1 Samuel 28 9

1 Samuel 28:9 kjv

And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

1 Samuel 28:9 nkjv

Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"

1 Samuel 28:9 niv

But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

1 Samuel 28:9 esv

The woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

1 Samuel 28:9 nlt

"Are you trying to get me killed?" the woman demanded. "You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?"

1 Samuel 28 verses

1 Samuel 28 9 Meaning

This verse captures the terrified reaction of the medium of Endor upon being approached by a disguised King Saul. She challenges him, reminding him of Saul's own edict that "cut off" (exterminated) those who practiced necromancy, expressing fear that his request is a trap designed to cause her death. Her words underscore the capital offense nature of her forbidden practices in Israel.

1 Samuel 28 9 Context

Chapter 28 of 1 Samuel depicts Saul's final, desperate act before his defeat and death. Faced with a massive Philistine army (1 Sam 28:5) and deserted by God—receiving no divine communication through dreams, Urim, or prophets (1 Sam 28:6)—Saul resorts to a forbidden act. He seeks out a medium, directly contravening the Mosaic Law and his own previous royal decree that had purged all mediums and spiritists from the land (1 Sam 28:3). This verse, 1 Sam 28:9, is the medium's initial response to Saul's disguised request. She reveals her acute awareness of the legal danger she is in and rightly suspects that Saul might be an agent sent to entrap her and enforce the very law he had earlier upheld, a law that carries the penalty of death for her practice. Her fear highlights the severe consequences associated with practicing divination in Israel.

1 Samuel 28 9 Word analysis

• Then the woman (אִשָּׁה, ishah): Indicates an immediate reaction to Saul's demand. Ishah simply means woman, but in this context, it refers to the specific individual Saul sought, a professional medium.
• said to him: Her direct address, signaling confrontation and fear.
• 'Look (הִנֵּה, hineh): An exclamation to draw immediate attention, implying, "Pay attention to this obvious truth."
• you know (יָדַעְתָּ, yadakta): Asserting common knowledge, implying hypocrisy on the part of the disguised Saul. She assumes he, like everyone in Israel, knows of the king's policy.
• what Saul has done: Referring to the king's official acts and decrees.
• how he has cut off (הִכְרִית, hikhrit): From the Hebrew root karat, meaning "to cut off," "to destroy," "to exterminate," or "to root out." This emphasizes the severity and thoroughness of Saul's purge against necromancers. It signifies an official, forceful removal or execution.
• the mediums (הָאֹבוֹת, ha'ovot): Plural of 'ov. Refers to individuals who claimed to have a familiar spirit (or "ob") that allowed them to communicate with the dead. The word "ov" literally refers to a leather bottle, suggesting that the spirit was perceived as trapped within the individual or controlled by them. It implies those who bring up the spirits of the dead.
• and the spiritists (הַיִּדְּעֹנִים, hayid'onim): Plural of yid'oni, often translated as "knowing ones." These individuals were thought to possess secret knowledge or understanding through a familiar spirit, often distinguished from mediums by focusing more on future prediction than conjuring the dead, though both practices were prohibited. They were thought to "know" by revelation through occult means.
• from the land: Indicating a nationwide, systematic purge to remove these forbidden practices from Israelite territory as an abomination against God.
• why then are you setting a snare (מוֹקֵשׁ, môqêsh): A rhetorical question expressing her suspicion and fear. Môqêsh means "snare" or "trap," typically for birds or animals, implying a cunning or deceitful attempt to catch someone in an illegal act.
• for my life (נַפְשִׁי, nafshi): Hebrew nefesh often translates as "soul," "life," "person," or "self." Here, it directly means her very existence is at risk.
• to bring about my death (לַהֲמִיתֵנִי, la-hamitênî): This infinitival phrase explicitly states the ultimate consequence of being entrapped by Saul's decree: capital punishment. Her fear is precisely of execution.

Words-group analysis

• "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off...": This phrase serves as the medium's self-defense and an implicit accusation. She highlights the widely known fact of Saul's policies, making his present request incredibly dangerous and hypocritical. It indicates a clear understanding of the law and its severe penalties, implying, "You expect me to break the law, which carries the death penalty, a law established by the very king whose name you bear on your lips as justification?"
• "why then are you setting a snare for my life to bring about my death?": This rhetorical question expresses the medium's direct fear of entrapment and execution. It's an accusation that her interrogator is seeking to expose her to the capital punishment decreed by the king, whom she does not recognize as her disguised visitor. Her choice of "snare" indicates a deceptive or trickery intent to cause her harm.

1 Samuel 28 9 Bonus section

The "snare" mentioned by the medium is precisely what Saul unwittingly falls into spiritually and literally. His seeking of the medium leads directly to Samuel's spirit prophesying his imminent death and the loss of his kingdom, effectively trapping him in the consequence of his disobedience. The distinction between 'ov (medium, literally "spirit-pit" or "bottle-like cavity," implying control over a spirit from the underworld) and yid'oni (spiritist or knowing one, implying supernatural knowledge, possibly more predictive in nature) indicates the varied, but equally forbidden, forms of necromancy present in Israel. The immediate effect of this verse is to raise the dramatic tension: will the medium cooperate, knowing the grave risks, and how will Saul convince her, despite his deep fear and disguised appearance?

1 Samuel 28 9 Commentary

This verse provides a vivid illustration of the desperation of Saul and the precariousness of life for those engaging in forbidden practices in Israel. The medium's words immediately lay bare the deep irony and moral decay of King Saul. Once God's anointed who upheld divine law by purging the land of mediums, he now, in his abandonment by God, secretly seeks the very evil he once suppressed. Her protest ("Look, you know what Saul has done") reveals her acute awareness of the capital offense nature of her trade. She recognizes that to engage in her craft, particularly for a stranger who seems too well-informed, could be a trap (a "snare") set by authorities, designed to lead to her execution. This interaction underscores that Saul's spiritual state has reached its nadir; not only has he lost divine counsel, but he actively transgresses God's law and his own former decree out of utter despair, thereby sealing his own fate (1 Chr 10:13-14). It is a stark example of how human desperation, divorced from faith in God, can lead to catastrophic choices, even recourse to forbidden, unholy means.