King James Version
“Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.”
1 Samuel 28:22 · KJV
Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. fell: Heb. made haste, and fell with the fulness of his stature
And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.
Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
KJV Study — Public Domain
“Now therefore I pray thee hearken”
H8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
'i pray', 'now', or 'then'; added mostly to verbs (in the imperative or future), or to interjections, occasionally to an adverb or conjunction
properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and
“and let me set”
H7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
“before”
H6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
“that thou mayest have strength”
H3581vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce)
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
“on thy way”
H1870a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
This verse is found in the book of 1 Samuel. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
1 Samuel 28:22 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.