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1 Samuel 28:16

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 28:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary?
1 Samuel 28:16 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 28

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And 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.
14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
16And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary?
17And Jehovah hath done unto thee, as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David.
18Because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day.
19Moreover Jehovah will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.
← 1 Samuel 28:151 Samuel 28:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Then said Samuel, wherefore then dost thou, ask of me, etc.] Whom thou knowest to have been a prophet of the Lord, and therefore can say nothing more or less than what comes from him, and is according to his will, if anything at all; the “devil” representing Samuel, whom Saul had called for, and reasons in such language as might be thought to be his own, though sometimes he betrays himself: seeing the Lord is departed from thee; as Saul himself owned: to which he adds, and is become thine enemy; to make his case appear still more desperate; for his whole view is to lead him to despair, which shows what sort of spirit he was: though some understand this as spoken of David, and read the words,…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“28:16 Saul’s enemy was not David but the Lord himself.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Wherefore: Jdg 5:31; Kg2 6:27; Psa 68:1-3; Rev 18:20, Rev 18:24, Rev 19:1-6 and is become: Lam 2:5 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 28:17”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 28 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification