1 Samuel 28

Chap. XXVIII. Ver. 1—25. The Philistines invade Judea, and Saul consults a witch, at Endor.—Sir Isaac Newton conjectures that the Philistines had, about this time, obtained a great accession to their armies, by a vast number of men which Amasis had driven out of Egypt. This, with the death of Samuel just before, and the understanding that David was turned against Saul, were considerable inducements to renew the war with Israel. On the latter circumstance, in particular, Achish, who appears to have been a very easy, credulous man, seems to have placed much reliance, though his wiser lords, as we shall see presently, thought very differently. But we must now attend to another circumstance, which forms the chief incident of this chapter.

Saul, probably in consequence of the previous advice of Samuel, had “put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land,” as decidedly contrary to the divine law; ((Deuteronomy 18:10-12).) yet he seems to think that there might be some truth in their pretensions; and being unable to obtain an answer to his inquiries by any lawful means, he resolves to try their skill, and accordingly goes to a woman at Endor, (ver. 7.) who had, or was reputed to have, a familiar spirit, and who practised Oggarte B; af This mysterious event has been differently viewed by critics and commentators; the opinion of the late Bishop Horne is that generally adopted, and cannot be better expressed than in his own language: “OY Sia ee “Respecting the transaction at Endor, the case, in few words, stands thus: Convinced, by proper evidence, of the authority of the book in which it is related, we of course believe that the several incidents happened as they are there said to have happened.

By what power or agency they were brought about, or how the business was conducted, is another question, which (is) confessedly to us, at this distance, of an obscure and difficult nature. ’ “That God should permit evil spirits, employed by a wretched woman, to summon at pleasure his departed servants from the other world, is not to be imagined. It remains, therefore, either that the whole affair of Samuel’s appearance was a contrivance, or that, by the interposition of God, there was a real appearance, which the enchantress did not expect, nor could have effected. The surprise and alarm occasioned in her, seem to point us this way; and there are two instances recorded in Scripture of a proceeding somewhat similar.”

(See the case of Balaam, (Numbers 23)and that of Ahaziah, (2 Kings 1))…. “When Saul hoped for a kind answer from Samuel, and it is likely would have had a very favourable one from some pretended Samuel, God was pleased to disappoint both the sorceress and him, by sending the true Samuel with a true and faithful message, quite contrary to what the woman and Saul had expected; which so confounded and disordered him, that he instantly fell into a swoon, and could no longer bear up against the bitter agonies of his mind.” Charles Taylor, the late ingenious Editor of Calmet, takes the other side of the question, and considers the whole as a juggle, wrought a hat power of ventriloquism, or even some inferior art.

He thinks that Saul saw nothing extraordinary;

Notes on the verses

Chap. XXVIII. Ver. 6. By Urim.—Or, as elsewhere expressed, “By Urim and Thummim.” These words evidently mean, lights and perfections, and are thought by many of the Rabbins to refer to some remarkable lustre exhibited by the letters engraved on the precious stones, in a manner that no person can explain or account for. We have met with the expression several times before in this Bible, but the author has deferred giving an opinion, in hopes of meeting with some probable explication; but he is disappointed. Moses having said little concerning them, has left room for innumerable conjectures, wherewith many pages, and whole volumes of later writers, have been filled. And after all, nothing is more pertinent than the following sentence of Rabbi Kimchi: “He is on the safest side, who frankly confesses his ignorance; so that we need a priest to stand up with Urim and Thummim to teach us what the Thummim were.”

(H (Ezra 2:63).)—Dr. Jenning’s Jewish Antia.. Ver. 7. A woman that hath a familiar spirit.—Hebrew, “A mistress of the Ob,” (or Aub.) A pythoness, as the Greeks call them. A ventriloquist, probably, as Josephus calls her, for it is certain that this art was practised among the ancients. See Chamber’s Cyclopedia—Endor.—{Endor, a city of Manasseh, was situated in the plain of Jezreel; and Eusebius and Jerome inform us, that it was a great town in their days, four miles south from Mount Tabor, near Nain, towards Scythopolis. This agrees with Maundrell, who says, that not many miles eastward of Tabor you see mount Hermon, at the foot of which is seated Nain and Endor; and Burckhardt says, that in two hours and a half from Nazareth, towards Scythopolis or Bisan, they came to the village of Denouny, near which is the ruins of Endor; where, he says, the witch’s grotto is shown.

]—Bagster. Ver. 13. I saw gods (Heb. Elohim) ascending.—That is, divine or supernatural beings. Or perhaps she used the word in the singular sense, as it is applied to Moses. ((Exodus 7:1).) Ver. 15. Why hast thou disquieted me?—The state of the dead is, in the Old Testament, uniformly represented as a state of rest, and more especially that of good men, (Job 3:13-17). Samuel therefore saith, ‘“‘Why hast thou disquieted (or disturbed) me?’ The language is wholly figurative. Ver. 17. Hath done to him.—Margin, “For himself;” but the LXX., Vulgate, and five MSS., read, “‘to thee,” which is more perspicuous.—Boothroyd. The difference in the Hebrew is but half a letter. Ver. 19. To-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me.—That is, in the state of the dead: but nothing can be hence inferred as to their eternal state; for Saul and Jonathan were of opposite characters.

Nor is it said “all thy sons,” for it was true only of three of them; (1 Samuel 31:2).