It is not clear why the sight of Samuel causes the woman to cry out. It could be that she was not expecting to see anyone, and that her usual practice was one of deceit and pretension.1 Alternatively, something may have happened that was beyond her control,2 or the appearance of Samuel may have been different from that of other spectres.3
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.”