1 Samuel 28:23

But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
refused	וַיְמָאֵ֗ן vay.ma.'En	H3985	to refuse · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
said	וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
eat	אֹכַ֔ל 'o.Khal	H398	to eat (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
servants	עֲבָדָיו֙ 'a.va.Dav	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
woman	הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה ha.'i.Shah	H802	a woman · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
compelled	וַיִּפְרְצוּ vai.yif.re.tzu-	H6555	to break out (in many applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
hearkened	וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע vai.yish.Ma'	H8085	to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
voice	לְקֹלָ֑ם le.ko.Lam	H6963	a voice or sound · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
arose	וַיָּ֙קָם֙ vai.Ya.kom	H6965	to rise (in various applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
earth	מֵֽהָאָ֔רֶץ me.ha.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · preposition + definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sat	וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב vai.Ye.shev	H3427	properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
bed	הַמִּטָּֽה ha.mi.Tah	H4296	a bed (as extended) forsleeping or eating · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will…
2 Kings 4:8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as of…
2 Kings 5:13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have…
Proverbs 25:20 As he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart.
Luke 14:23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
Luke 24:29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
Acts 16:15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house,…
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 28:20–end

We are here told how Saul received this terrible message from the ghost he consulted. He desired to be told what he should do (Sa1 28:15), but was only told what he had not done and what should be done to him. Those that expect any good counsel or comfort otherwise than from God, and in the way of his institutions, will be as wretchedly disappointed as Saul here was. Observe, I. How he sunk under the load, Sa1 28:20. He was indeed unfit to bear it, having eaten nothing all the day before, nor that night. He came fasting from the camp, and continued fasting; not for want of food, but for want of an appetite. The fear he was in of the power of the Philistines (Sa1 28:5) took away his appetite,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 28:8

bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee--This pythoness united to the arts of divination a claim to be a necromancer (Deu 18:11); and it was her supposed power in calling back the dead of which Saul was desirous to avail himself. Though she at first refused to listen to his request, she accepted his pledge that no risk would be incurred by her compliance. It is probable that his extraordinary stature, the deference paid him by his attendants, the easy distance of his camp from En-dor, and the proposal to call up the great prophet and first magistrate in Israel (a proposal which no private individual would venture to make), had awakened her suspicions as to the true character and rank of…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 28:23

I will not eat - It is no wonder that not only his strength, but also his appetite, had departed from him. And sat upon the bed - Beds or couches were the common places on which the ancients sat to take their repasts.

John Gill on 1 Samuel 28:23

But he refused, and said, I will not eat,.... Choosing rather to die with famine than by the sword of the Philistines; though perhaps his meaning is, he could not eat, his stomach loathed it, being overwhelmed with grief and trouble: but his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; not by force, but by arguments; they reasoned with him, and prevailed upon him to try to eat: and he hearkened unto their voice; and agreed to eat, if he could: so he arose from the earth; on which he lay at his full length: and sat upon the bed; or couch, it being now the custom to recline on couches at caring; though some deny that this custom obtained so early.

Dictionary and topics

Bed — (Heb. mittah), for rest at night (Ex. 8:3; 1 Sam. 19:13, 15, 16, etc.); during sickness (Gen. 47:31; 48:2; 49:33, etc.); as a sofa for rest (1 Sam. 28:23; Amos 3:12). Another Hebrew word (er’es) so…
Divination — Of false prophets (Deut. 18:10, 14; Micah 3:6, 7, 11), of necromancers (1 Sam. 28:8), of the Philistine priests and diviners (1 Sam. 6:2), of Balaam (Josh. 13:22). Three kinds of divination are…
Witchcraft — (1 Sam. 15:23; 2 Kings 9:22; 2 Chr. 33:6; Micah 5:12; Nahum 3:4; Gal. 5:20). In the popular sense of the word no mention is made either of witches or of witchcraft in Scripture. The “witch of En-dor”…
Beds · Used for: Reclining on at meals — Used for: Reclining on at meals
En-Dor · The witch of, consulted by Saul — The witch of, consulted by Saul
Familiar Spirits · .Saul — .Saul
Witchcraft · The Witch of Endor — The Witch of Endor

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Samuel 28:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 28:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 28:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 28:23

John Gill on 1 Samuel 28:23

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 28:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 28:20–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 28:8

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 28:23

John Gill on 1 Samuel 28:23

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 28:3–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 28:19

Rashi on 1 Samuel 28:19