Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

1 Samuel 28:13

And the king saith to her, `Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?' and the woman saith unto Saul, `Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Clairvoyance;   En-Dor;   Familiar Spirits;   Miracles;   Necromancy;   Samuel;   Saul;   Sorcery;   Witchcraft;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles through Evil Agents;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Endor;   Soul;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Demon;   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 - Ancestor-Worship;   Death;   En-Dor;   Eschatology;   God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Descent into Hades;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Magic;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Endor;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ascend;   Decease, in the Old Testament and Apocyphra;   God, Names of;   Intercession;   Resurrection;   Samuel;   Samuel, Books of;   Sheol;   Woman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ancestor Worship;   Endor, the Witch of;   Immortality of the Soul;   Necromancy;   Samuel;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But the king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
Hebrew Names Version
The king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what do you see? The woman said to Sha'ul, I see a god coming up out of the eretz.
King James Version
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
Lexham English Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid! What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up from the ground!"
English Standard Version
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
New Century Version
The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."
New English Translation
The king said to her, "Don't be afraid! What have you seen?" The woman replied to Saul, "I have seen one like a god coming up from the ground!"
Amplified Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but [tell me] what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a divine [superhuman] being coming up from the earth."
New American Standard Bible
But the king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up from the earth."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King said vnto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said vnto Saul, I saw gods ascending vp out of the earth.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth."
Contemporary English Version
"Don't be afraid," Saul replied. "Just tell me what you see." She answered, "I see a spirit rising up out of the ground."
Complete Jewish Bible
The king replied, "Don't be afraid. Just tell me what you see." The woman said to Sha'ul, "I see a god-like being coming up out of the earth."
Darby Translation
And the king said to her, Be not afraid; but what didst thou see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw a god ascending out of the earth.
Easy-to-Read Version
The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."
George Lamsa Translation
And the king said to her, Fear not; what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
Good News Translation
"Don't be afraid!" the king said to her. "What do you see?" "I see a spirit coming up from the earth," she answered.
Literal Translation
And the king said to her, Do not be afraid. For what have you seen? And the woman said to Saul, I have seen a god coming up out of the earth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the kynge sayde vnto her: Feare not, what seist thou? The woman sayde vnto Saul: I se goddes comynge vp out of ye earth?
American Standard Version
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
Bible in Basic English
And the king said to her, Have no fear: what do you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king saide vnto her: Be not afrayd: What sawest thou? The woman saide vnto Saul: I sawe gods ascending vp out of the earth.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said unto her: 'Be not afraid; for what seest thou?' And the woman said unto Saul: 'I see a godlike being coming up out of the earth.'
King James Version (1611)
And the king sayd vnto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said vnto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said to her, Fear not; tell me whom thou has seen. And the woman said to him, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
English Revised Version
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
"Do not be afraid," the king replied. "What do you see?" "I see a god coming up out of the earth," the woman answered.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng seide to hir, Nyl thou drede; what hast thou seyn? And the womman seide to Saul, Y siy goddis stiynge fro erthe.
Update Bible Version
And the king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said to her be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
World English Bible
The king said to her, Don't be afraid: for what do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.
New King James Version
And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit [fn] ascending out of the earth."
New Living Translation
"Don't be afraid!" the king told her. "What do you see?" "I see a god coming up out of the earth," she said.
New Life Bible
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
New Revised Standard
The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the ground."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king said unto her - Be not afraid, but what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, A god, saw I, coming up out of the earth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said to her: Fear not: what hast thou seen? and the woman said to Saul: I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
Revised Standard Version
The king said to her, "Have no fear; what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."
THE MESSAGE
The king told her, "You have nothing to fear... but what do you see?" "I see a spirit ascending from the underground."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The king said to her, "Do not be afraid; but what do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a divine being coming up out of the earth."

Contextual Overview

7 And Saul saith to his servants, `Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;' and his servants say unto him, `Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.' 8 And Saul disguiseth himself and putteth on other garments, and goeth, he and two of the men with him, and they come in unto the woman by night, and he saith, `Divine, I pray thee, to me by the familiar spirit, and cause to come up to me him whom I say unto thee.' 9 And the woman saith unto him, `Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul -- to put me to death?' 10 And Saul sweareth to her by Jehovah, saying, `Jehovah liveth, punishment doth not meet thee for this thing.' 11 And the woman saith, `Whom do I bring up to thee?' and he saith, `Samuel -- bring up to me.' 12 And the woman seeth Samuel, and crieth with a loud voice, and the woman speaketh unto Saul, saying, `Why hast thou deceived me -- and thou Saul?' 13 And the king saith to her, `Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?' and the woman saith unto Saul, `Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.' 14 And he saith to her, `What [is] his form?' and she saith, `An aged man is coming up, and he [is] covered with an upper robe;' and Saul knoweth that he [is] Samuel, and boweth -- face to thee earth -- and doth obeisance.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

gods ascending: Exodus 4:16, Exodus 22:28, Psalms 82:6, Psalms 82:7, John 10:34, John 10:35

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 13:28 - fear not Luke 24:37 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
And Jehovah appeareth unto Abram, and saith, `To thy seed I give this land;' and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, who hath appeared unto him.
Genesis 13:15
for the whole of the land which thou are seeing, to thee I give it, and to thy seed -- to the age.
Genesis 15:1
After these things hath the word of Jehovah been unto Abram in a vision, saying, `Fear not, Abram, I [am] a shield to thee, thy reward [is] exceeding great.'
Genesis 26:3
sojourn in this land, and I am with thee, and bless thee, for to thee and to thy seed I give all these lands, and I have established the oath which I have sworn to Abraham thy father;
Genesis 26:24
and Jehovah appeareth unto him during that night, and saith, `I [am] the God of Abraham thy father, fear not, for I [am] with thee, and have blessed thee, and have multiplied thy seed, because of Abraham My servant;'
Genesis 28:4
and He doth give to thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee and to thy seed with thee, to cause thee to possess the land of thy sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.'
Genesis 28:6
And Esau seeth that Isaac hath blessed Jacob, and hath sent him to Padan-Aram to take to himself from thence a wife -- in his blessing him that he layeth a charge upon him, saying, Thou dost not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan --
Genesis 28:7
that Jacob hearkeneth unto his father and unto his mother, and goeth to Padan-Aram --
Genesis 28:15
`And lo, I [am] with thee, and have kept thee whithersoever thou goest, and have caused thee to turn back unto this ground; for I leave thee not till that I have surely done that which I have spoken to thee.'
Genesis 28:16
And Jacob awaketh out of his sleep, and saith, `Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew not;'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said unto her, be not afraid,.... Meaning not of the apparition, but of him; since he had sworn no punishment should come upon her, and he should inviolably observe his oath: for what sawest thou? for as yet Saul himself saw not anything, the woman being between him and the apparition; or she might be in another room with her familiar spirit performing the operations when Samuel appeared:

and the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth; a great personage, one of a majestic form, like the gods, or judges and civil magistrates, sometimes so called, as Kimchi and R. Isaiah rightly interpret it; and so the Targum,

"I saw an angel of the Lord;''

a person that looked like one; for not many came up with him, and particularly Moses, as say some Jewish writers d.

d T. Bab. Chagigah, fol. 4. 8. Pirke Eliezer, c. 33.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Gods - אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym is here used in a general sense of a supernatural appearance, either angel or spirit. Hell, or the place of the departed (compare 1 Samuel 28:19; 2 Samuel 12:23) is represented as under the earth Isaiah 14:9-10; Ezekiel 32:18.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 28:13. I saw gods ascending out of the earth. — The word אלהום elohim, which we translate gods, is the word which is used for the Supreme Being throughout the Bible; but all the versions, the Chaldee excepted, translate it in the plural number, as we do. The Chaldee has, I see מלאכא דיי malacha dayeya, an angel of the Lord, ascending from the earth. This sight alarmed the woman; it was what she did not expect; in this she could not recognise her familiar, and she was terrified at the appearance.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile