וַיְהִי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וַיִּקְבְּצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת מַחֲנֵיהֶם לַצָּבָא לְהִלָּחֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל דָּוִד יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי אִתִּי תֵּצֵא בַמַּחֲנֶה אַתָּה וַאֲנָשֶׁיךָ

It was in those days, when David was in Tziklag, that the Philistines gathered their camps to the army, to wage war with Israel. This was not another local raid, but an actual war, which might prove decisive. Akhish said to David: Know that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men to fight against your people, as you are now attached to me and subject to my rule.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל אָכִישׁ לָכֵן אַתָּה תֵדַע אֵת אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה עַבְדֶּךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל דָּוִד לָכֵן שֹׁמֵר לְרֹאשִׁי אֲשִׂימְךָ כָּל הַיָּמִים

David said to Akhish: Therefore, you will know that which your servant will do. You will yet see what I will accomplish and how I will excel in this war. Akhish said to David: I rely on you. Therefore, I will appoint you as my bodyguard all the days. This time David had no way out, which forced him to make promises and hope for the best.

וּשְׁמוּאֵל מֵת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ לוֹ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בָרָמָה וּבְעִירוֹ וְשָׁאוּל הֵסִיר הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶת הַיִּדְּעֹנִים מֵהָאָרֶץ

As an introduction to the following episode, the verse relates some details that have already been mentioned earlier (see 25:1). Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Rama, in his city. In the meantime, no other recognized prophet had arisen whose council could be sought. During his reign, Saul had removed the mediums and the necromancers from the land. These were mediums who claimed to be able to contact and receive meaningful messages from the dead. Until Saul’s time, such people were fairly common, but as the king wished to fulfill the commands of the Torah, and he possessed greater authority and power than the tribal leaders that had preceded him, he banished these sorcerers and witches from his land.

וַיִּקָּבְצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ בְשׁוּנֵם וַיִּקְבֹּץ שָׁאוּל אֶת כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּגִּלְבֹּעַ

The Philistines gathered, and they came and encamped in Shunem, to prepare for battle, and Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped upon the Gilboa.

וַיַּרְא שָׁאוּל אֶת מַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּרָא וַיֶּחֱרַד לִבּוֹ מְאֹד

Saul saw the vast Philistine camp, and he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly, as his army was insufficiently prepared for such a critical battle.

וַיִּשְׁאַל שָׁאוּל בַּה' וְלֹא עָנָהוּ ה' גַּם בַּחֲלֹמוֹת גַּם בָּאוּרִים גַּם בַּנְּבִיאִם

Saul inquired of the Lord in every possible manner, as he wished to know the outcome of the war, but the Lord did not answer him, neither in dreams, through seers who claimed they received a prophetic vision in a dream, nor with the Urim and the Tumim, through the agency of the priests, nor through the prophets. The king was granted neither a vision nor a response of any kind.

וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לַעֲבָדָיו בַּקְּשׁוּ לִי אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת אוֹב וְאֵלְכָה אֵלֶיהָ וְאֶדְרְשָׁה בָּהּ וַיֹּאמְרוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אֵשֶׁת בַּעֲלַת אוֹב בְּעֵין דּוֹר

As he was exceedingly worried and fearful, Saul said to his servants: Seek me a woman who is a medium, and I will go to her, and inquire through her. His servants said to him: Behold, a woman who is a medium is in Ein Dor.

וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ שָׁאוּל וַיִּלְבַּשׁ בְּגָדִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֵּלֶךְ הוּא וּשְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִמּוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל הָאִשָּׁה לָיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר קָסֳמִי נָא לִי בָּאוֹב וְהַעֲלִי לִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלָיִךָ

Saul disguised himself and donned other garments. Since he had wiped out all those who divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit, and now he sought their help, Saul felt uncomfortable about approaching the woman. For this reason, and also because the woman might be frightened if he presented himself as the king, Saul decided to conceal his identity. And he, Saul, and two men with him went, and they came to the woman at night. He said: Please divine for me as a medium, and raise for me whom I will say to you is the person with whom I wish to speak.

