The Meaning of 1 Samuel 28:15 Explained

1 Samuel 28:15

KJV: And 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.

YLT: And Samuel saith unto Saul, 'Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?' And Saul saith, 'I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God hath turned aside from me, and hath not answered me any more, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for thee to let me know what I do.'

Darby: And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul said, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do.

ASV: And 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And 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. 

What does 1 Samuel 28:15 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 28:15-25 - Listening To His Own Doom
That there should be an apparition of Samuel occasions no difficulty, for as Moses and Elijah were permitted to speak with our Lord of the "decease" to be accomplished at Jerusalem, so God may have specially permitted the prophet to speak with Saul. We may believe that these sentences passed between them, without any aid on the part of the medium. From the lips of the prophet came no words of comfort nor hope. Nothing could avert the descending avalanche of destruction. As Saul had sown, so must he reap; as he had fallen, so must he lie.
While the king sat on that divan, what memories must have passed through his mind! The first happy days of his reign, Jabesh-gilead, the loyalty of his people. Then he saw how, step by step, that cursed jealousy of David had dragged him down into the turbid current that was now bearing him to a suicide's end. It is one of the most pitiful spectacles in history. But let us be warned; let us watch and pray; let us guard against the first tiny rift within the lute of life! [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 28

1  Achish puts confidence in David
3  Saul having destroyed the witches
4  and now in his fear forsaken of God
7  has recourse to a witch
8  who, encouraged by Saul, raises up Samuel
15  Saul hearing his ruin, faints
21  The woman and his servants refresh him with meat

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 28:15 mean?

And said Samuel to Saul why have you disturbed me by bringing up me and answered Saul distressed I am deeply for the Philistines make war against me and God has departed from me and not does answer me anymore neither by prophets nor by dreams therefore I have called you that you may reveal to me what I should do -
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶל־ שָׁא֔וּל לָ֥מָּה הִרְגַּזְתַּ֖נִי לְהַעֲל֣וֹת אֹתִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁ֠אוּל צַר־ לִ֨י מְאֹ֜ד וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים ׀ נִלְחָמִ֣ים בִּ֗י וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים סָ֤ר מֵֽעָלַי֙ וְלֹֽא־ עָנָ֣נִי ע֗וֹד גַּ֤ם בְּיַֽד־ הַנְּבִיאִם֙ גַּם־ בַּ֣חֲלֹמ֔וֹת וָאֶקְרָאֶ֣ה לְךָ֔ לְהוֹדִיעֵ֖נִי מָ֥ה אֶעֱשֶֽׂה ס

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שְׁמוּאֵל֙  Samuel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שְׁמוּאֵל  
Sense: son of Elkanah by his wife Hannah and judge or prophet of Israel during the days of Saul and David.
שָׁא֔וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
לָ֥מָּה  why 
Parse: Preposition-l, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
הִרְגַּזְתַּ֖נִי  have  you  disturbed  me 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: רָגַז  
Sense: tremble, quake, rage, quiver, be agitated, be excited, be perturbed.
לְהַעֲל֣וֹת  by  bringing  up 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אֹתִ֑י  me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
שָׁ֠אוּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
צַר־  distressed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צָרַר 
Sense: to bind, be narrow, be in distress, make narrow, cause distress, besiege, be straitened, be bound.
לִ֨י  I  am 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
מְאֹ֜ד  deeply 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֣ים ׀  for  the  Philistines 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.
נִלְחָמִ֣ים  make  war 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
בִּ֗י  against  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
וֵֽאלֹהִ֞ים  and  God 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
סָ֤ר  has  departed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
מֵֽעָלַי֙  from  me 
Parse: Preposition-m, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
וְלֹֽא־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
עָנָ֣נִי  does  answer  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
ע֗וֹד  anymore 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
גַּ֤ם  neither 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
הַנְּבִיאִם֙  prophets 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
גַּם־  nor 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
בַּ֣חֲלֹמ֔וֹת  by  dreams 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
וָאֶקְרָאֶ֣ה  therefore  I  have  called 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
לְהוֹדִיעֵ֖נִי  that  you  may  reveal  to  me 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֶעֱשֶֽׂה  I  should  do 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation