Did the witch of Endor bring up Samuel’s spirit from the dead?

Bible Question:

Why in 1 Samuel was Samuel's spirit "brought up?" His spirit should have been in heaven.

Bible Answer:

Samuel Was Brought Up By the Witch of Endor

1 Samuel 28:7-14 tells us that during a séance the witch of Endor was surprised when Samuel appeared. The question we must ask is why was Samuel brought up since he had died and gone to heaven? It is clear from 1 Samuel 28:3 that the prophet Samuel had died. We are told that all Israel mourned for him, and they buried him in Ramah.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. 1 Samuel 28:3 (NASB)

Later, King Saul searched for guidance from God when he saw the camp of the Philistines. This is a danger for Israel. But God did not answer him through dreams, the Urim or by prophets (v. 6). So, Saul visited a medium or a witch in the city of Endor in search of guidance (v. 7).

Verse 11 says the medium asked Saul with whom he wanted to speak.

Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 1 Samuel 28:11 (NASB)

Then he asked for Samuel to be brought up. The Hebrew word for “brought up” is ala. It means to go up, climb, or ascend. So, it was translated as “bring up.” This word does not have any additional meaning or sense to it. Most likely Saul thought that Samuel would come up out of the grave, which is called Sheol in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, Sheol and the grave were synonymous. The corpses of the dead were buried in Sheol and the spirits of the wicked were located in another compartment of Sheol called the pit.

Then verse 12 tells us that Samuel appeared.

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” 1 Samuel 28:12 (NASB)

When we are told the medium saw Samuel and she cried out emotionally with a loud sound, this reveals two things. First, she did not expect to actually see Samuel’s physical body. What she saw was a surprise because it was unexpected.

The second important fact is that verse 13 reveals she stated a divine being had appeared coming up out of the grave.

The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.” 1 Samuel 28:13 (NASB)

This means that God caused Samuel’s physical body to come up out of the grave or Sheol. God also caused Samuel’s spirit to return temporarily to his deceased body. Samuel’s spirit would not have come up out of the dirt (Job 11:15-16). His spirit would have descended from heaven and been reunited with his corpse. Notice that verse 14 reveals the medium described what she saw to Saul. Then Saul knew the medium saw Samuel.

He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage. 1 Samuel 28:14 (NASB)

Verses 15-16 reveal that this appearance of Samuel could speak.

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary? 1 Samuel 28:15-16 (NASB)

Both Psalm 146:4 and Ecclesiastes 12:5 reveal that a believer’s spirit goes up to heaven, while the body goes into the earth or dirt. The spirit of a wicked person went to the pit within Sheol and the spirit of a righteous person went to heaven.

We must not confuse the word “soul” with “spirit” in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for “soul” is nephes, and it almost always refers to the life force of the human body. Sometimes it is translated as “creature” or “life” (Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 30; 2:7, 19; 9:4; Psalm 22:29; 44:25; 54:4; 57:6). Only rarely is nephes or soul used to refer to the spirit of a man (Psalm 16:10). Consequently, the word “soul” does not mean “spirit.”

Therefore, it appears that God caused Samuel’s corpse to be brought up out of the grave and his spirit was joined with his corpse (1 Samuel 2:6). His spirit could only come from heaven for we are told that Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot at the end of his life (2 Kings 2:11).

In summary, the answer to the question, “Did the witch of Endor bring up Samuel’s spirit from the dead?” is no! God reunited Samuel’s spirit from heaven with his body from Sheol or the dust of the ground. We must remember that God warns us to not have anything to do with mediums, witches, and the occult (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). The occult is Satanic.

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