1 Samuel 28 · Verse 7

1 Samuel 28:7

Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En–dor.
1 Samuel 28:7, King James Version

1 Samuel 28:7 in other translations

BSBThen Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” “There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied.
WEBThen Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor.”
ASVThen said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.
YLTAnd Saul saith to his servants, ‘Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;' and his servants say unto him, ‘Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.'
DARBYThen said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman that has a spirit of Python, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has a spirit of Python at En-dor.
BBEThen Saul said to his servants, Get me a woman who has control of a spirit so that I may go to her and get directions. And his servants said to him, There is such a woman at En-dor.
WebsterThen said Saul to his servants, seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.

What does 1 Samuel 28:7 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 very secluded in the neighborhood, who had the credit of possessing the forbidden powers. To her house he repaired by night in disguise, accompanied by two faithful servants. En-dor--"the fountain of the circle" (that figure being constantly affected by magicians) was situated directly on the other side of the Gilboa range, opposite Tabor; so that, in this midnight adventure, Saul had to pass over the shoulder of the ridge on which the Philistines were encamped.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit - Literally, Seek me a woman, בעלת אוב baalath ob, the mistress of the Obidiah or Pythonic spirit - one who had a familiar spirit, whom she could invoke when she pleased, and receive answers from him relative to futurity. Strange that a man, who had banished all such from the land, as dangerous to the state, as impostors and deceivers, should now have recourse to them as the only persons in whom he could safely put his confidence in the time in which Jehovah had refused to help him! At En-dor - This was a city in the valley of Jezreel, at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where the army of Saul had now encamped.

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 path of duty. While Samuel was living, we never read of Saul's going to advise with him in any difficulties; it had been well for him if he had. But now he is dead, "Bring me up Samuel." Many who despise and persecute God's saints and ministers when living, would be glad to have them again, when they are gone. The whole shows that it was no human fraud or trick. Though the woman could not cause Samuel's being sent, yet Saul's inquiry might be the occasion of it. The woman's surprise and terror proved that it was an unusual and unexpected appearance. Saul had despised Samuel's solemn warnings in his lifetime, yet now that he hoped, as in defiance of God, to obtain some counsel and encouragement from him, might not God permit the soul of his departed prophet to appear to Saul, to confirm his former sentence, and denounce his doom? The expression, "Thou and thy sons shall be with me," means no more than that they shall be in the eternal world. There appears much solemnity in God's permitting the soul of a departed prophet to come as a witness from heaven, to confirm the word he had spoken on earth.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Samuel 28:7 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
שָׁא֜וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
לַעֲבָדָ֗יוla.'a.va.Davto servants hisH5650
בַּקְּשׁוּ\־ba.ke.shu-seekH1245
לִי֙lifor <the> me
אֵ֣שֶׁת'E.sheta womanH802
בַּעֲלַת\־ba.'a.lat-[the] owner ofH1172
א֔וֹב'ovnecromancyH178
וְאֵלְכָ֥הve.'e.le.Khahso let me goH1980
אֵלֶ֖יהָ'e.Lei.hato herH413
וְאֶדְרְשָׁה\־ve.'ed.re.shah-so I may consultH1875
בָּ֑הּBah<in> <the> her
וַיֹּאמְר֤וּvai.yo.me.Ruand they saidH559
עֲבָדָיו֙'a.va.Davservants hisH5650
אֵלָ֔יו'e.Lavto himH413
הִנֵּ֛הhi.Nehthere!H2009
אֵ֥שֶׁת'E.sheta woman ofH802
בַּֽעֲלַת\־ba.'a.lat-an owner ofH1172
א֖וֹב'ovnecromancyH178
בְּעֵ֥יןbe.'Ein[is] in En-H5874
דּֽוֹר\׃Dor-dorH5874

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

Cross references for 1 Samuel 28:7

  • Acts 16:16

    And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

  • Joshua 17:11

    And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Beth–shean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.

  • 1 Chronicles 10:13

    So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;

  • Psalms 83:10

    Which perished at En–dor: they became as dung for the earth.

  • Habakkuk 2:3

    For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

  • Isaiah 8:19-20

    And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

  • Leviticus 19:31

    Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.

  • Lamentations 3:25-26

    The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

  • Isaiah 19:3

    And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

  • 2 Kings 6:33

    And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?

  • 2 Kings 1:2-3

    And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baal–zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal–zebub the god of Ekron?

  • Deuteronomy 18:11

    Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Seek me.
2Ki 1:2,3; 6:33; Isa 8:19,20; La 3:25,26; Hab 2:3
a familiar spirit.
3; De 18:11; Isa 19:3; Ac 16:16
that I may.
Le 19:31; 1Ch 10:13; Isa 8:19
En-dor.En-dor, 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 are the ruins of Endor; where the witch's grotto is shewn.
Jos 17:11; Ps 83:10

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

Context

  • 1 Samuel 28:6

    And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

  • 1 Samuel 28:7

    Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En–dor.

  • 1 Samuel 28:8

    And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

Read all of 1 Samuel 28

1 Samuel 28:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces Saúl dijo á sus criados: Buscadme una mujer que tenga espíritu de pythón, para que yo vaya á ella, y por medio de ella pregunte. Y sus criados le respondieron: He aquí hay una mujer en Endor que tiene espíritu de pythón.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Saül dit à ses serviteurs: Cherchez-moi une femme qui évoque les esprits, et j’irai vers elle, et je la consulterai. Et ses serviteurs lui dirent: Voici, il y a à En-Dor une femme qui évoque les esprits.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da sprach Saul zu seinen Knechten: Suchet mir ein Weib, das einen Totenbeschwörergeist hat, damit ich zu ihr gehe und sie befrage. Und seine Knechte sprachen zu ihm: Siehe, zu Endor ist ein Weib, das einen Totenbeschwörergeist hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque Saul servis suis: Quærite mihi mulierem habentem pythonem, et vadam ad eam, et sciscitabor per illam. Et dixerunt servi ejus ad eum: Est mulier pythonem habens in Endor.