SEV Biblia, Chapter 28:7
¶ Entonces Saúl dijo a sus criados: Buscadme alguna mujer que tenga espíritu de pitón, para que yo vaya a ella, y por medio de ella pregunte. Y sus criados le respondieron: He aquí hay una mujer en Endor que tiene espíritu de pitón.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 28:7
Verse 7. Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit] Literally, Seek me a woman, bwa tl[b 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.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 7. Then said Saul unto his servants , etc.] That waited upon him, to some of them, to such as he could place most confidence in to keep a secret; perhaps only the two after mentioned: seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her ; that was mistress of the bottle, a ventriloquist, that spoke out of her belly, or seemed to do; who had the spirit of Python or divination, conversed with the devil, and by his assistance pretended to bring up a dead person, and thereby foretell things to come; (see Gill on “ Deuteronomy 18:11”); a woman is pitched upon, because such were most addicted to those wicked arts, and being of the weaker sex, were more easily imposed upon by Satan; and Saul showed himself to be as weak, to seek after such persons; but being left of God, he acted the part of a mad man, as well as of a bad man: and his servants said to him, behold, [there is] a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor ; a city in the tribe of Manasseh, of which (see Joshua 17:11); it was not far from Gilboa. Mr. Maundrell speaks of it as near Nain, at the foot of Mount Hermon; and turning, a little southward, he says, you have in view the high mountains of Gilboa. It is a tradition of the Jews that this woman was the mother of Abner, the wife of Zephaniah; some say her name was Zephaniah; but, as Abarbinel observes, if so she would have known Saul, and also Saul would have known her, and what she was, if, as they say, she was spared because of her relation to him; nor needed he to have inquired of his servants for such a woman.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-19 - When we go from the plain path of duty, every thing draws us furthe aside, and increases our perplexity and temptation. Saul desires the woman to bring one from the dead, with whom he wished to speak; thi was expressly forbidden, De 18:11. All real or pretended witchcraft of conjuration, is a malicious or an ignorant attempt to gain knowledge of 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 an 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 huma 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 surpris and terror proved that it was an unusual and unexpected appearance Saul had despised Samuel's solemn warnings in his lifetime, yet no that he hoped, as in defiance of God, to obtain some counsel an encouragement from him, might not God permit the soul of his departe prophet to appear to Saul, to confirm his former sentence, and denounc his doom? The expression, "Thou and thy sons shall be with me," mean no more than that they shall be in the eternal world. There appear 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 of earth.
Original Hebrew
ויאמר 559 שׁאול 7586 לעבדיו 5650 בקשׁו 1245 לי אשׁת 802 בעלת 1172 אוב 178 ואלכה 1980 אליה 413 ואדרשׁה 1875 בה ויאמרו 559 עבדיו 5650 אליו 413 הנה 2009 אשׁת 802 בעלת 1172 אוב 178 בעין דור׃ 5874