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֵלָיו הִנֵּה אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שָׁאוּל אֲשֶׁר הִכְרִית אֶת הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶת הַיִּדְּעֹנִי מִן הָאָרֶץ וְלָמָה אַתָּה מִתְנַקֵּשׁ בְּנַפְשִׁי לַהֲמִיתֵנִי

The woman said to him: Behold, you know that which Saul did, that he eliminated the mediums and the necromancers from the land, so that the lives of those who perform such practices are threatened; why are you plotting against my life to cause my death?

וַיִּשָּׁבַע לָהּ שָׁאוּל בַּה' לֵאמֹר חַי ה'אִם יִקְּרֵךְ עָוֹן בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה

Saul took an oath to her by the Lord, saying: As the Lord lives, surely you will incur no blame or punishment for this matter. The Sages discuss the irony of someone swearing by the Lord that he will not conduct himself in accordance with God’s commandments. In any case, the woman believed the king.

וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶת מִי אַעֲלֶה לָּךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל הַעֲלִי לִי

The woman said, after making the requisite preparations: Whom shall I raise for you? He said: Raise Samuel for me.

וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה אֶת שְׁמוּאֵל וַתִּזְעַק בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל שָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר לָמָּה רִמִּיתָנִי ואַתָּה שָׁאוּל

The woman did as he had requested, she saw Samuel, whom she had brought up, and she cried out in a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul, stating: Why did you deceive me? You are none other than Saul, the king himself! It is possible that when she saw Samuel, it was clear that he had come for a king, and not for a commoner; perhaps this was evident from his clothing, or maybe he was facing a different direction than the previous dead whom she had raised. It is clear that the woman realized merely from Samuel’s appearance that the man who had asked for her help was Saul.

וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הַמֶּלֶךְ אַל תִּירְאִי כִּי מָה רָאִית וַתֹּאמֶר הָאִשָּׁה אֶל שָׁאוּל אֱלֹהִים רָאִיתִי עֹלִים מִן הָאָרֶץ

The king said to her: Do not be afraid; for what did you see? The woman said to Saul: It is not the image of one of the dead with which I am familiar; rather I saw a great man; alternatively, a godly being, ascending from the earth.

וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַה תָּאֳרוֹ וַתֹּאמֶר אִישׁ זָקֵן עֹלֶה וְהוּא עֹטֶה מְעִיל וַיֵּדַע שָׁאוּל כִּי שְׁמוּאֵל הוּא וַיִּקֹּד אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ

He said to her: What is his appearance? What does he look like? She said: An old man is ascending; and he is clad in a robe, like the vestment of the High Priest. Saul knew that it was Samuel. A robe was highly ritualistic garb, which people did not generally wear in their daily lives. This robe was Samuel’s identifying mark, as he had arrived at the Tabernacle in Shilo as a young child wearing a robe that his mother had made for him. Unlike others, who wore cloaks and the like, he apparently continued to don a robe throughout his entire life. And when Saul realized that the prophet was before him, he bowed with his face to the ground, and prostrated himself.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל שָׁאוּל לָמָּה הִרְגַּזְתַּנִי לְהַעֲלוֹת אֹתִי וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל צַר לִי מְאֹד וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחָמִים בִּי וֵאלֹהִים סָר מֵעָלַי וְלֹא עָנָנִי עוֹד גַּם בְּיַד הַנְּבִיאִם גַּם בַּחֲלֹמוֹת וָאֶקְרָאֶה לְךָ לְהוֹדִיעֵנִי מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה

Samuel said to Saul: I am resting in peace in another world; why have you irritated me to raise me? Through the agency of this woman you have disturbed part of my soul, as it were, and brought me back to this world. Saul said: I am in great distress. I am in trouble and I had no choice, as the Philistines are making a mighty war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, neither through the prophets nor in dreams. I called you to inform me what I should do. This was the only option I had left.

וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל וְלָמָּה תִּשְׁאָלֵנִי וַה' סָר מֵעָלֶיךָ וַיְהִי עָרֶךָ

Samuel said: But why do you ask me, as the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary?

וַיַּעַשׂ ה' לוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר בְּיָדִי וַיִּקְרַע ה' אֶת הַמַּמְלָכָה מִיָּדֶךָ וַיִּתְּנָהּ לְרֵעֲךָ לְדָוִד

The Lord has done to him; He has wrought for you as He spoke through me, and the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your counterpart, to David. While he was alive, Samuel had never explicitly said to Saul that it was David who would inherit his kingdom, but now that he had passed away he had nothing to fear from anyone, and therefore he told him the whole truth.

