1 Samuel 28:9

9 And the woman said to him, Lo! thou knowest how great things Saul hath done, and how he hath done away from the land witches, and false diviners (and how he hath done away with witches, and false diviners, from the land); why therefore settest thou treason to my life, that I be slain?

1 Samuel 28:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 28:9

And the woman said unto him
Not knowing who he was:

behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done;
for by his speech and habit she perceived he was an Israelite, and so must be acquainted with what had passed in the nation, especially of a public nature, and which made a great noise, as doubtless this, lid:

how he both cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards,
out of the land;
as many of them as he had knowledge of, or information about; and by this it appears that he did not merely expel them his dominions, but he put them to death, according to the law of God, ( Exodus 22:18 ) ( Leviticus 20:27 ) ; so the putting them out of the land, ( 1 Samuel 28:3 ) , was putting them to death, and the woman's after reasoning confirms this: one should think for Saul to be told this to his face must fill him with shame and confusion, and his conscience must accuse him of sin and folly to make this attempt; and he must stand self-convicted and self-condemned; and it was enough to have deterred him from pursuing his scheme, had not his heart been strangely hardened:

wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
she suspected that Saul and his men were persons that came to entrap her; that when they had prevailed upon her to exercise her art, would turn informers against her, to the taking away of her life, it being death to practise it.

1 Samuel 28:9 In-Context

7 And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye to me a woman having a fiend speaking in the womb; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire by her. And his servants said to him, A woman having a fiend speaking in the womb is in Endor. (And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye out for me a woman who hath a familiar spirit; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire through her. And his servants said to him, There is a woman who hath a familiar spirit in Endor.)

8 Therefore Saul changed his clothing, and he was clothed with other clothes; and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman in the night. And he said, Divine thou to me in a fiend speaking in the womb, and raise thou up to me whom I shall say to thee (And he said, Call thou for me thy familiar spirit, and raise thou up for me whom I shall name to thee).

9 And the woman said to him, Lo! thou knowest how great things Saul hath done, and how he hath done away from the land witches, and false diviners (and how he hath done away with witches, and false diviners, from the land); why therefore settest thou treason to my life, that I be slain?

10 And Saul swore to her in the Lord, and said, The Lord liveth; for nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing. (And Saul swore to her by the Lord, and said, As the Lord liveth; nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing.)

11 And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up to thee? And he said, Raise thou Samuel up to me. (And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up for thee? And he said, Raise thou up Samuel for me.)