The Meaning of 1 Samuel 28:3 Explained

1 Samuel 28:3

KJV: Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

YLT: And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Darby: (Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and they had buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the necromancers and the soothsayers out of the land.)

ASV: Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now Samuel  was dead,  and all Israel  had lamented  him, and buried  him in Ramah,  even in his own city.  And Saul  had put away  those that had familiar spirits,  and the wizards,  out of the land. 

What does 1 Samuel 28:3 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 28:1-14 - Resorting To A Familiar Spirit
This chapter records the climax to which Saul's sins led, and which sealed his fate. See 1 Chronicles 10:13-14. He went back to that which he had put away and sought counsel of a familiar spirit, 2 Peter 2:20-22.
The soul cannot live apart from the unseen world. It is its native element. Divorce it from God, and it will fill the empty space with demons. When the king could get no answer to his questions by the usual means, he sent his servants, in desperation, to seek for a medium. Had he been right with God, there would have been no need for this. It is the decay of the old religious spirit that nowadays gives occasion for the rise of crystal-gazing, palmistry and spirit-rapping. What a tragedy was presented that night in the witch's hut, and how terrible must have been Saul's long tramp to and fro, between his own encampment and Endor, which lay in the rear of the Philistine host! It is an evil thing and a bitter to forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew out "broken cisterns that can hold no water," Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 2:19. [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 28:3 mean?

And Samuel had died and had lamented for him all Israel and buried him in Ramah and in his own city And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land
וּשְׁמוּאֵ֣ל מֵ֔ת וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ לוֹ֙ כָּל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֥הוּ בָרָמָ֖ה וּבְעִיר֑וֹ וְשָׁא֗וּל הֵסִ֛יר הָאֹב֥וֹת וְאֶת־ הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֖ים מֵהָאָֽרֶץ

וּשְׁמוּאֵ֣ל  And  Samuel 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, 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.
מֵ֔ת  had  died 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־  and  had  lamented 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָפַד  
Sense: to wail, lament, mourn.
לוֹ֙  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֥הוּ  and  buried  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine singular
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
בָרָמָ֖ה  in  Ramah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: רָמָה 
Sense: a town in Benjamin on the border of Ephraim about 5 miles (8 km) from Jerusalem and near to Gibeah.
וּבְעִיר֑וֹ  and  in  his  own  city 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
וְשָׁא֗וּל  And  Saul 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
הֵסִ֛יר  had  put 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
הָאֹב֥וֹת  the  mediums 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֹוב 
Sense: water skin bottle.
הַיִּדְּעֹנִ֖ים  the  spiritists 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יִדְּעֹנִי  
Sense: a knower, one who has a familiar spirit.
מֵהָאָֽרֶץ  out  of  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-m, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.