כַּאֲשֶׁר לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל ה' וְלֹא עָשִׂיתָ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ בַּעֲמָלֵק עַל כֵּן הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה עָשָׂה לְךָ ה' הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

As you did not heed the voice of the Lord, and you did not implement His enflamed wrath upon Amalek; therefore, the Lord has done this matter to you this day. On that day, when the robe was torn, I informed you that your kingdom had been torn from you (see 15:27–28). It is now time for that prophecy to come to pass in full.

וְיִתֵּן ה' גַּם אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עִמְּךָ בְּיַד פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּמָחָר אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ עִמִּי גַּם אֶת מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל יִתֵּן ה' בְּיַד פְּלִשְׁתִּים

You will be smitten in the war, and the Lord will deliver Israel too, with you, into the hand of the Philistines; your army will suffer a defeat, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. You will be dead. The prophet reiterates: The Israelite camp too, the Lord will deliver into the hand of the Philistines.

וַיְמַהֵר שָׁאוּל וַיִּפֹּל מְלֹא קוֹמָתוֹ אַרְצָה וַיִּרָא מְאֹד מִדִּבְרֵי שְׁמוּאֵל גַּם כֹּחַ לֹא הָיָה בוֹ כִּי לֹא אָכַל לֶחֶם כָּל הַיּוֹם וְכָל הַלָּיְלָה

Saul hastened and fell his full length to the ground, and he was very frightened by the words of Samuel. He had wanted to hear what he was to do, but the prophet had told him that his situation was hopeless. Moreover, there was no strength in him; his exhausted physical state deteriorated further when he heard the terrible tidings, as he had not eaten bread all day and all night, in his efforts to find the woman, or because he was preoccupied with the war. Saul remained lying prone on the ground.

וַתָּבוֹא הָאִשָּׁה אֶל שָׁאוּל וַתֵּרֶא כִּי נִבְהַל מְאֹד וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו הִנֵּה שָׁמְעָה שִׁפְחָתְךָ בְּקוֹלֶךָ וָאָשִׂים נַפְשִׁי בְּכַפִּי וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ אֵלָי

The woman came to Saul, and she saw that he was greatly alarmed, and she said to him sympathetically: Behold, your maidservant heeded your voice, and I took my life in my hands; I have endangered my life and I heeded your words that you spoke to me. I fulfilled your request even though it was against the law, which applies even to a king.

וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע נָא גַם אַתָּה בְּקוֹל שִׁפְחָתֶךָ וְאָשִׂמָה לְפָנֶיךָ פַּת לֶחֶם וֶאֱכוֹל וִיהִי בְךָ כֹּחַ כִּי תֵלֵךְ בַּדָּרֶךְ

Now, please, you too heed the voice of your maidservant, and I will set a portion of bread before you, and you will eat, and you will have strength when you go on the way. The situation was now reversed. At first it was Saul who had pitied the woman and assured her that he would not harm her; now, faced with his misery, she shows him compassion and encourages him to eat.

וַיְּמָאֵן וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֹכַל וַיִּפְרְצוּ בוֹ עֲבָדָיו וְגַם הָאִשָּׁה וַיִּשְׁמַע לְקֹלָם וַיָּקָם מֵהָאָרֶץ וַיֵּשֶׁב אֶל הַמִּטָּה

He refused, and he said: I will not eat, but his servants, and the woman too, implored him, and he heeded their voice. He rose from the ground and sat on the bed that was there.

וְלָאִשָּׁה עֵגֶל מַרְבֵּק בַּבַּיִת וַתְּמַהֵר וַתִּזְבָּחֵהוּ וַתִּקַּח קֶמַח וַתָּלָשׁ וַתֹּפֵהוּ מַצּוֹת

The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she hastened and she slaughtered it; she took flour, kneaded, and baked it into unleavened bread.

וַתַּגֵּשׁ לִפְנֵי שָׁאוּל וְלִפְנֵי עֲבָדָיו וַיֹּאכֵלוּ וַיָּקֻמוּ וַיֵּלְכוּ בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא

She served it before Saul and before his servants and they ate, they rose, and they went that night to the camp.