Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, April 8th, 2026
Wednesday in Easter Week
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

1 Samuel 28:11

And the woman says, "Whom do I bring up to you?" And he says, "Bring up Samuel to me."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - En-Dor;   Familiar Spirits;   Miracles;   Necromancy;   Samuel;   Saul;   Sorcery;   Witchcraft;   Thompson Chain Reference - Magic;   Necromancy;   Samuel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Divination;   Miracles through Evil Agents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Endor;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Descent into Hell (Hades);   Magic;   Sheol;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Magic;   Saul;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Saul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Divination and Magic;   Medium;   Samuel, Books of;   Urim and Thummim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Death;   En-Dor;   Eschatology;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Descent into Hades;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Magic;   Saul;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Intercession;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Sheol;   Woman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ancestor Worship;   Endor, the Witch of;   Samuel;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?” the woman asked.
Hebrew Names Version
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up to you? He said, Bring me up Shemu'el.
King James Version
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Lexham English Bible
So the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
English Standard Version
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
New Century Version
The woman asked, "Whom do you want me to bring up?" He answered, "Bring up Samuel."
New English Translation
The woman replied, "Who is it that I should bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up for me Samuel."
Amplified Bible
So the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
New American Standard Bible
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said the woman, Whom shal I bring vp vnto thee? And he answered, Bring me vp Samuel.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
Contemporary English Version
"Who do you want me to bring up?" she asked. "Bring up the ghost of Samuel," he answered.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the woman asked, "Whom should I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up for me Sh'mu'el."
Darby Translation
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Easy-to-Read Version
The woman asked, "Who do you want me to bring up for you?" Saul answered, "Bring up Samuel."
George Lamsa Translation
Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to you? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Good News Translation
"Whom shall I call up for you?" the woman asked. "Samuel," he answered.
Literal Translation
And the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to you? And he said, Bring up Samuel to me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde ye woman: Whom shal I brynge vp vnto the? He sayde: Brynge me vp Samuel.
American Standard Version
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Bible in Basic English
Then the woman said, Who am I to let you see? And he said, Make Samuel come up for me.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide the woman: Whom shall I fetch vp vnto thee? He aunswered: Bring me vp Samuel.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said the woman: 'Whom shall I bring up unto thee?' And he said: 'Bring me up Samuel.'
King James Version (1611)
Then said the woman, Whome shall I bring vp vnto thee? and he said, Bring me vp Samuel.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to thee? and he said, Bring up to me Samuel.
English Revised Version
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Berean Standard Bible
"Whom shall I bring up for you?" the woman asked. "Bring up Samuel," he replied.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the womman seide to hym, Whom schal Y reise to thee? And he seide, Reise thou Samuel to me.
Young's Literal Translation
And the woman saith, `Whom do I bring up to thee?' and he saith, `Samuel -- bring up to me.'
Update Bible Version
Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to you? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the woman, whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
World English Bible
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up to you? He said, Bring me up Samuel.
New King James Version
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
New Living Translation
Finally, the woman said, "Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?" "Call up Samuel," Saul replied.
New Life Bible
Then the woman said, "Whom should I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
New Revised Standard
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He answered, "Bring up Samuel for me."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up for thee? And he said, Samuel, bring thou up for me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the woman said to him: Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
Revised Standard Version
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."
THE MESSAGE
The woman said, "So whom do you want me to bring up?" "Samuel. Bring me Samuel."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me."

Contextual Overview

7And Saul says to his servants, "Seek a woman for me possessing a familiar spirit, and I go to her, and inquire of her"; and his servants say to him, "Behold, a woman possessing a familiar spirit [is] in En-dor." 8And Saul disguises himself and puts on other garments, and goes, he and two of the men with him, and they come to the woman by night, and he says, "Please divine to me by the familiar spirit, and cause him whom I say to you to come up to me." 9And the woman says to him, "Behold, you have known that which Saul has done, that he has cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why are you laying a snare for my soul—to put me to death?" 10And Saul swears to her by YHWH, saying, "YHWH lives, punishment does not meet you for this thing." 11And the woman says, "Whom do I bring up to you?" And he says, "Bring up Samuel to me."12And the woman sees Samuel, and cries with a loud voice, and the woman speaks to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you [are] Saul!" 13And the king says to her, "Do not fear; for what have you seen?" And the woman says to Saul, "I have seen gods coming up out of the earth." 14And he says to her, "What [is] his form?" And she says, "An aged man is coming up, and he [is] covered with an upper robe"; and Saul knows that he [is] Samuel, and bows—face to her earth—and pays respect.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 18:11 - or a necromancer 1 Samuel 28:15 - Why hast

Cross-References

Genesis 28:18
And Jacob rises early in the morning, and takes the stone which he has made his pillows, and makes it a standing pillar, and pours oil on its top,
Genesis 31:46
and Jacob says to his brothers, "Gather stones," and they take stones, and make a heap; and they eat there on the heap;
Matthew 8:20
and Jesus says to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky places of rest, but the Son of Man has nowhere He may lay the head."
2 Corinthians 1:5
because, as the sufferings of the Christ abound to us, so through the Christ our comfort also abounds;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the woman, whom shall I bring up unto thee?.... For such persons, according to their profession, pretended they were able to bring up any of the dead, that he who inquired of them should name:

and he said, bring me up Samuel; the prophet Samuel he meant, and no doubt the woman so understood him, whose name was well known; he had been an old acquaintance and friend of Saul's, his counsellor and adviser in many things and though he greatly neglected him in the latter part of his life, was very desirous of an interview with him now dead, that he might be advised by him how to get out of the straits and difficulties in which he was involved; but it argued extreme folly and madness in him to imagine, that the spirit of this great and good man was at the beck of a witch, and he to be called out of the state of the dead by her enchantments; or that God would permit him to appear to him, and by him give an answer, when he would not answer him by living prophets, nor any other way.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bring me up Samuel - Dr. Trench observes, “All human history has failed to record a despair deeper or more tragic than his, who, having forsaken God and being of God forsaken, is now seeking to move hell; and infinitely guilty as he is, assuredly there is something unutterably pathetic in that yearning of the disanointed king to change words with the friend and counselor of his youth, and if he must hear his doom, to hear it from no other lips but his” (‘Shipwrecks of Faith, ‘ p. 47).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 28:11. Whom shall I bring up — The woman certainly meant no more than making her familiar personify whomsoever the querist should wish. In the evocation of spirits this is all that, according to the professed rules of their art, such persons pretend to; for over human souls in paradise or in the infernal regions they have no power. If we allow that there is such an art founded on true principles, all it can pretend to is, to bring up the familiar; cause him when necessary to assume the form and character of some particular person, and to give such notices relative to futurity as he is able to collect. And this even in the cases to which authenticity is generally allowed, is often scanty, vague, and uncertain, for fallen spirits do not abound in knowledge: this is an attribute of God, and rays of this perfection are imparted to pure and holy intelligences; and even Satan himself, as may be seen from most of his temptations, is far from excelling in knowledge. He may be cunning and insidious, but he certainly is not wise and prudent; we in general give this fallen spirit credit for much more wisdom than he possesses.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile