I SAMUEL 19:19-24

Q: What might have been the nature of the prophesying by Saul and his men? Are

there similar scriptural examples that might give us hints?

Peter Ackroyd (The First Book of Samuel, p. 160) begins his comments on these verses by saying, “It
is a curious story.”  It is also a difficult story to comprehend and is included in the useful book Hard
Sayings of the Bible.  The main difficulty is to understand the nature of the ecstatic “prophesying” and
its relationship to the more normal prophecies found elsewhere in the Bible. David Tsumura (The First 
Book of Samuel, p. 497-9) concludes that “the question of prophecy and ecstasy is far more complex 
than earlier scholars had supposed.” In the vast majority of prophetic utterances, the prophets appear to
simply transmit to the people what God has relayed to them. 

However, in II Kings 3:15, Elisha does this only after he is put into some sort of receptive mood or 
through the use of music. The presence of the Spirit in the prophets evidenced through ecstatic
behavior (dancing, falling into a trance, etc.) is, as far as I know, only found in two other passages in
the Old Testament (I Samuel 10:5-10; 19:19-24).  Since both of these involve Saul, these incidents 
should be considered together.

In I Samuel 10, Saul is overcome with God's Spirit when he meets a group of roving prophets playing 
musical instruments. The exact nature of the “frenzy” that is induced in him is not well understood, and
no mention is made of any particular words of prophecy that may have been spoken by him or the 
prophets on that occasion. However, Verhoef speculates that some short utterances concerning Saul's
recent choice by God as king may have been made. (Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & 
Exegesis, Vol. 4, p. 1072-3)

All of the sources I consulted regarding this incident and I Samuel 19 are in agreement that the exact
nature of the “prophesying” in each is not nearly as important as what these manifestations of the Spirit
tell us concerning the changing relationship between Saul and God. Two typical quotes will suffice to
make this point: 

    “The spirit of prophecy, which had originally confirmed his call, would now block his way.” (Joyce
Baldwin, 1&2 Samuel, p. 133) 

    “19:18ff is a reversal of what 10:1-9 says of Saul's endowment with the Spirit. In both cases the Spirit
is a divine manifestation. In 10:1-9 it gives Saul strength to carry out his feat of bravery. In 19:18ff it
works in the reverse: it makes Saul helpless.” (David Tsumura) 

Several commentators have noted that the prophetic “frenzy” shown during these two incidents may
not have involved any bizarre behavior at all from an outsider's point of view. These passages should 
certainly not be used as proof texts to justify the modern practice of being “slain in the Spirit,” which 
may involve activities such as writhing on the ground, barking like a dog, etc. as proof of possession by
the Holy Spirit.