1 Samuel 28 8

1 Samuel 28:8 kjv

And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

1 Samuel 28:8 nkjv

So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a s?ance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you."

1 Samuel 28:8 niv

So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."

1 Samuel 28:8 esv

So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you."

1 Samuel 28:8 nlt

So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. Then he went to the woman's home at night, accompanied by two of his men. "I have to talk to a man who has died," he said. "Will you call up his spirit for me?"

1 Samuel 28 verses

1 Samuel 28 8 Meaning

This verse details King Saul's clandestine journey to consult a woman known for necromancy (a medium or spiritist) at Endor. Driven by extreme desperation and God's silence, Saul disguised himself to avoid recognition, defying his own previous edict against such practices. He asked the woman to bring up a specific spirit for him, indicating his intention to commune with the dead.

1 Samuel 28 8 Context

1 Samuel Chapter 28 opens with the Philistines gathering their forces to attack Israel. Faced with this overwhelming threat, King Saul becomes terrified. Despite his initial decree against all mediums and necromancers (1 Sam 28:3), he finds himself in a desperate state because the Lord had ceased to answer him through any legitimate means – dreams, Urim (sacred lots), or prophets (1 Sam 28:6). With Samuel, the prophet through whom God had often spoken to him, now dead (1 Sam 25:1), and alienated from God, Saul’s fear overrides his previous convictions. His desperate decision to consult a forbidden medium signifies the complete breakdown of his spiritual relationship with Yahweh and highlights the tragic consequences of his ongoing rebellion against divine authority, as detailed throughout the previous chapters (e.g., 1 Sam 13, 15). This historical period reveals Israel in turmoil, with Saul's kingdom in decline and divine favor clearly resting upon David, who is currently exiled from Saul.

1 Samuel 28 8 Word Analysis

• So Saul (וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ שָׁאוּל, vayyitḥappēs šāʾūl): Saul, once God's anointed king, now acts in open rebellion against the very laws he swore to uphold. His name, "asked for," ironically signifies the people's desire for a king like other nations, rather than trusting entirely in God.
• disguised himself (וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ, vayyitḥappēs): From the Hithpael form of the root חפש (ḥāpaś), meaning "to search, seek," but here in its reflexive sense, "to disguise oneself." This shows a deliberate effort by Saul to hide his identity. It underscores his hypocrisy, attempting to conceal his forbidden act from both men and, in his heart, from God. This act of concealment is characteristic of sinful deeds that thrive in darkness.
• and put on other clothes (וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים, vayyilbaš bəḡādîm ʾăḥērîm): This further emphasizes the thoroughness of his disguise, a complete change from his royal attire. It symbolically represents his transformation from a king guided by divine law (at least nominally) to one engaged in practices anathema to God.
• and he went, he and two men with him (וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא וּשְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִמּוֹ, vayyēleḵ hūʾ ūšənê ʾănāšîm ʿimmō): A small, covert party, undertaken with great secrecy, probably under the cover of night, further accentuating the illicit nature of the journey. This minimal entourage contrasts sharply with royal processions, signifying the King's reduced status and isolation.
• and they came to the woman (וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל הָאִשָּׁה, vayyābōʾû ʾel hāʾiššâ): The "woman" refers to the "mistress of a familiar spirit," known more widely as the Medium of Endor. Her practice was strictly forbidden in Israel (Dt 18:10-12, Lev 19:31, 20:6). The choice of "Endor" (likely a Canaanite city, or near Philistine territory) suggests venturing outside the bounds of traditional Israelite practice.
• by night (בַּלָּיְלָה, ballaylâ): The timing further highlights the secrecy and forbidden nature of their mission, as evil deeds often prefer the cover of darkness (cf. Jn 3:19). It emphasizes the moral darkness that had enveloped Saul.
• And he said (וַיֹּאמֶר, vayyōʾmer): The voice of the king, now stripped of his true authority, seeking illicit power.
• 'Please divine for me by a spirit,' (קִסְמִי נָא לִי בָּאוֹב, qismî nāʾ lî bāʾōḇ):
  • "divine for me" (קִסְמִי, qismî): Imperative of קסם (qāsam), "to practice divination, prognosticate." This refers to attempting to gain knowledge or foretell the future by interpreting omens, portents, or secret arts, which God utterly forbade.
  • "by a spirit" (בָּאוֹב, bāʾōḇ): The Hebrew "ʾōḇ" (אוֹב) literally means "bottle" or "skin" and refers to a ventriloquist, a person supposedly possessed by or capable of evoking the dead, speaking from their abdomen as if a spirit was confined within them. It refers to necromancy – the practice of communicating with the dead to gain information or knowledge of the future. This practice implies a dangerous engagement with the spirit world, not guided by God.
• 'and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.' (וְהַעֲלִי לִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלָיךְ, wəhaʿălî lî ʾēṯ ʾăšer ʾōmar ʾēlāyiḵ):
  • "bring up" (הַעֲלִי, haʿălî): Hiphil imperative of עלה (ʿālâ), "to ascend, go up," in this context, to raise the dead from Sheol, the grave or realm of the departed. This reveals Saul's specific intent: to contact a deceased person, specifically Samuel, demonstrating his total rejection of God's counsel in favor of a prohibited practice.
  • This phrase illustrates a common pagan belief that humans could control or conjure spirits from the afterlife. However, the subsequent narrative reveals that the actual appearance of Samuel was a divine sovereign act, not controlled by the medium's power, startling even her. This serves as a potent polemic against the supposed power of necromancers, demonstrating God's ultimate sovereignty even over the realm of the dead and human illicit spiritual attempts.

1 Samuel 28 8 Bonus Section

• The narrative here, while describing a forbidden practice, paradoxically also underscores the ultimate sovereignty of God. The woman's shock and fear at Samuel's actual appearance (1 Sam 28:12) suggest that this was no mere human manipulation or demonic imitation she was used to; God sovereignly allowed Samuel to appear to deliver a final, confirming message of doom to Saul, subverting both Saul's illicit intentions and the medium's presumed control.
• The detail of Saul's disguise subtly hints at the depth of his internal conflict and loss of honor. The king of Israel should have been publicly seeking God's face, not secretly breaking His commands in disguise. This emphasizes his complete departure from God's chosen path for a faithful leader.
• The location, Endor, on the northern edge of the Philistine sphere of influence, may imply not only a place of seclusion for the medium but also a final, desperate venturing by Saul out of sacred space into morally questionable territory in his pursuit of answers.

1 Samuel 28 8 Commentary

1 Samuel 28:8 is a pivotal verse, encapsulating King Saul's complete spiritual desolation and his final act of open defiance against God's law. Abandoned by God's conventional means of communication due to his persistent rebellion, and terrified by the looming Philistine threat, Saul, consumed by despair, resorted to the very occult practices he himself had outlawed. His disguise and nighttime journey to Endor highlight the hypocrisy, shame, and clandestine nature of his actions. This desperate recourse to necromancy, forbidden in the Torah, underscores Saul's utter spiritual bankruptcy. He chose to seek a dead man for counsel rather than humbling himself before the living God who had previously rejected him but whose mercies endure. This scene dramatically demonstrates the spiritual danger and destructive path taken when a leader, or any person, abandons divine truth and authorized means for illicit shortcuts in times of crisis, ultimately leading to greater judgment, as the subsequent narrative and 1 Chr 10:13-14 confirm.