1 Samuel 28:22 kjv
Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
1 Samuel 28:22 nkjv
Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way."
1 Samuel 28:22 niv
Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."
1 Samuel 28:22 esv
Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way."
1 Samuel 28:22 nlt
Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back."
1 Samuel 28 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 28:20 | Then Saul immediately fell full length on the ground and was greatly afraid... | Saul's deep despair and physical weakness due to overwhelming fear and prophecy. |
| Judg 19:5-7 | After a while, he got up to go... "Strengthen yourself with a piece of bread, and then go." | Necessity of food for strength on a journey; emphasis on practical sustenance before travel. |
| 1 Kgs 19:5-8 | An angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." ... "for the journey is too much for you." | Divine provision of food for physical strength to continue a challenging journey (Elijah). |
| Ps 104:15 | ...and wine that makes human hearts glad, bread that sustains their hearts. | Recognition of bread's fundamental role in providing strength and sustenance. |
| Isa 40:29-31 | He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. | Contrast between human physical limits and God's capacity to provide ultimate strength; Saul lacked divine strength. |
| Matt 4:4 | Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone...'" | While bread is essential for physical life, spiritual sustenance is equally, if not more, important. Saul was lacking both. |
| John 6:35 | Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry..." | Spiritual parallel to physical bread; Christ as the ultimate source of strength and sustenance. |
| 1 Tim 4:4-5 | For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving... | Acknowledges God's provision of food as good, meant for our benefit and sustenance. |
| Gen 18:1-8 | The Lord appeared to Abraham... He then ran to the herd and took a tender, choice calf... | Abraham's extensive hospitality towards strangers, embodying the duty to offer food and comfort. |
| Judg 19:20 | But the old man said, "You are welcome. Let me supply all your needs." | Another instance of zealous hospitality shown to travelers, including offering food and lodging. |
| Prov 25:21-22 | If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat... | Even towards an "enemy" (though Saul is not the woman's enemy here), providing food is an act of compassion. |
| Matt 25:35 | For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat... | Christ's teaching on acts of mercy, where feeding the hungry is seen as serving Him. |
| Rom 12:13 | Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. | Encouragement for believers to demonstrate practical care and open-handedness, especially through hospitality. |
| Heb 13:2 | Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers... | Reminder of the importance of welcoming and caring for others, even those unknown to us. |
| Deut 18:10-12 | There must not be found among you anyone who... practices divination... | Contextual backdrop of the medium's forbidden practices, contrasting her human kindness with her illicit profession. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | For rebellion is like the sin of divination... | Directly links disobedience to divination, which was one of Saul's underlying spiritual failures leading to his downfall. |
| Ps 22:14-15 | I am poured out like water... My strength is dried up... My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth... | Depiction of profound physical and emotional distress, similar to Saul's prostration from despair and hunger. |
| Ps 73:26 | My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart... | Highlights the frailty of human strength contrasting with the divine, a strength Saul lacked. |
| 2 Cor 12:9-10 | "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." | God's strength is often manifest in human weakness; Saul sought human means, not divine renewal. |
| Phil 4:13 | I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. | New Testament principle of finding strength through reliance on Christ, a stark contrast to Saul's situation. |
| 1 Sam 16:14 | Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul... | Saul's spiritual weakness due to the departure of God's Spirit is the root of his physical and emotional breakdown. |
| 1 Sam 28:19 | ...the Lord will give both Israel and you into the hand of the Philistines. | The very reason for needing strength – Saul's fated battle, making the medium's offer tragically poignant. |
1 Samuel 28 verses
1 Samuel 28 22 Meaning
This verse captures the medium of En-dor's compassionate plea to King Saul, who has collapsed in despair after receiving the grim prophecy from the apparition of Samuel. She urges him to accept a simple meal of bread, understanding his dire physical and emotional state, so he may regain strength to continue his journey back to face his inevitable defeat. Her words reflect basic human concern and hospitality, offering practical sustenance in a moment of extreme weakness.
1 Samuel 28 22 Context
The verse immediately follows Saul's complete physical and emotional collapse (1 Sam 28:20) after the spirit of Samuel delivers a devastating prophecy: God has abandoned Saul, the kingdom is torn from him, and he and his sons will die in battle against the Philistines the next day. Saul, overwhelmed by terror and not having eaten for an entire day and night, has fallen to the ground. This verse shows the medium of En-dor, joined by Saul's servants, demonstrating practical compassion. Despite her illicit profession (forbidden by Israelite law, 1 Sam 28:3, Deut 18:10-12), she acts as a solicitous host, urging her royal, yet desperate, guest to eat. The cultural context emphasizes the profound importance of hospitality in the ancient Near East, where offering food and shelter to a distressed traveler was a sacred duty, even if that traveler was a king seeking illicit guidance. Her concern is genuinely human, aiming to provide physical sustenance to a man facing certain doom.
