1Achish putteth confidence in David. 4Saul, who had before destroyed the workers with familiar spirits, 4afraid of the host of the Philistines, and forsaken of God, 7hath recourse to a witch at En-dor, whom he persuadeth to raise up Samuel. 15Saul, being informed by Samuel of his approaching ruin, fainteth. 21The woman and his servants prevail upon him to take some food for his refreshment.
1AND it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their 1armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, 2Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
1 Here mention is made of armies in the plural number, as also 1 Sam. 29:1, from which may be gathered that the Philistines brought several armies together into the field.
2 Hebr. knowing thou shall know.
2And David said to Achish, 3Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, 4Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
3 Or, Hereby. This is again an ambiguous phrase, as 1 Sam. 27:10.
4 As if he had said: Because I entrust to thee, that thou wilt behave thyself valiantly in my service, therefore will I make thee a keeper of mine head, that is, of my body and life, as long as I and thou shalt live.
3¶Nowa5Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in 6his own city. And Saul had put away those that had 7familiar spirits, and 8the wizards, 9out of the land.
a 1 Sam. 25:1.
5 This is mentioned here, to show why Saul did not ask counsel of Samuel, but gave order to seek out a witch.
6 That is, in the city where he was born and bred, and had lived the most part of his life.
7 See Lev. 19 on verse 31.
8 Or, black artists.
9 Understand the land of Israel. See Lev. 19:31.
4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in 10Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in 11Gilboa.
10 See the annotation Joshua 19:18.
11 This is a mountain situated not far from the valley of Jezreel, where the battle occurred, in which Saul and his sons perished. See 1 Sam. 31:1; 2 Sam. 1:21.
5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6And when Saul 12enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, 13neither by 14dreams, nor 15by Urim, nor 16by prophets.
12 Namely, by some prophet, for Abiathar was at this time with David, with the ephod, wherein were the Urim and Thummim, whereby they enquired of the Lord. See 1 Sam. 23:6; 30:7.
13 In the Hebrew, for neither and nor is the word also thrice mentioned. Whereby must also be understood out of the foregoing words, the particle not, which together is as much as neither and nor.
14 See Num. 12:6.
15 See Num. 27:21.
16 That is, neither by ordinary, nor by extraordinary means.
7¶Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit,b 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 17En-dor.
b demon supposed to be in a person or under the power of a person*
17 A city situated in the tribe of Manasseh, on this side of Jordan. See the annotation on Joshua 17:11.
8And Saul 18disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, 19divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
18 Or, changed himself, made himself unknown, put on other apparel. Compare 1 Kings 22 on verse 30, namely, that this woman would not know him.
19 Namely, out of the grave. Thus Saul asks counsel of the dead for the living, which the prophet Isaiah reproves Isa. 8:19.
9And the woman said unto him, Behold, 20thou 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, 21to cause me to die?
20 Namely, as being a man of Israel, which she could perceive by his speech and apparel. But when she spoke this, she knew not yet that she communed with Saul.
21 As if she would say: to give Saul occasion to put me to death, when he shall come to hear of it.
10And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, 22there shall no 23punishment happen to thee for this thing.
22 Understand in addition: let God then punish me, or something similar. See the annotation on Gen. 14:23.
23 Hebr. iniquity or trespass, that is, punishment of iniquity. See Lev. 5 on verse 1.
11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12And when the woman saw 24Samuel, she 25cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
24 That is, an evil spirit in the form of Samuel, whom she had raised by her devilish art. Jesus Sirach is in great error when he writes that Samuel, after he had passed away, prophesied, and foretold Saul’s end, Jesus Sirach 46:20.
25 For fear of being imprisoned and put to death by Saul; for she came to know by the devil’s instinct or otherwise that it was Saul himself. Or, she cried, when she saw Samuel come up.
13And the king said unto her, 26Be not afraid: for 27what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw 28gods ascending out of the earth.
26 Namely, that I will put thee to death, or cause thee to be put to death.
27 Namely, that thou art thus afraid and affrighted.
28 That is, a stately, honorable person in the form of Samuel. She speaks thus, elohim, in the plural number, in a pagan manner and as a witch. Some understand here by gods, the form of Samuel, with a rabble of evil spirits.
14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. 29And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he 30stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
29 Namely, according to the judgment of his distracted senses, and from the words of the witch, but he himself did not see this Samuel.
30 Saul, being deceived of the devil by means of this witch, did honor the devil instead of Samuel.
15¶And 31Samuel said to Saul, 32Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, 33I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, 34neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
31 As verse 12.
32 It was neither in the devil’s power nor in that of the witch to raise up the true Samuel and to make him there appear. It was nothing but mere deceit of the devil, whom God sometimes permits to do some actions for the ruin and destruction of those who give credit thereto.
33 Hebr. distress is greatly to me, that is, great distress.
34 Hebr. by the hand of the prophets, that is, by means of any prophet. See further on verse 6.
16Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
17And the LORD hath done to 35him, as he spake 36by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
35 Namely, to His glory, according to His good pleasure. Other, him, namely, David. Or simply, he hath done it.
36 Hebr. by my hand. God had not spoken this by the evil spirit, but by the true Samuel, 1 Sam. 15:28.
18Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor 37executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee 38this day.
37 Hebr. done.
38 That is, at this time.
1939Moreover the LORD will also deliver 40Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be 41with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
39 The devil could guess this in part, while he knew that the Lord was departed from Saul, and that Saul was now thus dismayed and fearful, and also because there was but little courage and order among the Israelites to oppose and resist the Philistines.
40 That is, the army of the Israelites.
41 Namely, among the dead, that is, thou shalt be dead. See the like phrase, 2 Sam. 12:23. For that this should be understood of being in hell, where the devils are, cannot be applied to Jonathan and to many of the Israelites, who indeed died in battle, but went not, in respect of the soul, to the place of the damned.
20Then Saul 42fell straightway 43all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten 44no bread all the day, nor all the night.
42 Hebr. Then Saul made haste and fell on the ground.
43 Hebr. with the fullness of his stature or length.
44 That is, taken no food.
21¶And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, 45thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my 46hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.
45 That is, I have heard thy voice.
46 Hebr. palm. As if she would say, I have risked my life; for, she, in order to please Saul, had done that which ought to have been punished with death, if Saul had persisted in his former intent, whereof mention is made, verse 9. See the annotation on Judges 12:3.
22Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
23But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
24And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
25And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.