Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 19:24

"And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?" — 1 Samuel 19:24 (ASV)

And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner. This was certainly not the first time that Saul had experienced a similar influence of the Spirit of God. We are told (1 Samuel 10:10) that directly after his anointing by Samuel, he met a company of prophets who were prophesying at Gibeah, and that the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. On that occasion he had been changed into another man.

What was the meaning of the outpouring upon the faithless king now? The Chaldee, according to Raschi’s explanation, says he was mad. Is it not, however, better to explain the incident by understanding that once more the pitiful Spirit pleaded with the man whom the Lord had chosen to be His anointed? But, alas! when the moment of strange excitement was over, the blessed pleading was forgotten. Is this not a matter of everyday experience?

And lay down naked. This does not necessarily mean he was without any clothes, for under the tunic, men of the upper ranks certainly wore a fine-woven shirt of linen or cotton. Lyranus explains the words “stripped off his clothes” as simply denoting that he threw off his upper garment, “his royal robe.”

Is Saul also among the prophets? The same thing having taken place before (see 1 Samuel 10:12), this saying gained currency among the people. It seemed strange to them that one so self-willed and disobedient as Saul was receiving, as it appeared to the bystanders, the Divine and much-coveted gift. “Many,” says St. Augustine, “are the gifts of God which are possessed by evil men. Evil men have often great talents, great skill, great wealth...

The gift of prophecy is a great gift, but it was possessed by Saul. Saul, an evil king, prophesied at the very time he was persecuting holy David. Therefore, let men not boast if they have God’s gifts; those gifts will profit them nothing without charity (1 Corinthians 13:1–2). But let them think of the fearful account they must one day give to God, if they do not use holy things holily.”—St. Augustine, in Psalms 103:0, quoted by Wordsworth.