Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel mourned for him, and buried him in Ramatha his city. And Saul had put away all the magicians and soothsayers out of the land.

(Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and they had buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the necromancers and the soothsayers out of the land.)

And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel, after weeping for him, had put his body in its last resting-place in Ramah, his town. And Saul had put away from the land all those who had control of spirits and who made use of secret arts.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had removed the mediums, and spiritists, from the land.

Now Samuel was dead, and all of Israel mourned for him, and they buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul took away the magi and soothsayers from the land.

It does not appear when Saul had suppressed witchcraft; it was probably in the early part of his reign.
Familiar spirits wizards - i. e. ventriloquists wise or cunning men. See Leviticus 19:31 note.

Samuel was dead - And there was no longer a public accredited prophet to consult.
Those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards - See the note on Leviticus 19:31, and Exodus 22:18.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had (b) put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
(b) According to the commandment of God, (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10-11).

Now Samuel was dead,.... Had been so for some time; which is mentioned before, 1-Samuel 25:1; and here repeated, partly to observe the reason of the Philistines renewing the war, and partly to account for the conduct of Saul, in seeking to a witch to raise Samuel, and for the sake of that story:
and all Israel lamented him; as they had great reason to do; See Gill on 1-Samuel 25:1; and buried him in Ramah, even his own city; there being two Ramahs, as Kimchi observes, it is added, "in his own city", to show that he was buried in that Ramah which was his native place, and where his constant residence was; though, as he says, it may mean that he was buried within the city, and not without it; but the Targum gives a different sense,"and they buried him in Ramah, and mourned for him every man in his city:"
and Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards,
out of the land: out of the land of Israel; had by an edict banished them, or had given orders that neither witches nor wizards should abide in the land; but should be taken up, and prosecuted according to the law of God; which he had done either at the instigation of Samuel; or, as some think, from a conceit that the evil spirit he had been troubled with was owing to them; or to make some appearance of a zeal for religion, and the honour and glory of God: this is observed to show the inconstancy of Saul, and his folly in applying after this to a person of such a character, and to account for the fears of the woman when applied to, and afterwards when she was engaged, when she found it was by Saul; see 1-Samuel 28:7.

Now Samuel is dead, &c.--This event is here alluded to as affording an explanation of the secret and improper methods by which Saul sought information and direction in the present crisis of his affairs. Overwhelmed in perplexity and fear, he yet found the common and legitimate channels of communication with Heaven shut against him. And so, under the impulse of that dark, distempered, superstitious spirit which had overmastered him, he resolved, in desperation, to seek the aid of one of those fortune telling impostors whom, in accordance with the divine command (Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6, Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:11), he had set himself formerly to exterminate from his kingdom.

Saul with the witch at Endor. - The invasion of Israel by the Philistines, which brought David into so difficult a situation, drove king Saul to despair, so that in utter helplessness he had recourse to ungodly means of inquiring into the future, which he himself had formerly prohibited, and to his horror had to hear the sentence of his own death. This account is introduced with the remark in 1-Samuel 28:3 that Samuel was dead and had been buried at Ramah (cf. 1-Samuel 25:1; וּבעירו, with an explanatory vav, and indeed in his own city), and that Saul had expelled "those that had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land" (on the terms employed, oboth and yiddonim, see at Leviticus 19:31). He had done this in accordance with the law in Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:27, and Deuteronomy 18:10.