1 Samuel 28 3

1 Samuel 28:3 kjv

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

1 Samuel 28:3 nkjv

Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

1 Samuel 28:3 niv

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

1 Samuel 28:3 esv

Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.

1 Samuel 28:3 nlt

Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

1 Samuel 28 verses

1 Samuel 28 3 Meaning

1 Samuel 28:3 conveys two crucial pieces of information establishing the dire spiritual and political landscape preceding Saul's desperate consultation of the medium of Endor. Firstly, it records the death of the revered prophet Samuel, for whom all Israel mourned and buried in Ramah. This signifies the removal of God's primary voice and guidance to Saul and Israel. Secondly, it highlights Saul's past compliance with God's law by expelling those with familiar spirits (necromancers) and sorcerers from the land. This prior action creates a stark and dramatic irony, setting the stage for Saul's later hypocrisy and deep apostasy in the very same chapter.

1 Samuel 28 3 Context

The immediate context is 1 Samuel 28, which opens with the Philistines gathering for war against Israel, instilling great fear in Saul. The broader context includes Saul's progressive decline as king, marked by his disobedience to God, rejection by Samuel (on God's behalf), and the indwelling of an evil spirit (1 Sam 16:14). God had withdrawn from Saul and no longer answered him through conventional prophetic means (dreams, Urim, prophets - 1 Sam 28:6). Verse 3 serves as crucial background for Saul's desperation: Samuel, the legitimate voice of God, is dead and thus unavailable, while Saul himself had, perhaps under initial better impulses or outward conformity, previously removed the illicit sources of communication now prohibited by God's law. This creates the vacuum and the dramatic irony that precipitates his consulting the medium of Endor.

1 Samuel 28 3 Word analysis

• Now Samuel was dead,: (וּשְׁמוּאֵל מֵת, ūšə·mū·’êl mêt). Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל, Shəmu’êl), the revered prophet and judge, had served as the primary prophetic intermediary between God and Israel for decades. His death, confirmed here and elsewhere (1 Sam 25:1), signifies the end of God's legitimate and direct prophetic voice through Samuel to Saul. "Dead" (mêt) underscores the finality of this earthly channel of communication.

• and all Israel had mourned for him: (וַיִּסְפְּדוּ לוֹ כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל, wayyispeḏū lō ḵol-yiśrā’ēl). "Mourned" (sāp̄aḏ) signifies deep, public lamentation. "All Israel" indicates the widespread and national recognition of Samuel’s profound significance, contrasting with Saul’s isolated spiritual state and the dwindling support for him.

• and buried him in his own city, Ramah: (וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְרָמָה וּבְעִירוֹ, wayyiq̄bəruhū bə·rā·māh ū·ḇə·‘î·rōw). Ramah was Samuel’s hometown, affirming his identity and legacy within the land. His burial signifies the formal close of his active prophetic ministry.

• And Saul had put away: (וְשָׁאוּל הֵסִיר, wəšā’ūl hē·sîr). "Saul" is the subject. "Put away" (hēsar, root sûr) means to remove, eliminate, or purge. The verb tense indicates a past action by Saul, highlighting an earlier period of his reign when he outwardly enforced Mosaic Law, creating a stark contrast to his desperate action in the current chapter.

• those who had familiar spirits: (הָאֹבוֹת, hā’ō·ḇōṯ). This plural term (ʾōḇôṯ from ʾōḇ) refers to necromancers, practitioners who claimed to evoke or consult the dead. The practice involved communicating with what was perceived as a spirit of the deceased, often through muttering or a ventriloquist-like voice. Such practices were strictly forbidden by Yahweh as abominations (Lev 19:31; Deut 18:11).

• and the sorcerers: (וְאֶת־הַיִּדְעֹנִים, wə’eṯ-hay·yiḏ·‘ō·nîm). This plural term (yiddeʿōnîm from yāda’ "to know") refers to diviners, wizards, or those who claimed to possess secret knowledge or insights gained through illicit supernatural means. Alongside familiar spirits, they represent various forms of occultic divination prohibited by God (Deut 18:10).

• from the land: (מִן־הָאָרֶץ, min-hā·’ā·reṣ). This indicates a nationwide cleansing, implying Saul's commitment, at one point, to enforcing God's decrees against such pagan practices throughout Israel.

• Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own city, Ramah. This phrase emphasizes the absence of a crucial legitimate prophetic voice at a critical juncture for Israel. Samuel had been the steadfast mediator of God's word and guidance for decades. His death, marked by nationwide mourning, leaves a spiritual vacuum and underlines the isolation of Saul, who no longer heard from God directly. This sets the stage for Saul's misguided and desperate search for supernatural guidance.

• And Saul had put away those who had familiar spirits and the sorcerers from the land. This clause functions as profound dramatic irony within the narrative. It establishes Saul's past actions in accordance with God's law to eradicate pagan divination and occult practices (which were detestable to the Lord and an abomination to Israel's identity). The very practices he once legally expelled as king, he now, in his desperation and separation from God, seeks out for himself. This highlights his spiritual decline from at least outward adherence to direct disobedience and apostasy, leading directly to the events of 1 Samuel 28.

1 Samuel 28 3 Bonus section

The placement of this verse is strategically important. Although Samuel's death was mentioned earlier in 1 Sam 25:1, its reiteration here right before Saul's encounter with the Philistines and his consultation with the medium underscores the immediate and acute lack of a legitimate prophetic voice for Saul. It signals a major shift in divine guidance—or its complete withdrawal—for the current king. The detailed specification of "familiar spirits" (necromancers) and "sorcerers" points to specific categories of divination prohibited by Mosaic Law. This distinction was significant to the original audience, understanding the nuances of forbidden occult practices prevalent among surrounding nations and explicitly warned against for Israel. Saul's subsequent seeking of the medium directly demonstrates that he chose to pursue a known abomination to God rather than humble himself and repent, a sin for which 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 states he ultimately died.

1 Samuel 28 3 Commentary

This seemingly simple verse serves as critical exposition, establishing the narrative and spiritual preconditions for Saul's catastrophic final actions. Samuel's death not only marks the end of an era of consistent divine communication through a faithful prophet but also underscores the complete spiritual desolation of King Saul, who has alienated God. God's legitimate channel of communication to Saul, primarily through Samuel, is now closed. The startling statement that Saul himself had previously outlawed and expelled mediums and sorcerers from the land provides a sharp contrast. This prior act reveals a fleeting moment of alignment with God's law or a display of political and religious orthodoxy, which now dramatically reverses. This sets up the profound irony: the very practices Saul once rightly abhorred and purged from his kingdom, he now desperately seeks out when God remains silent, illustrating the depths of his fear, disobedience, and ultimate abandonment of faith in the Lord for forbidden means.