Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 28:21

"And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me." — 1 Samuel 28:21 (ASV)

And the woman. —The story is completed in these few concluding verses (1 Samuel 28:21–25) in a most natural and unaffected style. The witch, though a grievous sinner, is struck with a woman’s pity for the stricken king, and with kind words and still kinder acts does her best to recover him from the death-like swoon into which the hapless Saul had fallen. Her whole behaviour contradicts the supposition that she was moved by a bitter hatred against Saul (see Excursus L at end of this Book) to desire the appearance of Samuel, and to imitate his voice by means of ventriloquism.

1. She was herself terrified at the apparition.
2. She was saddened by the effect of the dead seer’s words on the king, and did her poor best to restore him to composure and strength again.

We read in the next verse how the woman, with Saul’s servants, used even a gentle compulsion to induce the king to take the nourishment he was so sorely in need of.