1 Samuel 28:11Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up to you?" He said, "Bring Samuel up for me."
The setting
Endor, Israel, ~1010 BC. In the darkness, a fallen king speaks the name of the one man who might save him — the prophet he once tried to kill...
The emotion here: desperately clinging to past hope
The original word
ʿālâ (עָלָה) — to bring up, literally 'to ascend' — the same word used for offerings going up to God
Why it matters
Samuel had been dead for some time, and Saul had earlier tried to kill him multiple times
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 28:11
This is Saul's confession that Samuel was the only voice he trusted — even from the grave
Common misconceptionPeople think Saul chose Samuel randomly, but Samuel was the father figure Saul rejected in life and now desperately needs in death.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Samuel 28:11
Bible Genome reading
1 Samuel 28:11 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Samuel 28:11 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Saul. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include desperation, necromancy. Notable phrases: Bring Samuel up for me. This verse contains a command.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 1 Samuel 28:11 mean to you, today?
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