1 Samuel 28:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at En-dor."

NIV: Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her." "There is one in Endor," they said.

NASB: Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him, 'Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.'

CSB: Saul then said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her." His servants replied, "There is a woman at En-dor who is a medium."

NLT: Saul then said to his advisers, 'Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.' His advisers replied, 'There is a medium at Endor.'

KJV: Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

NKJV: Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

Saul is terrified about the upcoming battle with the Philistines assembled as a massive army near his current position on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 28:4–5). He's desperate for God's revelation and help. He's tried several different communication methods, but the Lord has remained silent (1 Samuel 28:6). Saul defied God and was cut off as a result (1 Samuel 15:23). Here, near the end of his life, he once again decides that his own judgment overrides God's direct commands.

Now Saul decides that he needs to hear from Samuel, the prophet and mentor who first anointed him king over Israel (1 Samuel 10:1). The problem is that Samuel is dead (1 Samuel 28:3). God forbids His people from attempting to contact the dead (Deuteronomy 18:9–12). Yet Saul puts his plans ahead of God's law.

Despite Saul removing all mediums and necromancers from the land (1 Samuel 28:3), he knows there must still be some around. He tells his men to find a female medium, and they immediately answer him that there is one at the nearby city of En-dor. Mediums during this time were primarily women; this is partly why this woman later gained the nickname "the witch of Endor." The town of En-dor was on the other side of the Philistine camp from Saul's location.

First Samuel 28:3–7 records Saul's further fall into disobedience. When he sees the size of the Philistine army about to attack him, he's terrified and doesn't know what to do. Samuel the prophet is dead (1 Samuel 25:1), and God won't answer the remaining prophets. Saul sends his servants to find a medium: a profession he himself had outlawed. In disguise, he will meet the medium and receive terrifying news (1 Samuel 28:8–25).

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.