1 Samuel 19:24

Good News Translation

He took off his clothes and danced and shouted in Samuel's presence, and lay naked all that day and all that night. (This is how the saying originated, "Has even Saul become a prophet?")

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul then removed his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel; he collapsed and lay naked all that day and all that night. That is why they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Hebrew Names Version
He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Shemu'el, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Sha'ul also among the prophets?"

King James Version
And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Lexham English Bible
He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

English Standard Version
And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

New Century Version
He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"

New English Translation
He even stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay there naked all that day and night. (For that reason it is asked, "Is Saul also among the prophets?")

Amplified Bible
He also took off his [royal] robes [and armor] and prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and night. So they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

New American Standard Bible
He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he stript off his clothes, and he prophesied also before Samuel, and fell downe naked all that day and all that night: therefore they say, Is Saul also among the Prophets?

Legacy Standard Bible
He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Contemporary English Version
he stripped off his clothes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He dropped to the ground and lay there naked all day and night. That's how the saying started, "Is Saul now a prophet?"

Complete Jewish Bible
He also stripped off his clothes, prophesied in Sh'mu'el's presence and lay there naked all that day and all that night. Hence it continues to be an expression, "Is Sha'ul a prophet, too?"

Darby Translation
And he himself also stripped off his clothes, and prophesied, himself also, before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Easy-to-Read Version
Saul even took off his clothes. He lay there naked all day and through the night. So even Saul prophesied there in front of Samuel. That is why people say, "Is Saul also one of the prophets?"

George Lamsa Translation
And he stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Behold, is Saul also among the prophets?

Literal Translation
And he stripped off his garments, he also, and he prophesied before Samuel, even he. And he fell down disrobed all that day and all that night. Because of this they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he put of his clothes, & prophecied likewise before Samuel, & fell downe naked all that daye and all that nighte. Here of came the prouerbe: Is Saul also amonge the prophetes?

American Standard Version
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?

Bible in Basic English
And he took off his clothing, acting like a prophet before Samuel, and falling down he was stretched out, without his clothing, all that day and all that night. This is the reason for the saying, Is even Saul among the prophets?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he stript of his clothes & prophecied before Samuel in lyke maner, and fell naked al that day and all that night: And therof it is that they say, Is Saul also among the prophetes?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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?'

King James Version (1611)
And he stript off his clothes also, and prophecied before Samuel in like manner, and lay downe naked all that day, and all that night: wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the Prophets?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took off his clothes, and prophesied before them; and lay down naked all that day and all that night: therefore they said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

English Revised Version
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?

Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul stripped off his robes and also prophesied before Samuel. And he collapsed and lay naked all that day and night. That is why it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And `he also dispuylide him silf of hise clothis, and propheciede with othere men bifor Samuel, and he profeciede nakid in al that dai and nyyt. Wherfor `a prouerbe, that is, a comyn word, yede out, Whether and Saul among prophetis?

Young's Literal Translation
and he strippeth off -- he also -- his garments, and prophesieth -- he also -- before Samuel, and falleth down naked all that day and all the night; therefore they say, `Is Saul also among the prophets?'

Update Bible Version
And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Webster's Bible Translation
And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, [Is] Saul also among the prophets?

World English Bible
He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

New King James Version
24 And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 1 Samuel 10:12">[fn]

New Living Translation
He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, "What? Is even Saul a prophet?"

New Life Bible
He took off his clothes and said what was going to happen in front of Samuel. He lay down without clothing all that day and all that night. So they say, "Is Saul among those who say what will happen?"

New Revised Standard
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?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, even he, stripped off his upper garments, and, even he, was moved to prophesy before Samuel, and lay prostrate, disrobed, all that day, and all the night. For this cause, do they say, Is, even Saul, among the prophets?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he stripped himself also of his garments, and prophesied with the rest before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and night. This gave occasion to a proverb: What! is Saul too among the prophets?

Revised Standard Version
And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Hence it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ David escaped and went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. ¹⁹ Saul was told that David was in Naioth in Ramah, ²⁰ so he sent some men to arrest him. They saw the group of prophets dancing and shouting, with Samuel as their leader. Then the spirit of God took control of Saul's men, and they also began to dance and shout. ²¹ When Saul heard of this, he sent more messengers, and they also began to dance and shout. He sent messengers the third time, and the same thing happened to them. ²² Then he himself started out to Ramah. When he came to the large well in Secu, he asked where Samuel and David were and was told that they were at Naioth. ²³ As he was going there, the spirit of God took control of him also, and he danced and shouted all the way to Naioth. ²⁴ He took off his clothes and danced and shouted in Samuel's presence, and lay naked all that day and all that night. (This is how the saying originated, "Has even Saul become a prophet?")

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

stripped: 2 Samuel 6:14, 2 Samuel 6:20, Isaiah 20:2, Micah 1:8

lay: Heb. fell, Numbers 24:4

Is Saul: 1 Samuel 10:10-12, Acts 9:21

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 10:6 - Spirit 1 Samuel 10:11 - Is Saul 1 Samuel 15:35 - Samuel 1 Samuel 18:10 - and he prophesied 2 Samuel 7:15 - But my Luke 8:27 - and ware John 21:7 - naked

Cross-References

Genesis 19:23
The sun was rising when Lot reached Zoar.

Genesis 19:24
Suddenly the Lord rained burning sulfur on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19:28
He looked down at Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole valley and saw smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a huge furnace.

Genesis 19:29
But when God destroyed the cities of the valley where Lot was living, he kept Abraham in mind and allowed Lot to escape to safety.

Job 18:15
Now anyone may live in their tents— after sulfur is sprinkled to disinfect them!

Psalms 11:6
He sends down flaming coals and burning sulfur on the wicked; he punishes them with scorching winds.

Isaiah 1:9
If the Lord Almighty had not let some of the people survive, Jerusalem would have been totally destroyed, just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

Isaiah 13:19
Babylonia is the most beautiful kingdom of all; it is the pride of its people. But I, the Lord , will overthrow Babylon as I did Sodom and Gomorrah!

Jeremiah 20:16
May he be like those cities that the Lord destroyed without mercy. May he hear cries of pain in the morning and the battle alarm at noon,

Jeremiah 49:18
The same thing will happen to Edom that happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, when they and the nearby towns were destroyed. No one will ever live there again. I, the Lord , have spoken.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he stripped off his clothes also,.... Not all his clothes, but his upper garments, as men in such circumstances used to do, as the prophets sometimes did, and as it seems his messengers had done; according to Jarchi, R. Isaiah, and others n, he stripped himself of his royal robes, and put on the habit of the scholars, the disciples, and sons of the prophets:

and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, as the messengers had done, singing such like songs, or foretelling such like things as they did; he and they speaking not of themselves, but as they were moved by the Holy Spirit of prophecy; for such gifts have sometimes been bestowed on men that were destitute of the grace of God, as Balaam, Caiaphas, and others;

and lay down: or "fell down" o, as persons in an ecstasy or trance: and lay

naked all that day, and all that night; not entirely naked, both without his upper garment or royal robes, or else his armour; so an unarmed man is said to be naked, though otherwise he has his clothes on: thus Gelon having conquered the Carthaginians, and made himself master of all Sicily, went into the forum "naked" (i.e. unarmed), and declared he would restore the government to the citizens, wherefore a naked statue for him was erected in the temple of Juno p; so Quinctius Cincinnatus was found ploughing naked q, who cannot be supposed to be without any clothes on him. Jarchi, from Menachem, reports, that he had heard from an Arabian, that the word the Targum makes use of for "naked", signifies, in the Arabic language, one that is furious or mad, as persons in an ecstasy, or under a prophetic spirit, sometimes seemed to be; now Saul was kept and held in such circumstances a whole day and night, that David might have an opportunity of making his escape, and getting at such a distance from him that he could not overtake him:

wherefore they say, [is] Saul also among the prophets? this became a common saying, a proverbial expression, at least was now revived and observed with admiration; that Saul, who had behaved himself in so ill a manner, as an enemy to so good a man, should be found among the prophets of the Lord, and prophesying as they did.

n Vid. Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 76. G. o ויפל "et cecidit", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, "et corruit", Vatablus. p Aelian. Var. Hist. l. 6. c. 11. q Aurel. Victor. de Vir. Illustr. c. 20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Naked - i. e., without his robe and other outer garments, but only the shirt. Compare the marginal references.

The whole history affords another instance of the protection of God vouchsafed to His servants, which forms so frequent a topic of the Psalms of David.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 19:24. He stripped off his clothes — Threw off his royal robes or military dress, retaining only his tunic; and continued so all that day and all that night, uniting with the sons of the prophets in prayers, singing praises, and other religious exercises, which were unusual to kings and warriors; and this gave rise to the saying, Is Saul also among the prophets? By bringing both him and his men thus under a Divine influence, God prevented them from injuring the person of David. 1 Samuel 10:6, c. and see my sermon on The Christian Prophet and his Work.