I Samuel 28:23-25 · Bible study
1 Samuel 28:23-25 Commentary: Saul's Last Meal
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Saul finally eat? Explore his despair, the woman's hospitality, and the urgency of the night before his death. A tragic yet human scene.
Research Summary
- Meaning: In utter despair, Saul is persuaded by his servants and a medium to eat one final meal before his death in battle.
- Key words: parats (H6555), “urge, break through”; mittah (H4296), “bed, dining couch”; ma'en (H3985), “refuse”.
- Main debate: Whether the woman acts purely out of compassion or primarily to secure her own safety; the commentators lean toward compassion (Gill, Matthew Henry, Ellicott).
- Theological theme: Common grace and human compassion persist even in a context of sin and divine judgment; God permits Saul to receive strength for his final hours.
- Best use: Preaching on despair, the importance of small acts of kindness, and the tragic dignity of a man facing the consequences of his choices.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
23Saul refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.
24The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.
25She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. And that night they got up and left.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
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.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
23But he refused, and said: I will not eat. But his servants and the woman forced him, and at length hearkening to their voice, he arose from the ground, and sat upon the bed.
24Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she made haste and killed it: and taking meal, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread,
25And set it before Saul, and before his servants. And when they had eaten they rose up, and walked all that night.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Samuel 28:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree: this passage shows a king stripped of everything. Saul has collapsed physically and emotionally after hearing Samuel’s judgment (vv.20, 22). He refuses food, but his servants and the woman “constrin” him, the Hebrew verb parats (H6555) means “break through” or “urge forcefully.” Gill says they reasoned with him and prevailed. Matthew Henry notes that Saul’s appetite had left him, but the kindness of the woman and his servants broke through his refusal. The “bed” (H4296 mittah) is a divan or couch used for eating, as Barnes and the Cambridge Bible explain: it was a platform along the wall where people sat for meals (Esther 1:6; Ezekiel 23:41). Clarke observes that the whole sequence, from arrival to departure, occupies a single night. The woman’s rapid preparation of unleavened bread and a fattened calf shows haste and hospitality. The commentators read the meal as a final, desperate act of sustenance before Saul walks to his death.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Saul is in deep physical and emotional distress after receiving a word of judgment, and he is eventually persuaded to eat by the combined urging of his servants and the woman.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The woman’s motives | All commentators note her risk (she could be executed for practicing mediumship) and her swift, generous hospitality. | Gill and Matthew Henry highlight her compassion; some readers question whether she is acting more out of fear for her own life, given that she knows Saul could have her killed. |
| The meaning of ‘bed’ (mittah) | All agree it is a piece of furniture on which Saul sits during the meal, not a sleeping bed. | Clarke assumes it is a dining couch; Barnes and Cambridge Bible specify it is a divan along the wall. The difference is minor, both picture a seated or reclining posture for eating. |
| The moral status of accepting a meal from a medium | The passage never condemns the meal itself; the focus is on Saul’s despair and the woman’s kindness. | Some Christian readers argue that associating with her further implicates Saul in occult sin; others (e.g., Wesley, Gill) see the meal as a neutral act of mercy, not an endorsement of her practice. |
| The timing of events | All agree the entire encounter at Endor takes place during a single night before the battle. | None. Clarke, in particular, outlines the sequence with precision. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Meals in ancient Israel were often taken while sitting or reclining on a mittah, a low platform or divan along the wall, cushioned for comfort (Barnes; Cambridge Bible). This was not a bed for sleeping but a seat for eating and talking (see Esther 1:6, Ezekiel 23:41). Saul rising from the ground and moving to the bed signals a small return to human custom, a shift from prostrate despair to a posture of shared life.
The woman’s actions reflect everyday life in a village like Endor. A fattened calf (marbeq, H4770) was kept in the house, a luxury animal reserved for special guests (Clarke; see Genesis 18:7). In a hot climate, meat could not be stored, so animals were slaughtered and cooked immediately. Unleavened bread (matstsah, H4682) was used when there was no time to wait for dough to rise (Wesley; Clarke). The verb “hasted” (mahal, H4116) appears three times in verses 24, 25, underscoring the urgency of the moment.
The woman herself is a medium, part of a profession Saul had outlawed (1 Samuel 28:3). Yet she risks her life to feed the king. Her persistence echoes the urging of Naaman’s servants (2 Kings 5:13) and the disciples at Emmaus (Luke 24:29). In this dark story, her hospitality is the last human kindness Saul receives before the Philistine battle.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Samuel 28:23, 25. The Hebrew text is stable across the Masoretic tradition, with only minor scribal differences in later copies (e.g., the use of the conjunctive waw in manuscript traditions). No variant affects the meaning of the passage.
Reception History
Christian interpreters have long read this passage within the larger tragedy of Saul’s downfall. The woman’s hospitality has often been noted as a rare bright spot: Calvin wrote that even those outside the covenant can show kindness. The Geneva Bible (1599) glosses the verses without moral comment, focusing on the sequence. Matthew Henry (1710) emphasizes the woman’s pity and the servants’ loyalty. In the Eastern Christian tradition, the scene is sometimes used as an example of how God does not abandon the fallen, Saul is given strength, albeit for a final, fatal march. Modern readings attend to the narrative’s realism: a grieving king, a rushed meal, a departure into the dark.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Depth of Despair: Saul refuses food, lying prostrate. The Hebrew ma'en (H3985) is a strong refusal, “I will not eat.” He has lost appetite, hope, and the will to live (cf. 1 Kings 21:4). Despair isolates us from basic human needs.
