1 Samuel 28 · Verse 13

1 Samuel 28:13

And 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.
1 Samuel 28:13, King James Version

1 Samuel 28:13 in other translations

BSB“Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do you see?” “I see a god coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.
WEBThe 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.”
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd 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.'
DARBYAnd 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.
BBEAnd the king said to her, Have no fear: what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
WebsterAnd the king said to her be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

What does 1 Samuel 28:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 28:7-14

7-8. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit--From the energetic measures which he himself had taken for extirpating the dealers in magical arts (the profession having been declared a capital offense), his most attached courtiers might have had reason to doubt the possibility of gratifying their master's wish. Anxious inquiries, however, led to the discovery of a woman living…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 28:7-14 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 I saw gods ascending out of the earth - The word אלהום elohim, which we translate gods, is the word which is used for the Supreme Being throughout the Bible; but all the versions, the Chaldee excepted, translate it in the plural number, as we do. The Chaldee has, I see מלאכא דיי malacha dayeya, an angel of the Lord, ascending from the earth. This sight alarmed the woman; it was what she did not expect; in this she could not recognise her familiar, and she was terrified at the appearance.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 28:7-19

When we go from the plain path of duty, every thing draws us further aside, and increases our perplexity and temptation. Saul desires the woman to bring one from the dead, with whom he wished to speak; this was expressly forbidden, De 18:11. All real or pretended witchcraft or conjuration, is a malicious or an ignorant attempt to gain knowledge or help from some creature, when it cannot be had from the Lord in the…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 28:7-19 →

1 Samuel 28:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
לָ֥הּlahto <the> her
הַמֶּ֛לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּֽירְאִ֖יtir.'Iyou fearH3372
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
מָ֣הmahwhat?H4100
רָאִ֑יתra.'Ithave you seenH7200
וַתֹּ֤אמֶרva.To.merand she saidH559
הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ha.'i.Shahthe womanH802
אֶל\־'el-toH413
שָׁא֔וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
אֱלֹהִ֣ים'E.lo.HimgodsH430
רָאִ֖יתִיra.'I.tiI have seenH7200
עֹלִ֥ים'o.Limcoming upH5927
מִן\־min-fromH4480
הָאָֽרֶץ\׃ha.'A.retzthe earthH776

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 28:13

  • Exodus 22:28

    Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

  • Psalms 82:6-7

    I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

  • Exodus 4:16

    And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

  • John 10:34-35

    Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
gods ascending.
Ex 4:16; 22:28; Ps 82:6,7; Joh 10:34,35

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 28:12

    And 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.

  • 1 Samuel 28:13

    And 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.

  • 1 Samuel 28:14

    And 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.

Read all of 1 Samuel 28

1 Samuel 28:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¿Por qué me has engañado? que tú eres Saúl. Y el rey le dijo: No temas: ¿qué has visto? Y la mujer respondió á Saúl: He visto dioses que suben de la tierra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le roi lui dit: Ne crains point; mais que vois-tu? Et la femme dit à Saül: Je vois un dieu qui monte de la terre.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der König sprach zu ihr: Fürchte dich nicht! doch was siehst du? Und das Weib sprach zu Saul: Ich sehe einen Gott aus der Erde heraufsteigen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque ei rex: Noli timere: quid vidisti? Et ait mulier ad Saul: Deos vidi ascendentes de terra.