12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”
Though it is difficult to fathom, the narrator seems to make it clear that it really was Samuel who appeared before the woman.1 In this case, his appearance may have been similar to that of Moses and Elijah (cf. Mark 9:4), i.e. the real appearance of the glorified spirit of Samuel.2
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”