They are gone over the passage
Or "from the passage" {b}; not of Jordan, as the Targum; but rather of Michmash, ( 1 Samuel 13:23 ) this to be understood of the king of Assyria with his army:
they have taken up their lodging at Geba;
or "Geba was their lodging"; that is, for a night only; not that they continued here for any time, as our version seems to suggest. This was a city in the tribe of Benjamin, ( Joshua 21:17 ) called Geba of Benjamin, ( 1 Kings 15:22 ) .
Ramah is afraid;
the inhabitants of it, as the Targum, at the report of the march of the king of Assyria and his army, and their being near to them. Ramah was in the tribe of Benjamin, ( Joshua 18:25 ) it is mentioned with Gibeah in ( Hosea 5:8 ) upon which place Jerom says it was seven miles from Jerusalem; but elsewhere F3 he says it was but six, and was to the north against Bethel. See ( Judges 19:13 ) .
Gibeah of Saul is fled;
that is, the inhabitants of it fled, upon hearing the king of Assyria with his army was coming that way. This was also a city of Benjamin, and is called Gibeah of Benjamin, ( 1 Samuel 13:2 ) and Gibeah of Saul, ( 1 Samuel 11:4 ) as here; either because he was born there, as Jerom F4 affirms; and certain it is, that he was of the tribe of Benjamin; or because he built it, or at least a palace in it to dwell in, as Kimchi thinks; and it is plain he dwelt here, for it is called his home, ( 1 Samuel 10:26 ) the name of the place with Josephus F5 is Gabathsaoula, which he makes to be thirty furlongs or four miles from Jerusalem, and says it signifies "Saul's hill", and that it was situated in a place called the Valley of Thorns.