The practice of necromancy is not mentioned very often in the Hebrew scriptures, but it was common enough in the ancient Near East to prompt strict prohibitions against its use in legal and prophetic texts written by the Israelites. Like many other divinatory and magical practices, necromancy was considered to be an insult to God and punishable by death. Despite these condemnations, King Saul’s consultation with the witch of Endor clearly shows that speaking to the dead for the purpose of divination persisted for centuries among the Jews. This unusually vivid description of a necromantic ritual was widely read by ancient and medieval Christians, who argued at length about the efficacy of this practice and the identity of the spirit conjured by the witch.
When you have come into the land that the Lord God will give to you, beware that you do not wish to imitate the abominations of the people who already dwell there. Let there not be found among you anyone who sacrifices while leading his son or daughter through fire or anyone who consults fortune-tellers or interprets dreams and omens. Do not become a sorcerer or a conjurer or one who consults with soothsayers or supernatural spirits or one who seeks the truth from the dead. For the Lord hates all of these things and it is because of these evils that He will destroy these people at your coming. You will be perfect and without blemish before the Lord your God. Those peoples, whose land you will possess, pay heed to soothsayers and diviners, but you have been instructed otherwise by the Lord your God.
It came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered their forces in preparation for war against Israel . . . Now Samuel was dead and all Israel mourned him and they buried him in Ramatha, his own city. And Saul exiled magicians and soothsayers from the land. And the Philistines gathered and marched and camped in Sunam. And Saul also marshaled all of Israel and came to Gelboe. And Saul saw the forces of the Philistines and feared and there was a great trembling in his heart. And he consulted the Lord and He did not respond to him, neither through dreams nor through priests nor through prophets. And Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman with the power of divination and I will go to her and consult her.” And his servants told him that there was a woman with the power of divination at Endor.
So Saul changed his garments and put on different clothes and departed and two men went with him. And they came to the woman by night and he said to her, “Divine for me with a spirit and raise up for me whomever I say.” And the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done and how he has banished the magicians and fortune-tellers from the land. Why then are you attempting to snare my life and bring about my death?” And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no harm will come upon you because of this act.” And the woman said to him, “Whom shall I raise up for you?” He said, “Raise up Samuel for me.” But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a great voice and said to Saul, “Why have you tricked me? You are none other than Saul!” The king said to her, “Do not fear. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see gods rising up from the earth.” And he said to her, “What does he look like?” She said, “An old man rises and he is shrouded in a cloak.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid him respect.
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me to raise me up?” And Saul said, “I am in a very tight spot, for the Philistines wage war against me and God has turned away from me and does not answer me, neither through the power of the prophets nor through dreams. Therefore, I have summoned you, so that you may show me what to do.” And Samuel said, “What is the use of asking me, when the Lord has turned away from you and gone over to your rival? For the Lord has done to you just as he said through my power, and he has torn your kingdom from your hand and he will give it to your neighbor David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and you did not take out the wrath of his anger against Amalek, for this reason you endure what the Lord has done to you today. Moreover, the Lord will also give Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, but the Lord will give the camps of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
And immediately Saul fell stretched out on the ground, for he feared the words of Samuel and there was no strength in him because he had not eaten any bread that whole day. And then that woman came to Saul—he was still very shaken—and said to him, “Behold, your servant obeyed your request and I have taken my life in my hands and listened to the words that you spoke to me. Now, therefore, listen to me and heed the voice of your servant. I will set a small morsel of bread before you so that you may eat it and recover your strength to get on your way.” He refused and said, “I will not eat it.” But his servants and the woman urged him to do so. He heeded their pleas and got up from the ground and sat upon a bed. Now that woman had a fattened calf in the house, so she quickly prepared it for slaughter. And then taking some flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened bread and put it before Saul and his servants. Once they had eaten, they rose and walked all night back to their camp.