The Meaning of 1 Samuel 28:8 Explained

1 Samuel 28:8

KJV: And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

YLT: 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.'

Darby: And Saul disguised himself, and put on other garments, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, I pray thee, divine to me by the spirit of Python, and bring me him up whom I shall name to thee.

ASV: And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Saul  disguised  himself, and put on  other  raiment,  and he went,  and two  men  with him, and they came  to the woman  by night:  and he said,  I pray thee, divine  unto me by the familiar spirit,  and bring me [him] up,  whom I shall name  unto thee. 

What does 1 Samuel 28:8 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 28:8 mean?

So disguised himself Saul and put on clothes other and went he and two men with him and they came to the woman by night and he said - conduct a seance please for me medium and bring up for me - the one I shall name to you
וַיִּתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ שָׁא֗וּל וַיִּלְבַּשׁ֙ בְּגָדִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ ה֗וּא וּשְׁנֵ֤י אֲנָשִׁים֙ עִמּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־ הָאִשָּׁ֖ה לָ֑יְלָה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [קסומי־] (קָֽסֳמִי־) נָ֥א‪‬ לִי֙ בָּא֔וֹב וְהַ֣עֲלִי לִ֔י אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־ אֹמַ֖ר אֵלָֽיִךְ

וַיִּתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ  So  disguised  himself 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָפַשׂ  
Sense: to search, search for, to search out, disguise oneself.
שָׁא֗וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
וַיִּלְבַּשׁ֙  and  put  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
בְּגָדִ֣ים  clothes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
אֲחֵרִ֔ים  other 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ  and  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וּשְׁנֵ֤י  and  two 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, mdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
אֲנָשִׁים֙  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
עִמּ֔וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
וַיָּבֹ֥אוּ  and  they  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הָאִשָּׁ֖ה  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לָ֑יְלָה  by  night 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
[קסומי־]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
(קָֽסֳמִי־)  conduct  a  seance 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: קָסַם  
Sense: (Qal) to practice divination, divine.
נָ֥א‪‬  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: קָסַם  
Sense: (Qal) to practice divination, divine.
לִי֙  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
בָּא֔וֹב  medium 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹוב 
Sense: water skin bottle.
וְהַ֣עֲלִי  and  bring  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
לִ֔י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
אֵ֥ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲשֶׁר־  the  one 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אֹמַ֖ר  I  shall  name 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלָֽיִךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).