1 Samuel 28 22 Word analysis
- "Now therefore": (וְעַתָּה, wəʿattāh) - A connective phrase, signaling a transition from previous appeals or discussions to a new, urgent plea. It highlights a logical consequence of Saul's weakened state and the prior prophecy.
- "please listen": (שְׁמַע־נָא, šəmaʿ-nāʾ) - A polite but earnest imperative. Nāʾ (נָא) adds a sense of entreaty or request, emphasizing the medium's heartfelt appeal.
- "also to the voice": (גַּם־אַתָּה בְּקוֹל, gam-ʾattāh bəqōl) - Gam-ʾattāh means "you also," implying that just as she listened to his voice (to summon Samuel), he should now reciprocate and listen to her. Qōl (ק֖וֹל) means voice, sound, or word, here referring to her advice or plea.
- "of your servant": (שִׁפְחָתֶךָ, šiphḥāṯeḵā) - Shiphḥāh (שִׁפְחָה) is a female servant or maidservant. By calling herself his "servant," she demonstrates humility and respect towards the king, despite her spiritual role in the encounter. It softens her approach, acknowledging his royal status even in his defeated state.
- "and let me set before you": (וְאֶתְּנָה לְפָנֶיךָ, wəʾeṯtənh lāfānêḵā) - "Let me give before your presence." A humble and direct offer of hospitality, implying preparing and serving food personally.
- "a morsel of bread": (פַּת־לֶחֶם, paṯ-leḥem) - Paṯ (פַּת) means a piece or fragment. Leḥem (לֶחֶם) refers to bread or general food. It signifies a humble, essential, and quick-to-prepare meal, focusing on immediate nourishment rather than a lavish feast. It indicates the dire urgency of the situation.
- "and eat": (וֶאֱכֹל, weʾĕḵōl) - A direct imperative, an urgent command born of concern. It highlights the basic need for physical sustenance.
- "that you may have strength": (וִיהִי־לְךָ כֹּחַ, wîhî-ləḵā kōaḥ) - Kōaḥ (כֹּחַ) means strength, power, or vigor. This is the explicit purpose of eating—to recover physical energy. Saul's spirit is broken, and his body has failed, but she recognizes the practical necessity of basic physical function.
- "when you go on your way": (בְּלֶכְתֶּךָ לַדָּרֶךְ, bəleḵteḵā laddereḵə) - Derek (דֶּרֶךְ) means path, road, or journey. This refers to his journey back to his camp and the imminent battle, knowing he goes to his death. It underscores the urgency of regaining physical vitality for this final, fateful march.
1 Samuel 28 22 Bonus section
The act of offering food to a collapsing king, by a woman operating outside the divine law, creates a stark irony within this narrative. It demonstrates that even those perceived as 'outsiders' or engaging in forbidden practices can exhibit fundamental human compassion that momentarily transcends their role or the circumstances. This simple gesture of practical care emphasizes the extreme depths of Saul's despair – a king brought so low that he neglects even the most basic physical needs, and who then must receive sustenance from one he should have purged from the land. This highlights that human kindness can be found even in the most unexpected and morally complex environments, a sharp counterpoint to Saul's ongoing spiritual rebellion.
1 Samuel 28 22 Commentary
This verse stands out for its raw humanity amidst profound spiritual darkness and divine judgment. The medium of En-dor, whose profession was strictly forbidden by God, paradoxically embodies a genuine, compassionate care that Saul, stripped of God's favor and consumed by despair, desperately needs. She shifts from her role as a spiritual consultant to that of a solicitous host, appealing to Saul's basic human need for sustenance. Her plea for him to eat "a morsel of bread" reveals not only her practical kindness but also her insight into Saul's total physical and emotional exhaustion. She understands that physical strength, though not able to alter divine decree, is necessary for facing his final, tragic journey. This act of hospitality, a cornerstone of ancient Near Eastern culture, highlights the universal need for human care, even when all other forms of hope, especially spiritual, have vanished. It contrasts the stark reality of God's judgment on Saul with the enduring impulse of human compassion, even from an unexpected source.