1 Samuel 28:23-25 Meaning: From Refusal to a Final Meal
23But he refused, and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.
24The woman had a fattened calf in the house. She hurried and killed it; and she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread of it.
25She brought it before Saul and before his servants, and they ate. Then they rose up and went away that night.
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.
23But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
24And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it; and she 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.
23And he refuseth, and saith, `I do not eat;' and his servants urge on him, and also the woman, and he hearkeneth to their voice, and riseth from the earth, and sitteth on the bed.
24And the woman hath a calf of the stall in the house, and she hasteth and slaughtereth it, and taketh flour, and kneadeth, and baketh it unleavened things,
25and bringeth nigh before Saul, and before his servants, and they eat, and rise, and go on, during that night.
23But he refused and said, I will not eat. Then his servants, and the woman also, compelled him, and he hearkened to their voice; and he arose from the earth and sat on 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 baked unleavened bread thereof;
25and she brought it near before Saul, and before his servants, and they ate. And they rose up and went away that night.
Meaning in one sentence
Saul, crushed by God’s silence, refuses food but is gently persuaded by a medium and his servants. Find the surprising grace in this dark moment.
Context
This passage sits at the end of one of Scripture's darkest chapters. King Saul, terrified by the Philistine army, has received no answer from God. In desperation he sought out a medium at Endor, an act he himself had outlawed. The spirit of Samuel appeared and delivered a devastating verdict: the kingdom is lost, and tomorrow Saul and his sons will die. Saul collapsed, physically broken from a daylong fast. It is at this low point that the woman and his servants gently persuade him to eat. The meal she prepares is simple and hurried, and afterward Saul and his men leave into the night to face their end.
Key Words
The Hebrew word for Saul's refusal is ma’en, a deliberate, emphatic “no.” It carries the sense of setting oneself against something, not just declining. But the verb for what the woman and servants did is parats, meaning to break through or burst open. They did not merely ask; they pressed through his walls of despair. And when Saul finally listened (šama‘), the same word used for obeying God, he yielded to their care. These words paint a picture: a man so shattered he could not lift a hand, and people who loved him enough to break into his grief and bring him back to the simplest necessity.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions read this scene with sober attention. Matthew Henry saw Saul’s despair as the tragic fruit of forsaking God, a man left to his own ruin. Gill commended the woman’s liberality and haste, noting her kindness even to a doomed king. Wesley simply observed that the bread was unleavened because there was no time to wait. Some readers focus on the moral warning: Saul’s consultation with a medium brought him no comfort, only terror. Others note the surprising humanity of the medium herself, who risked her life to feed a stranger. Both readings remind us that even in our darkest mistakes, small acts of care still appear.
A common misunderstanding
Some think Saul’s refusal to eat was a sign of noble grief, a righteous despair over his sin. In fact, the text presents it as a physical collapse brought on by terror and fasting. His servants and the woman do not praise his resolve; they compel him to eat. His refusal was not strength but surrender to death. The kindness of others pulled him back from that edge long enough to face what lay ahead.
Living This Out
The woman did not try to fix Saul’s situation. She could not undo Samuel’s words or save his kingdom. She simply offered a meal. There are times when we cannot solve a friend’s crisis, but we can sit down with them and break bread. And there are times when we ourselves are so low that the only thing we can do is let someone else do something small for us. This week, consider what little act of care you might offer to someone who is carrying a heavy weight. It might not change their circumstances, but it could give them strength to take the next step.
Main takeaway: Even when hope is gone, kindness from others can give us what we need to take one more step, not to fix everything, but to face what’s ahead.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Saul was so sad and tired that he did not want to eat. But his friends and the woman kept asking him, and he finally ate. Sometimes when we are sad, we need other people to help us take care of ourselves.
For ages 9, 12
King Saul had made some terrible choices, and now he was facing the consequences. He was so overwhelmed that he refused to eat. But the woman at Endor and his servants kept urging him until he agreed. They could not fix his problems, but they made sure he had strength for the night ahead. It is a reminder that even when we have messed up, people who care about us can still help us do what we need to do.
Questions People Ask
Why did Saul refuse to eat at first?
Saul had just heard Samuel’s prophecy that he would die in battle the next day. He was terrified, physically exhausted from fasting, and lying on the ground in despair. His refusal to eat came from a place of total hopelessness, not stubbornness.
What does it mean that the servants and woman ‘constrained’ or ‘compelled’ him?
The Hebrew word is parats, which means to break through or urge forcefully. They did not drag him; they pressed him with gentle but determined persuasion. They reasoned with him until he agreed to try to eat.
Was the woman at Endor showing true kindness even though she was a medium?
Christians have different views on this. Some note that God’s law strictly forbids mediums, and Saul’s visit to her was a sin. Others point out that she risked her life (Saul could have killed her for practicing what he had outlawed) and offered genuine hospitality to a stranger in need.
Why did the bread have to be unleavened?
Wesley notes there was no time to let leavened dough rise. The woman hurried to prepare a meal, so she baked flatbread. This matches common practice in the ancient Near East, where guests were fed quickly.
What happened to Saul after he ate?
He and his servants got up and left that same night. They returned to the camp at Gilboa, where the battle took place the next day. Saul died by his own hand after being wounded, and his sons were killed, just as Samuel had said.
For pastors & researchers
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