Sam 15:23For rebellion is as the sin of divination...Saul's persistent disobedience/rejection
1 Sam 15:28And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you.Samuel's previous prophecy of kingdom removal
1 Sam 31:1Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel...Fulfillment of the prophecy in battle
1 Sam 31:6So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer, and all his men, died...Fulfillment of Saul and sons' death
Lev 19:31Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out...God's prohibition against mediums
Deut 18:10There shall not be found among you anyone who practices divination...Strict divine law against necromancy
Isa 8:19And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers...”Warnings against seeking the dead
2 Kin 21:6He also burned his son as an offering and practiced augury...King Manasseh's sin of divination
Acts 16:16...a servant girl having a spirit of divination met us...Spirit of divination in NT
Gal 5:20...idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy...Sorcery as a work of the flesh
Rev 21:8...but as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for killers...Sorcerers excluded from new Jerusalem
Psa 76:10Surely the wrath of man shall praise you...God's sovereignty over human actions
Prov 16:4The Lord has made everything for its purpose...God's sovereign control and purpose
Amos 3:6Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Is disaster...God's agency in calamity
Lam 3:37Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?God's absolute control over decrees
Gen 3:19For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.Universality of death
Job 3:17There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest.Reference to the common realm of the dead
Psa 49:14Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol...All appointed to Sheol/death
Eccl 9:10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no...No work or knowledge in the grave
Isa 10:5Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hand is my fury!Foreign nations as God's instrument
Jer 25:9...and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants...Babylon used as instrument of judgment
Rom 9:18So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.God's sovereign right to judge

1 Samuel 28 verses

1 Samuel 28 19 Meaning

1 Samuel 28:19 is a direct pronouncement of immediate divine judgment upon King Saul and the nation of Israel. It declares that the Lord will surrender Israel, including Saul and his sons, to the Philistines in battle on the very next day. This delivery culminates in Saul's death and his sons joining him in the realm of the dead, signifying the complete downfall of his kingdom and lineage.

1 Samuel 28 19 Context

1 Samuel 28:19 marks the climax of King Saul's spiritual descent and the irreversible nature of God's judgment upon him. The chapter depicts Saul's desperation as he faces a formidable Philistine army, realizing that God has forsaken him and no longer answers through prophets, dreams, or the Urim. In defiance of God's strict prohibition against necromancy (Lev 19:31, Deut 18:10-12), Saul seeks a medium at Endor. This act of grave apostasy provokes the grim prophecy delivered in this verse. The prophecy follows a preceding declaration of God having turned from Saul and given his kingdom to David. Thus, the verse signifies the culmination of Saul's long-standing rebellion and the certain, imminent execution of God's justice on him and his lineage.

1 Samuel 28 19 Word Analysis

  • "Moreover": From the Hebrew particle 'aph (אַף), meaning "also," "even," "indeed," or "moreover." It serves to intensify and add to the preceding declaration of God's departure from Saul and transfer of the kingdom. It signals the further, equally grim, and certain pronouncements to follow.
  • "the Lord": The Hebrew YHWH (יהוה), God's covenant name. Even though Saul sought a forbidden source, the message ultimately originates from or is permitted by God, emphasizing His absolute sovereignty. This highlights that His judgment is unfailing, regardless of human means or rebellion.
  • "will deliver": From the Hebrew verb nātan (נָתַן), meaning "to give," "put," "set," or "deliver up." In this context, it is a declarative future tense, indicating an unavoidable divine act of surrender or handing over. It signifies that God Himself is actively involved in carrying out this judgment, making Israel and Saul vulnerable.
  • "Israel": Refers to the entire nation and its military, not just its king. This shows that the consequences of Saul's sin and leadership fall heavily upon the people.
  • "with thee": From the Hebrew 'ittakh (אִתָּךְ), meaning "with you." This explicitly connects Saul's fate directly to that of the nation's military defeat, emphasizing that his demise is integral to the broader national calamity. It is his leadership and his sin that are leading to Israel's current plight.
  • "into the hand of the Philistines": The chosen instrument of divine judgment. The Philistines were long-standing adversaries of Israel. This phrase indicates God's sovereign use of a foreign, ungodly nation to execute His punitive will on His rebellious people and their king.
  • "and to morrow": From the Hebrew māḥār (מָחָר). This is a precise temporal marker, denoting immediate and unalterable timing. It eliminates any hope of postponement or escape, emphasizing the swift certainty of God's decreed judgment.
  • "shalt thou and thy sons": Specifies the precise victims of the immediate judgment: King Saul personally and his direct male descendants, particularly those in line for succession who would fight alongside him (like Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchi-shua). This highlights the severe impact on Saul's lineage.
  • "be with me": This phrase from the perspective of "Samuel" refers to sharing a common fate in death, typically understood as going to Sheol (the realm of the dead or the grave). It does not imply a shared place of bliss or spiritual fellowship, but rather a shared existential state of being deceased. For Saul, it marks the finality of his earthly existence and the consequences of his apostasy.
  • "the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines": This repetition of the first part of the verse (without "Moreover") emphasizes and reinforces the certainty and totality of the impending disaster. It acts as a solemn reaffirmation, cementing the prophecy's grim conclusion and confirming that the entire military force will suffer alongside the king. The repetition heightens the sense of divine decree and inevitability.

1 Samuel 28 19 Bonus Section

The theological debate surrounding the appearance of "Samuel" to Saul (whether it was truly the departed prophet, a demonic impersonation, or an elaborate deception by the medium) does not diminish the truth of the message conveyed in 1 Samuel 28:19. The message itself, perfectly consistent with God's previous judgments against Saul and indeed fulfilled in the subsequent chapter (1 Sam 31), confirms that it conveyed God's authentic decree. The text foregrounds God's complete control, even over those who defy His commands regarding spiritualism, proving His power to use any means to declare and execute His unchangeable will. The Endor account serves as a strong biblical repudiation of seeking spiritual guidance outside of God's revealed will, underscoring the dangers and futility of occult practices.

1 Samuel 28 19 Commentary

1 Samuel 28:19 stands as a stark biblical warning about the consequences of forsaking God and turning to forbidden practices. Despite God's earlier rejection of Saul's kingship (1 Sam 15), Saul's ultimate act of defiance by consulting a medium brought a final, crushing verdict. The verse reveals God's absolute sovereignty; even when an individual uses forbidden means (necromancy), God's predetermined will for judgment is still delivered and accomplished. The imminence ("to morrow") of Saul's death and Israel's defeat underscores the unalterable nature of God's pronouncements. The message to Saul was not a negotiation, but a judicial sentence for persistent rebellion and disobedience, culminating in an immediate, inescapable death sentence for himself and his sons, alongside national defeat. It shows that desperate circumstances do not justify disobedience to God's clear commands, and ultimately, one cannot escape God's justice.