1 Samuel 28:15

15 Und Samuel sprach zu Saul: Warum hast du mich beunruhigt, mich heraufkommen zu lassen? Und Saul sprach: Ich bin in großer Not; denn die Philister streiten wider mich, und Gott ist von mir gewichen und antwortet mir nicht mehr, weder durch die Propheten, noch durch Träume; da ließ ich dich rufen, damit du mir kundtuest, was ich tun soll.

1 Samuel 28:15 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 28:15

And Samuel said to Saul, why hast thou disquieted me to bring
me up?
&c.] This makes it a clear case that this was not the true Samuel; his soul was at rest in Abraham's bosom, in the state of bliss and happiness in heaven, and it was not in the power of men and devils to disquiet it; nor would he have talked of his being brought up, but rather of his coming down, had it been really he; much less would he have acknowledged that he was brought up by Saul, by means of a witch, and through the help of the devil:

and Saul answered, I am sore distressed;
in mind, being in great straits and difficulties, pressed hard upon by men, and forsaken of God, as follows:

for the Philistines make war against me;
so they had many times, and he had been victorious, and had no reason to be so much distressed, if that was all: but he adds,

and God is departed from me:
and therefore he feared he should be left to fall into their hands; and that he had forsaken him he concluded from hence,

and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams:
(See Gill on 1 Samuel 28:6); he makes no mention of Urim, either because they were not with him to inquire by, being carried away by Abiathar when he fled to David, ( 1 Samuel 23:9 ) ; or, as the Jews say ^F8, through shame, he said nothing of the Urim before Samuel, as he took this appearance to be, because he had slain the priests at Nob, and because of this shame, they say, his sin was forgiven him:

therefore have I called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what
I shall do;
which was downright madness and folly to imagine, that since God had forsaken him, and would give him no answer, that a prophet of his should take his part; or when he could get no answer from a prophet of God on earth, that he could expect an agreeable one from one fetched down from heaven: one would be tempted to think that he himself believed it was the devil he was talking to, and whom he had called for under the name of Samuel, and expected to see; for from whom else could he expect advice, when he was forsaken of God, and his prophets?

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 12. 2.

1 Samuel 28:15 In-Context

13 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.

14 Und er sprach zu ihr: Wie ist seine Gestalt? Und sie sprach: Ein alter Mann steigt herauf, und er ist in ein Oberkleid gehüllt. Da erkannte Saul, daß es Samuel war, und er neigte sich, das Antlitz zur Erde, und beugte sich nieder.

15 Und Samuel sprach zu Saul: Warum hast du mich beunruhigt, mich heraufkommen zu lassen? Und Saul sprach: Ich bin in großer Not; denn die Philister streiten wider mich, und Gott ist von mir gewichen und antwortet mir nicht mehr, weder durch die Propheten, noch durch Träume; da ließ ich dich rufen, damit du mir kundtuest, was ich tun soll.

16 Und Samuel sprach: Warum doch fragst du mich, da Jehova von dir gewichen und dein Feind geworden ist?

17 Und Jehova hat für sich getan, so wie er durch mich geredet hat; und Jehova hat das Königtum aus deiner Hand gerissen und es deinem Nächsten, dem David, gegeben.