1 Samuel 28:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Saul swore to her by the Lord, "As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

NIV: Saul swore to her by the Lord, "As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this."

NASB: So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.'

CSB: Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: "As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this."

NLT: But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, 'As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.'

KJV: And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

NKJV: And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “ As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

Saul has taken a huge risk. He has travelled with only two bodyguards, around the Philistine army and into the town of En-dor. He's breaking his own law by asking the medium who lives there to call up a spirit for him. She has refused, thinking it's a trap for her to be arrested and killed for necromancy (1 Samuel 28:8–9). The woman doesn't know she's speaking directly to the king.

Now Saul swears to her "as the Lord lives" that she will not be punished for doing this thing. Using the phrase "as the Lord lives" was a common oath in Israel during this time, meant to assure the listener that the speaker was profoundly serious and speaking only the full truth. Saul's choice to swear on the Lord in his effort to break God's law further reveals Saul's refusal to grasp what obedience truly is. The Lord will not honor his actions while he is dishonoring the Lord's commands.

Still, the woman is reassured and asks whom her customer wants to see. When Saul says Samuel, she doesn't seem to react. But when Samuel's spirit appears, she's shocked. She realizes two things: this is not her typical illusion or minor spiritual even. And her customer is the king who once ordered her death (1 Samuel 28:11–12).

First 1 Samuel 28:8–14 describes a controversial moment in the life of King Saul. The Philistines have amassed armies against Saul's. He's terrified that this is his doom. God refuses to speak. Samuel is gone. Saul puts on a disguise, goes to one of the few mediums who escaped his cleansing, and asks her to contact the dead prophet. When Samuel appears, she seems as surprised as everyone else. She also realizes her client is the king. Saul reassures the witch that she's safe, but Samuel does not have the same message for Saul (1 Samuel 28:15–19).

Israelites and the Philistines prepare for war. The Philistine king Achish demands that David fight with him against Israel. Terrified at the amassed Philistine army and unable to reach the Lord for help, Saul finds a medium to contact Samuel's spirit. Samuel repeats that the Lord has taken the kingdom from Saul and adds that Saul and his sons will fall, along with Israel, the next day. The medium serves Saul and his men a large meal, and the men leave under the cover of darkness. David is saved from having to fight his own people, but Saul and his sons do die. David will soon be king (1 Samuel 29; 31).

David and his men have escaped Saul (1 Samuel 27) and begun been fighting Israel's enemies under the protection of the Philistine king Achish (1 Samuel 28). Now, Achish wants David to fight Israel with him. Saul sees the Philistine army and is terrified. He finds a medium to call up Samuel's spirit. Samuel tells Saul that he, his sons, and Israel will fall. Fortunately, the other Philistine kings refuse to fight with David, and Achish sends him home. But Saul's sons are killed. Mortally wounded, Saul will take his own life (1 Samuel 29; 31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.