1 Samuel 28:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."

NIV: Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said.

NASB: Then the woman said, 'Whom shall I bring up for you?' And he said, 'Bring up Samuel for me.'

CSB: "Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?" the woman asked. "Bring up Samuel for me," he answered.

NLT: Finally, the woman said, 'Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?' 'Call up Samuel,' Saul replied.

KJV: Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

NKJV: Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

The medium Saul has come to in the middle of the night has resisted helping him, sensing a trap. The practice of divination and necromancy is punishable by death in Israel. This is according to both the Mosaic law (Leviticus 20:27) and Saul's own decrees. Yet Saul has sworn that she will not be punished if she does this thing. The woman doesn't know who her client is, but she's reassured (1 Samuel 28:8–10).

She asks for the name of the spirit he wants to call up from the dead. He tells her to call up Samuel. It's unclear whether the woman knows that the "Samuel" Saul wants to contact is the famous prophet of the Lord. She may have just required a name for the incantations used in the ritual. The writer seems to avoid describing the ritual itself or any of the incantations, perhaps because he does not want to provide an example for future readers to follow to try to replicate the practice.

What becomes clear is that the medium did not expect to see Samuel the prophet. When he appears, she is terrified. On one hand, this is probably because she wasn't expecting to see a real spirit. But the results also make her realize that her customer is the king. Saul, again, reassures her that she's safe. But when Samuel gives his message, they both learn that Saul isn't safe, himself (1 Samuel 28:12–14, 19).

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.