1 Samuel 28:3-14 Meaning: When God Goes Silent
3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.
4The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.
5When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
6When Saul inquired of Yahweh, Yahweh didn’t answer him by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets.
7Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor.”
8Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. Then he said, “Please consult for me by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomever I shall name to you.”
9The woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”
10Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “As Yahweh lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.”
11Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up to you?” He said, “Bring Samuel up for me.”
12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”
13The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
14He said to her, “What does he look like?” She said, “An old man comes up. He is covered with a robe.” Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and showed respect.
3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7Then 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 En–dor.
8And Saul disguised 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, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
9And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou 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, to cause me to die?
10And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
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. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.
5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
6And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.
8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee.
9And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou 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, to cause me to die?
10And Saul sware to her by Jehovah, saying, As Jehovah liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
3And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4And the Philistines are gathered, and come in, and encamp in Shunem, and Saul gathereth all Israel, and they encamp in Gilboa,
5and Saul seeth the camp of the Philistines, and feareth, and his heart trembleth greatly,
6and Saul asketh at Jehovah, and Jehovah hath not answered him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
7And Saul saith to his servants, `Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;' and his servants say unto him, `Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.'
8And Saul disguiseth himself and putteth on other garments, and goeth, he and two of the men with him, and they come in unto the woman by night, and he saith, `Divine, I pray thee, to me by the familiar spirit, and cause to come up to me him whom I say unto thee.'
9And the woman saith unto him, `Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul--to put me to death?'
10And Saul sweareth to her by Jehovah, saying, `Jehovah liveth, punishment doth not meet thee for this thing.'
11And the woman saith, `Whom do I bring up to thee?' and he saith, `Samuel--bring up to me.'
12And the woman seeth Samuel, and crieth with a loud voice, and the woman speaketh unto Saul, saying, `Why hast thou deceived me--and thou Saul?'
13And the king saith to her, `Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?' and the woman saith unto Saul, `Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.'
14And he saith to her, `What is his form?' and she saith, `An aged man is coming up, and he is covered with an upper robe;' and Saul knoweth that he is Samuel, and boweth--face to thee earth--and doth obeisance.
3(Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and they had buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the necromancers and the soothsayers out of the land.)
4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.
5And when Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
6And Saul inquired of Jehovah; but Jehovah did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
7Then said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman that has a spirit of Python, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has a spirit of Python at En-dor.
8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other garments, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, I pray thee, divine to me by the spirit of Python, and bring me [him] up whom I shall name to thee.
9And the woman said to him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul has done, how he has cut off the necromancers and the soothsayers out of the land; and why layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
10And Saul swore unto her by Jehovah, saying, [As] Jehovah liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? Even thou art Saul.
13And the king said to her, Be not afraid; but what didst thou see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw agod ascending out of the earth.
14And he said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man comes up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Saul, who outlawed mediums, consult the witch of Endor? This passage shows the tragic spiral of a king cut off from God.
Context
Samuel is dead and buried. Saul had once done the right thing, driving out everyone who consulted spirits and practiced sorcery. But now the Philistines have massed a huge army at Shunem, and Saul camps at Gilboa. When he sees the enemy forces, terror grips him. He prays to God, but heaven stays quiet, no dream, no sacred lot from the priest’s breastplate, no prophet brings a word. Silence is all he gets.
So Saul does what he once forbade. He asks his servants for a woman who can call up the dead. They know of one at Endor. Under cover of night, Saul disguises himself and goes to her. He asks her to bring up Samuel. But when the woman sees something she did not expect, she screams and realizes her visitor is the king himself. She describes an old man wrapped in a robe coming up from the earth, and Saul knows it is Samuel. He bows low.
Key Words
Two Hebrew words carry the weight of Saul’s fall. The term for “familiar spirit” is ’ov. It refers to a spirit of the dead and the practice of consulting it. Earlier, Saul had cut off everyone who worked with ’ov from the land. He knew the law: stay away from such things. Yet now he goes looking for a woman who is a ba’alat ’ov, a mistress of the forbidden.
The second word is chaphas, “disguised himself.” The root means to search or to search out, but here in the Hithpael form it means to change appearance so you are not recognized. Saul puts on different clothes and slips into the night. He knows what he is doing is shameful. He hides his identity from the woman, but he cannot hide from the consequences.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage in different ways. Some take the text at face value: the woman saw Samuel, and God allowed the prophet to appear and deliver a message of judgment. Wesley notes that she cried out in terror, suggesting the appearance was unexpected and real.
Others, especially in Reformed and Evangelical traditions, argue that a demon impersonated Samuel. They point out that mediums have no power over the righteous dead, and that God would not let a prophet be summoned by sorcery. In this view, the message from “Samuel” still came true because God sovereignly used even a deception to declare His judgment.
Both groups agree on the main point: Saul’s action was a direct violation of God’s law, and it grew out of a heart that had long turned away from obedience.
A common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is that the witch of Endor had power to summon the dead. In fact, the woman herself was shocked when Samuel appeared. She cried out in fear, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” Nothing in the story suggests she expected or controlled what happened. The event was God’s doing, not hers. She was as surprised as anyone.
Living This Out
You know what it is like when God seems silent. You have prayed, called out, asked for direction, and heard nothing. The silence can be terrifying, especially when the pressure is on, a health crisis, a family rift, a decision that will not wait. In those moments, the temptation is to grab any answer anywhere. A quick fix. A voice that promises clarity, even if it comes from a wrong place.
Saul’s story asks you: will you wait in the dark, or will you light a forbidden fire? Silence is not abandonment. It may be a test of trust. You do not have to know the future to hold on to the One who holds it. Stay with Him, even when He seems far away.
Main takeaway: God’s silence does not give us permission to seek forbidden answers; He calls us to trust Him even when He seems far away.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
King Saul was scared, so he went to a woman who talked to spirits. But God had told His people not to do that. When we are afraid, we should pray to God, not look for help from wrong places.
For ages 9, 12
Saul once did the right thing by banning mediums from Israel. But later, when he was terrified and God wasn’t answering him, he went to a medium himself. That shows how fear can make us do exactly what we know is wrong. God wants us to keep trusting Him even when we feel alone and don’t hear His voice.
Questions People Ask
Did the witch of Endor actually bring up Samuel?
The text says the woman saw Samuel and cried out in terror, which suggests she did not expect this. Many Christians believe God allowed Samuel to appear to pronounce judgment. Others think it was a demon impersonating Samuel. Either way, the message Samuel gave matched what God had already said: the kingdom would be taken from Saul.
Why did God stop answering Saul?
Saul had repeatedly rejected God’s commands. He disobeyed in the matter of the Amalekites, and he tried to kill David out of jealousy. The Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. The silence was not arbitrary, it was the result of a long pattern of rebellion.
Did Saul feel guilty about consulting the medium?
Yes, his actions show he knew it was wrong. He disguised himself, went at night, and threatened the woman with punishment if she told anyone. He even swore by God’s name to protect her, which is ironic because he was breaking God’s law.
How did the woman know it was Saul when she saw Samuel?
The woman didn’t recognize Saul when he arrived. But when she saw something appear that she did not expect, she realized her visitor must be the king who had outlawed mediums. Her cry, “You are Saul!” shows she connected the event with him.
Is it a sin to consult mediums or psychics today?
The Bible consistently forbids consulting spirits or seeking guidance from the dead. This story illustrates the danger: when God is silent, we may be tempted to turn to forbidden sources. Instead, we are called to trust God and wait on Him, even in difficult times.
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