Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Samuel 10:5

"After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying:" — 1 Samuel 10:5 (ASV)

Hill of God - This should be read as "Gibeah of God," as it is also in 1 Samuel 10:10. Two things are clear from the text. First, Saul had arrived home when he reached Gibeah of God, because he found his uncle there and no further journeying is even hinted at. The same word, "Gibeah," also describes his home in 1 Samuel 10:26.

Second, there was a high place at Gibeah just above the city, from which he met the company of prophets "coming down." Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the name "Gibeah of God" (which appears nowhere else) was sometimes given to Gibeah of Saul because of the worship on its high place. It is also possible that the name described the entire hill on which a part of the city stood.

Where is the garrison of the Philistines - It seems strange that Samuel would give this description of Gibeah to Saul, who must have been very familiar with it. These may be explanatory words inserted by the narrator, referring to 1 Samuel 13:2.

Musical instruments accompanied the prophetic song (1 Chronicles 13:8; 1 Chronicles 25:3).

The psaltery is a type of lyre with ten strings, shaped like an earthenware wine bottle (נבל nebel, from which comes the Greek νάβλα nabla), and was similar in shape to a sugarloaf or a delta.

The tabret is a type of drum, tambourine, or timbrel, usually played by dancing women (Exodus 15:20; Judges 11:34).

The pipe (חליל châlı̂yl, literally the "bored" or "pierced" instrument) is a type of flute used on occasions of joy and celebration (Isaiah 5:12; 1 Kings 1:40; Psalms 68:25).

The harp (כנור kı̂nnôr, from which comes the Greek κινύρα kinura) was a stringed instrument, the one played by David (1 Samuel 16:16; 1 Samuel 19:9; Psalms 43:4; Psalms 57:8).