1 Samuel 28:11-20

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 28:18

Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord ,.... At Gilgal, as Abarbinel thinks; which is the first thing for which the kingdom was threatened to be taken from him, 1 Samuel 13:13 , nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek : in sparing Agag, and the best of the cattle, 1 Samuel 15:9 , therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day ; forsaken him, rent his kingdom from him, and would deliver him into the hands of the Philistines, as follows: had he been the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 28:19

Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines ,.... Not a word of comfort does he speak unto him, it being the business of this foul spirit to drive him to despair by the permission of God; had he been the true Samuel, he would have directed him to have altered his course of life, and especially his behaviour toward David, and advised him in those difficulties to send for him, who might have been of singular use unto him; he would have exhorted him... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 28:20

Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth ,.... Fell at his full length at once, as if he had been thunderstruck, or pierced through with a dart or sword: and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel ; as he supposed they were, whose words never failed: and there was no strength in him : to rise up again, he was quite dispirited and strengthless: for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night ; which contributed the more to his weakness; not only his... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:11

Whom shall I bring up - The woman certainly meant no more than making her familiar personify whomsoever the querist should wish. In the evocation of spirits this is all that, according to the professed rules of their art, such persons pretend to; for over human souls in paradise or in the infernal regions they have no power. If we allow that there is such an art founded on true principles, all it can pretend to is, to bring up the familiar; cause him when necessary to assume the form... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:12

When the woman saw Samuel - That Samuel did appear on this occasion, is most evident from the text; nor can this be denied from any legitimate mode of interpretation: and it is as evident that he was neither raised by the power of the devil nor the incantations of the witch, for the appearances which took place at this time were such as she was wholly unacquainted with. Her familiar did not appear; and from the confused description she gives, it is fully evident that she was both... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:13

I saw gods ascending out of the earth - The word אלהום elohim , which we translate gods, is the word which is used for the Supreme Being throughout the Bible; but all the versions, the Chaldee excepted, translate it in the plural number, as we do. The Chaldee has, I see דיי מלאכא malacha dayeya , an angel of the Lord, ascending from the earth. This sight alarmed the woman; it was what she did not expect; in this she could not recognise her familiar, and she was... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:14

An old man cometh up , and he is covered with a mantle - This seems to have been a second apparition; she cannot mean that she had seen gods ascending out of the earth, and these gods were like an old man with a mantle. The angelic appearance first mentioned prepared the way for Samuel; and the whole was done so as to show to the woman that her art had not prevailed in the present instance, and that what was now taking place was wholly independent of her incantations. ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:15

Why hast thou disquieted me - The complaint is not directed against the woman but against Saul. Indeed, her incantations had no influence in the business, and it does not appear that she had commenced her operations before the angels had prepared the way of the prophet, and before the prophet himself had made his appearance. That thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do - In his former difficulties, and when pressed by his enemies, he was in the habit of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:16

Wherefore then dost thou ask of me - Was ever I wont to give answers that were not dictated by the Lord? It is his counsel alone that I communicate. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 28:17

The Lord hath done to him - I believe these words are spoken of Saul; and as they are spoken to him, it seems evident that him should be thee. The Vulgate has tibi , the Septuagint σοι , to Thee: and this is the reading of five of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., as well as of both the Bibles printed at Venice in 1518, where we read לך lecha , to Thee, instead of לו lo , to Him. As he spake by me - Here was no illusion; none but Samuel could say this. read more

Group of Brands