שמואל א, פרק כ״ח, פסוק כ׳

The supernatural encounter and the devastating message bring the king of Israel to a complete physical and mental breakdown. Upon hearing from Samuel that his situation is entirely hopeless, he collapses to the ground, his full height striking the earth [מצודת ציון]. The nature of this sudden fall is understood in two distinct ways. One perspective suggests that he quickly threw himself down to bow in reverence to the voice he heard, even though he could not actually see Samuel's figure [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. In contrast, another approach argues that there was no intention to bow at all. Instead, he simply collapsed from sheer terror, his body giving out before Samuel had even finished speaking [אברבנאל].

This overwhelming fear also carries different interpretations. Some explain that his terror stemmed directly from the harsh prophecy of his imminent death in battle and the realization that his fate was sealed [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, another view maintains that he was not actually afraid of dying in battle. Rather, his deep panic was a reaction to the terrifying, otherworldly experience of hearing Samuel's voice rising from the ground and the sudden, clear recognition that it was truly him [אברבנאל].

Compounding this severe mental anguish was extreme physical exhaustion. The sheer panic drained whatever energy he had left [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. This was worsened by the fact that he had not eaten anything all day and all night, likely due to his overwhelming distress concerning the war and his intense preparations to visit the medium [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Stripped of all physical and emotional strength, he lay paralyzed on the ground. Consumed by worry and despair, he lacked the energy to rise and did not even want anyone to help him to his feet [רד״ק].