1 Samuel 28:3
New International Version
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

New Living Translation
Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.

English Standard Version
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.

Berean Standard Bible
Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

King James Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

New King James Version
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

New American Standard Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

NASB 1995
Now 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.

NASB 1977
Now 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.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists.

Amplified Bible
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and the spiritists (soothsayers) from the land.

Christian Standard Bible
By this time Samuel had died, all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city, and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
By this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city, and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

American Standard Version
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Samuel had died and all Israel had mourned over him and buried him in Ramtha in his tomb, and Shaul removed the Necromancers and Soothsayers from the land

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Samuel died, and all Israel lamented for him, and they bury him in his city, in Armathaim. And Saul had removed those who had in them divining spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel mourned for him, and buried him in Ramatha his city. And Saul had put away all the magicians and soothsayers out of the land.

English Revised Version
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his hometown Ramah. (Saul had rid the land of mediums and psychics.)

Good News Translation
Now Samuel had died, and all the Israelites had mourned for him and had buried him in his hometown of Ramah. Saul had forced all the fortunetellers and mediums to leave Israel.

International Standard Version
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land.

Literal Standard Version
And Samuel has died, and all Israel mourns for him, and buries him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul has turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Majority Standard Bible
Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

New American Bible
Now, Samuel was dead. All Israel had mourned him and buried him in his city, Ramah. Meanwhile Saul had driven mediums and diviners out of the land.

NET Bible
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented over him and had buried him in Ramah, his hometown. In the meantime Saul had removed the mediums and magicians from the land.

New Revised Standard Version
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the mediums and the wizards from the land.

New Heart English Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had removed the mediums, and spiritists, from the land.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

World English Bible
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land.

Young's Literal Translation
And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Philistines Gather Against Israel
2David replied, “Then you will come to know what your servant can do.” “Very well,” said Achish. “I will make you my bodyguard for life.” 3Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land. 4The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.…

Cross References
Acts 16:16
One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.

Exodus 22:18
You must not allow a sorceress to live.

Leviticus 19:31
You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 20:27
A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.'"

Deuteronomy 18:10
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery,

1 Samuel 7:17
Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the wickedness of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king."


Treasury of Scripture

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Samuel

1 Samuel 25:1
And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Isaiah 57:1,2
The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come

put away

1 Samuel 28:9
And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

Exodus 22:18
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

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.

Jump to Previous
Arts Body Buried Bury City Control Dead Died Divined Expelled Israel Lamented Mediums Mourn Mourned Necromancers Ramah Removed Samuel Saul Secret Soothsayers Spirit Spiritists Spirits Turned Use Weeping Wizards
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Arts Body Buried Bury City Control Dead Died Divined Expelled Israel Lamented Mediums Mourn Mourned Necromancers Ramah Removed Samuel Saul Secret Soothsayers Spirit Spiritists Spirits Turned Use Weeping Wizards
1 Samuel 28
1. Achish puts confidence in David
3. Saul having destroyed the witches
4. and now in his fear forsaken of God
7. has recourse to a witch
8. who, encouraged by Saul, raises up Samuel
15. Saul hearing his ruin, faints
21. The woman and his servants refresh him with meat














(3) Now Samuel was dead.--A statement here repeated to introduce the strange, sad story which follows. The LXX., followed by the Vulg. and Syriac Versions, omitted it, not understanding the reason for its repetition.

And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.--This statement is also inserted explanatory of what follows. In other words, the compiler says: "Now Samuel, whom Saul was so anxious to see, was dead and buried, and the possessors of familiar spirits, whose aid Saul was about to invoke to carry out his purpose, had long since been put out, by his own order, from the land." "Those that had familiar spirits"--those that had at their command oboth, rendered "familiar spirits," the plural form of ob, a word which has never been explained with any certainty. Scholars think they can connect it with ob, to be hollow, and ob is then "the hollow thing," or "bag;" and so it came to signify, "one who speaks in a hollow voice." It hence appears to mean the distended belly of the ventriloquist, a word by which the LXX. always render ob. It thus is used to designate the male or female ventriloquist, as in 1Samuel 27:3; 1Samuel 27:9, and Deuteronomy 18:11, &c., and also the spirit which was supposed to speak from the belly of the ventriloquist; in this sense it is so used in 1Samuel 27:8-9, and Isaiah 29:4. This is the explanation given by Erdmann in Lange, and the Bishop of Bath and Wells in the Speaker's Commentary. . . .

Verse 3. - Samuel was dead. A repetition of 1 Samuel 25:1, inserted to explain Saul's conduct, as is the other fact, that Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, etc. We are not told when Saul did this; but at the commencement of his reign, when he brought the ark to Nob, he was probably earnest generally in his observance of the precepts of the Mosaic law. Familiar spirits. Hebrew, oboth, the plural of ob, a leathern bottle. It is generally taken to refer to the distended belly of the conjurer, into which the summoned spirit of the dead was supposed to enter, and thence speak; for which reason the Septuagint renders the word" ventriloquist," and is followed by most modern commentators. Wizards. Hebrew, "knowing ones," from the verb to know; just as wizard comes from the old verb to wiss. With ignorant people unusual knowledge is always looked upon with suspicion; but these supposed magicians professed a knowledge to which they bad no claim.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now by this time Samuel
וּשְׁמוּאֵ֣ל (ū·šə·mū·’êl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 8050: Samuel -- 'name of God', a prophet of Israel

had died,
מֵ֔ת (mêṯ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

and all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

had mourned
וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ (way·yis·pə·ḏū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5594: To tear the hair and beat the breasts, to lament, to wail

for him
לוֹ֙ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

and buried
וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֥הוּ (way·yiq·bə·ru·hū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6912: To inter

him in Ramah,
בָרָמָ֖ה (ḇā·rā·māh)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7414: Ramah -- 'height', the name of several places in Israel

his own city.
וּבְעִיר֑וֹ (ū·ḇə·‘î·rōw)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

And Saul
וְשָׁא֗וּל (wə·šā·’ūl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

had removed
הֵסִ֛יר (hê·sîr)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

the mediums
הָאֹב֥וֹת (hā·’ō·ḇō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 178: A bottle (made from animal skin), a necromancer

and spiritists
הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֖ים (hay·yid·də·‘ō·nîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3049: A knowing one, a conjurer, a ghost

from the land.
מֵהָאָֽרֶץ׃ (mê·hā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-m, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT History: 1 Samuel 28:3 Now Samuel was dead and all Israel (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 28:2
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