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1 SAMUEL 28

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. There were several culturally expected ways for God to give direction.
   1. dreams, vv. 6,15
   2. Urim (i.e., ephod of the High Priest), v. 6; see NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 329-330
   3. prophets, vv. 6,15
   4. mediums, spiritists, vv. 3,7; see NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 303-304
   
   
2. Saul had cut himself off from YHWH by his disobedience (v. 18), now YHWH had cut him off.
   1. Samuel the chief prophet of this period ‒ dead
   2. High Priest fled to David after Saul had the priests at Nob killed
   3. Saul himself had banned all spiritists and mediums (v. 3)
   
   
3. Saul was very afraid (cf. vv. 5,15,20,21), but in the following chapters he still acted on Israel's behalf, knowing he and his sons would all die in a losing battle.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 28:1-2
  ¹Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men." ²David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do." So Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."

28:1 "in those days" This is another literary marker that the account was written by an editor or compiler many years after the events.

▣ "Know assuredly" This is an intensified grammatical construction of an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 393, KB 390).

▣ "in the camp" The LXX and DSS have "in the battle. The Hebrew is similar. The LXX seems to fit the context better (NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 919, #2; NET, p. 510, #1). So v. 5 should read, "when Saul saw the army."

28:2 Achish had been deceived by David. He foolishly even made David his bodyguard (lit. "keeper of my heart"). David will not, cannot fight against his people and his God's people!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 28:3-7
  ³Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. ⁴So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa. ⁵When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. ⁷Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor."

28:3 Samuel, Saul's prophetic source of divine information, was dead. Saul himself had removed the Canaanite sources of divine information (i.e., spiritists and mediums, cf. 1 Sam. 15:23).

1. spiritists ‒ BDB 396 (lit. "familiar spirit," cf. Lev. 19:31; 20:6,27; Deut. 18:11; Isa. 8:19)
2. mediums ‒ BDB 15 (lit. "necromancer," cf. Lev. 19:31; 20:6; Deut. 18:11; 2 Kgs. 23:24; 1 Chr. 10:13; Isa. 8:19; NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 303-304)

See full note at Deuteronomy 18:11 online.

28:5 As Saul was afraid of Goliath, he is now afraid of the large Philistine army. Unlike David, who looked to YHWH, Saul focused on the immediate circumstances!

Apparently the Philistines gathered

1. their army
2. mercenaries (like David and others, Josephus, Antiq. 6.14.1)

28:6 It is uncertain how Saul "inquired of the Lord." However, he tried but there was no response from Israel's God (cf. 1 Sam. 14:37). See Contextual Insights, A.

It is interesting to note that the VERB "inquire" (BDB 981, KB 1371, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) has a positive orientation of requesting information from YHWH (i.e., Num. 27:21).

But in 1 Sam. 28:7 another VERB occurs (BDB 205, KB 233, Qal COHORTATIVE; NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 993, 999, esp. #6, p. 995), which has a negative orientation (i.e., 2 Kgs. 1:2; 1 Chr. 10:14; Ps. 10:4; Isa. 8:19; 19:3; Ezek. 14:7).

SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM

28:7 Saul had banned mediums but he knew there must still be some and his servants knew exactly where one was!

The city of Endor was very close to the Philistine area. Saul must have been desperate to travel there with a small group.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 28:8-14
  ⁸Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, "Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you." ⁹But the woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?" ¹⁰Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." ¹¹Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." ¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out 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, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth." ¹⁴He said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.

28:8 Saul disguised himself (it must have been hard because he was noticeably taller than most men) because he wanted a message from YHWH about the upcoming battle, but he knew if the medium recognized him, then she would not conjure up (BDB 890, KB 1115, NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 945-948) the dead, on penalty of death.

28:10 It is shocking to me that Saul offers an oath in YHWH's name to a medium!

28:11 Do mediums have the power to manipulate dead prophets? Is this a true appearance of Samuel? I think it is but the power did not come from the medium (i.e., she is shocked by the coming of Samuel) but from YHWH. He wanted to confront His first anointed one last time. YHWH can and does use evil for His purposes (i.e., the cross of Christ)!

See Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 217-218 and Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 180-181.

The MT has elohim (BDB 43). This word is used in several senses. Be sure to read the Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

▣ "coming up out of the earth" The ancient Israelites buried their dead. Therefore, the dead were in the ground. This developed into a concept that Sheol was an underground cavern (i.e., Num. 16:30,33; Ps. 55:15; 63:9; 88:1-18; 139:13-16).

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

28:14 This verse describes Samuel.

1. an old man (possible imagery for respected leader, NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 1135, #2)
2. wearing a prophetic robe
3. the next several verses have Samuel being very direct with Saul, reasserting YHWH's message of judgment
4. Saul recognized it was Samuel (v. 1 Sam. 28:20)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 28:15-19
  ¹⁵Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do." ¹⁶Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? ¹⁷The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. ¹⁸As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!"

28:15 "God has departed from me" Oh my, what a terrible plight! (cf. 1 Sam. 16:14; 18:12; same thing happened to Samson in Jdgs. 16:20; also note Rom. 1:24,26,28).

The VERB (BDB 693, KB 747, Qal PERFECT) means to "turn away" or "desert"; the PERFECT stem denotes the permanence of the leaving.

28:18-19 Samuel states Saul's disobedience (v. 18) and YHWH's judgment (v. 19). Now Saul knows how he and his family will perish!

28:19 "give over Israel along with you" The whole nation suffered because of Saul. This is the eastern concept of "corporality" (i.e., one person's actions affect the group—Adam, Achan, Jesus).

▣ "you and your sons will be with me" Saul and his sons will be in Sheol as Samuel was. The Israelites believed in a conscious but joyless afterlife in Sheol until judgment/resurrection day.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 28:20-25
  ²⁰Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night. ²¹The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, "Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. ²²So now also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way." ²³But he refused and said, "I will not eat." However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.

28:22-25 This is not the medium being helpful. She wanted Saul to leave her house!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Would David have actually attacked Saul with the Philistines?
2. How did the king inquire of the Lord?
3. Did the witch of Endor really call up Samuel from the dead?

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