1 Samuel 19:22

22 Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the great well that is in Secu; he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "They are at Naioth in Ramah."

1 Samuel 19:22 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 19:22

Then went he also to Ramah
That is, Saul; his messengers not returning to him, when he sent one after another to take David, at length he set out himself from Gibeah to Ramah:

and came to a great well that [is] in Sechu;
which was either the name of a man, the owner of the well, or a place near to which the well was, and is commonly thought to be the same with Shochoh, ( 1 Samuel 17:1 ) ; at such places there was generally a concourse of people at certain times, to fetch water for the inhabitants of the place, and for the watering of flocks and herds, and so a proper place to stop at, and ask the following questions:

and he asked and said, where [are] Samuel and David?
for his messengers not returning to him, he could not be sure where they now were, though he had heard they were at Naioth:

and [one] said, behold, [they be] at Naioth in Ramah;
at the house of doctrine, or school in Ramah, as the Targum; thus one at the well replied, in answer to his question, who had seen them go there, or knew they were there.

1 Samuel 19:22 In-Context

20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David. When they saw the company of the prophets in a frenzy, with Samuel standing in charge of them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy.
21 When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also fell into a frenzy. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also fell into a frenzy.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the great well that is in Secu; he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "They are at Naioth in Ramah."
23 He went there, toward Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him. As he was going, he fell into a prophetic frenzy, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He too stripped off his clothes, and he too fell into a frenzy before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Gk reads [to the well of the threshing floor on the bare height]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.