“What form is he of?”
The full verse · 1 Samuel 28:14 · KJV
And he unto her, What is he of? And she , An cometh ; and he is with a . And that it was , and he with his to the , and himself.
Asked by
Asked to
The necromancer woman at Endor whom Saul consulted in disguise, asking her to summon the spirit of Samuel.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionSaul asks for a visual description because he cannot see the apparition himself, only the medium perceives the spirit she has summoned. The question seeks confirmation of Samuel’s identity through recognizable details, allowing Saul to determine whether the encounter is genuine.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe medium described the figure as an old man coming up from the earth, wrapped in a robe. Upon hearing this description, Saul immediately recognized the figure as Samuel, bowed with his face to the ground, and paid homage.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storySaul’s question reveals his complete spiritual blindness, he cannot see the very apparition the medium has summoned. The inquiry ‘What does he look like?’ uses the Hebrew ma’reh, emphasizing visible form or appearance. Saul frames his question this way rather than simply asking ‘Who is it?’ because he needs physical details to confirm identity. The medium’s description, an old man in a mantle, was enough for Saul to recognize Samuel instantly, particularly because the me’il or prophetic robe was Samuel’s trademark garment. This moment carries tragic weight: the king who rejected God’s word through the living prophet now desperately seeks that same prophet’s counsel from beyond the grave, reduced to asking a medium to describe what he cannot see. The question underscores Saul’s complete separation from God, he has fallen so far that even supernatural encounters require secondhand description.
When God seems silent, resist the temptation to seek answers through forbidden channels. Saul’s question reveals his desperation, but his method violated God’s clear commands and led to his final condemnation (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Like Saul, we may feel abandoned when prayers go unanswered, but God’s silence is never permission to pursue spiritual counterfeits, horoscopes, mediums, or manipulative spiritual practices. Instead, wait on the Lord with humble repentance, searching Scripture and seeking godly counsel (Psalm 27:14, James 1:5). God’s delays are not denials, and His silence often precedes His most profound work in our lives, teaching us to trust His character even when we cannot trace His hand.
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