- The Force of Compassion: The woman and servants “constrain” him with parats, they break through his refusal. Small kindnesses, a meal, persistent urging, can reach a person in darkness.
- The Urgency of Hospitality: The woman kills a fattened calf, kneads flour, bakes unleavened bread, all in haste. The meal is temporary, for one night. Yet it points to God’s common grace: even in judgment, a table is spread.
Five-Point Outline
- Refusal: Saul says “I will not eat” (v.23). He is stubborn in despair, choosing to die by famine rather than face the sword.
- Persuasion: Servants and the woman together urge him. The Hebrew parats implies a breakthrough, they overcome his resistance.
- Rising: Saul gets up from the earth and sits on the bed. The act of sitting is a return to community, a small step toward receiving.
- Preparation: The woman provides a feast with speed: a fattened calf, unleavened bread. Her actions are efficient and generous.
- Departure: They eat, rise, and leave that same night. The meal does not stop the coming battle. It merely strengthens them for the road ahead.
Illustration Hooks
- Refusing food in grief: When someone is overwhelmed by bad news, a terminal diagnosis, a lost job, they often stop eating. Sometimes it takes a friend or family member to put a plate in front of them and insist.
- Unexpected kindness from a stranger: The woman is a medium, living on the edge of society. Yet she is the one who shows mercy. Kindness can come from people we least expect.
- The night before a crisis: Many people have had a last meal before a surgery, a deployment, or a difficult conversation. They eat even when they don’t want to, because they need strength for what is ahead.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Is it wrong to accept help from someone who is living in sin? The woman is a medium, yet Saul accepts her food.
- Why did Saul listen to his servants and the woman when he would not listen to God? Perhaps in his desperation, human presence felt closer than divine silence.
- What does this meal mean for Saul’s faith? Does it show repentance, or just survival instinct?
Leading a Discussion
These verses form a quiet, human moment in a story of judgment. Saul has just heard that he and his sons will die in battle. He lies on the ground, fasting, refusing comfort. Then two unlikely caregivers, his servants and a woman, urge him to eat. They succeed, and Saul shares a last meal before walking into the night. As you study, notice the small acts of persistence and the way broken people can still offer hospitality.
Discussion Questions
- What physical and emotional state is Saul in when the passage opens? How do verses 20, 22 set the scene?
- Why do the servants and the woman have to “constrain” Saul? The Hebrew verb parats suggests breaking through. What does this tell you about his resistance?
- What does the woman’s choice to kill a fattened calf and bake unleavened bread reveal about her intentions? How does speed play into the scene?
- Compare this meal to other meals in Scripture where people are “compelled” to eat (e.g., Luke 24:29; Acts 16:15). What is similar? What is different?
- Saul accepts help from a medium and his servants, people he might have avoided before. What does this say about the role of small kindnesses in desperate times?
- How does the meal change Saul? He rises, sits, eats, then departs. Does he seem different afterward? Why or why not?
- When has someone’s persistent care helped you do something you thought you couldn’t do? How can you offer that kind of persistence to someone hurting?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Kings 21:4 | Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. |
| II Kings 4:8 | One day Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman; and she persuaded him to eat bread. So it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread. |
| II Kings 5:13 | His servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had asked you do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? How much rather then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” |
| Proverbs 25:20 | As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. |
| Luke 14:23 | “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. |
| Luke 24:29 | They urged him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.” He went in to stay with them. |
| Acts 16:15 | When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. |
| II Corinthians 5:14 | For the love of Christ compels us; because we judge thus: that one died for all, therefore all died. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke insists that the woman of En-dor had no power over Samuel, and that no incantation can affect any departed saint. He affirms a real supernatural world where spirits exist, but he denies that human arts can coerce the spirits of the righteous into appearing.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes clarifies that the word translated "bed" in this passage actually refers to a long bench or divan along the wall, cushioned and used by guests reclining during meals, as was customary in Eastern homes.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator explains that the bed mentioned is likely a divan, a platform serving as a seat by day and bed at night, common in Eastern homes. He also notes that meals were prepared quickly in that culture, with fresh bread baked for each meal.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that Saul initially refused to
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that Saul refused food because he preferred starving to death by the Philistines, though grief may have also killed his appetite. The servants and the woman persuaded him with reasoning, not force. Gill commends the woman's generous hospitality in quickly preparing a fat calf and unleavened bread as a worthy example.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB describes the man's complete physical breakdown from long exhaustion, mental anguish, and despair, with cold sweat on his brow as he sank helpless. The kind care of the woman and her servants revived him, giving him strength to return to camp and await his fate.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the event was neither a real appearance of Samuel nor a demonic deception. He explains it as a psychological phenomenon: the woman, a professional necromancer, fell into an ecstatic trance and unconsciously identified herself with Samuel, uttering predictions that were natural inferences from Saul's desperate situation.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the bitter irony: Saul wanted to know what to do, but the forbidden source he consulted only told him what he had not done and what would happen to him. His collapse came not from holy fasting but from fear and a guilty conscience that killed his appetite. Looking for comfort anywhere outside God's appointed ways will end in similar disappointment.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Unleavened - Not having time to leaven it.