1 Samuel 28:10
ESV
But Saul swore to her by the Lord, "As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."
NIV
Saul swore to her by the Lord, "As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this."
NASB
So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, 'As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.'
CSB
Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: "As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you from this."
NLT
But Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord and promised, 'As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.'
KJV
And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
NKJV
And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “ As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
What does 1 Samuel 28:10 mean?
Saul has taken a huge risk. He has travelled with only two bodyguards, around the Philistine army and into the town of En-dor. He's breaking his own law by asking the medium who lives there to call up a spirit for him. She has refused, thinking it's a trap for her to be arrested and killed for necromancy (1 Samuel 28:8–9). The woman doesn't know she's speaking directly to the king.Now Saul swears to her "as the Lord lives" that she will not be punished for doing this thing. Using the phrase "as the Lord lives" was a common oath in Israel during this time, meant to assure the listener that the speaker was profoundly serious and speaking only the full truth. Saul's choice to swear on the Lord in his effort to break God's law further reveals Saul's refusal to grasp what obedience truly is. The Lord will not honor his actions while he is dishonoring the Lord's commands.
Still, the woman is reassured and asks whom her customer wants to see. When Saul says Samuel, she doesn't seem to react. But when Samuel's spirit appears, she's shocked. She realizes two things: this is not her typical illusion or minor spiritual even. And her customer is the king who once ordered her death (1 Samuel 28:11–12).
