1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:1 After David has been with Achish for over a year, the Philistines decide to attack Israel. Apparently they wanted to gain control over the northern Jezreel Valley, a wide, agriculturally rich plain. YOU AND YOUR MEN ARE TO GO OUT WITH ME. David, as a paid soldier for A... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:3 The story now shifts to King Saul’s visit to the medium at En-dor and returns to David and the Philistines in 1 Samuel 29:1. Saul faces overwhelming odds as the Philistines prepare to attack. In desperation he apparently decides that the only one who can guide him is t... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:6 BY DREAMS, OR BY URIM, OR BY PROPHETS were the allowable means of determining the will of the Lord. THE LORD DID NOT ANSWER because he had rejected Saul from being king (1 Samuel 15:23). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:7 EN-DOR was 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of Shunem, where the Philistines were encamped, so it was on the other side of the enemy from Saul. He was risking his life by going there, so he DISGUISED HIMSELF and went BY NIGHT. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagN... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:12 SHE CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE. Perhaps Samuel’s appearance surprised the woman and she realized something was happening outside of her control. Readers are not told how the woman realized who SAUL was. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (v... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:13 A GOD is a term used of the spirits of the dead in ancient Near Eastern texts. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:15 THEN SAMUEL SAID TO SAUL. The Bible text assumes that the spirit raised by the medium really is Samuel. He is called “Samuel” in vv. 1 Samuel 28:15. He speaks much as he had spoken to Saul during his lifetime (compare vv. 1 Samuel 28:16 with 1 Samuel 15:18, 1 Samuel 1... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:19 BE WITH ME may simply mean that Saul will die. Some think it implies that Saul’s spirit will join Samuel’s in the place of the dead, perhaps even among those whose sins are forgiven. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.le... [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:24 A FATTENED CALF is a stall-fed calf that was being prepared for eating, rather than a pasture-fed calf. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 28:25 Saul WENT AWAY, back to Gilboa. Saul apparently accepted that his death was the unchangeable will of the Lord. He does not try to escape the battle on the next day. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]