Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 10:11

"And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" — 1 Samuel 10:11 (ASV)

What is this? — The natural expression of extreme surprise at the sudden change that had come over one so well known at Gibeah as Saul evidently was, shows us that this was his home. The words, “What is this that is come unto the son of Kish?” seem to tell us that the life Saul had previously led was a life very different in all respects from the life led by the sons of the prophets in their schools.

It need not be assumed that the youth and early manhood of the future king had been wild and dissolute, but simply that his way of life had been rough and uncultured—a life spent in what we would call “country pursuits,” in contrast to the pursuit of knowledge and of higher attainments. It is evident from the statement here and in the following verse that considerable respect for these schools had already grown up among the people.

Is Saul also among the prophets? — In 1 Samuel 19:23, we again find Saul, but under changed circumstances, under the influence of a Divine and coercing power, uttering strange words and singing hymns as one trained in the prophets’ schools. It was probably this recurrence of the same incident in the king’s life that gave rise to the saying, or proverb, which expresses amazement at the unexpected appearance of any man in a position that had previously been quite strange to him. “Is Saul among the preachers of Christ? Was a question of wonder asked by the friends of St. Paul” (Galatians 1:23). — Wordsworth.