Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 19:22
Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that [is] in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where [are] Samuel and David? And [one] said, Behold, [they be] at Naioth in Ramah.
22. a great well ] The great cistern, some well known landmark in Sechu, a place nowhere else mentioned, between Gibeah and Ramah. The reading is uncertain. The Sept. has “the well of the threshing-floor that is in Sephi (or, the hill).”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
To a great well – Some large well-known cistern at Sechu, the site of which is uncertain, which Saul passed on his way from Gibeah to Ramah.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Where are Samuel and David? for, his messengers not returning, he knew not exactly where they were.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Then went he also to Ramah,…. That is, Saul; his messengers not returning to him, when he sent one after another to take David, at length he set out himself from Gibeah to Ramah:
and came to a great well that [is] in Sechu; which was either the name of a man, the owner of the well, or a place near to which the well was, and is commonly thought to be the same with Shochoh, 1Sa 17:1; at such places there was generally a concourse of people at certain times, to fetch water for the inhabitants of the place, and for the watering of flocks and herds, and so a proper place to stop at, and ask the following questions:
and he asked and said, where [are] Samuel and David? for his messengers not returning to him, he could not be sure where they now were, though he had heard they were at Naioth:
and [one] said, behold, [they be] at Naioth in Ramah; at the house of doctrine, or school in Ramah, as the Targum; thus one at the well replied, in answer to his question, who had seen them go there, or knew they were there.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
22. Well Or pit, as the word is rendered 1Sa 13:6. In the Hebrew it is made emphatic by the article, to the great pit, referring to some well-known spot.
Sechu This word means a watching place; and since it is made definite by the article, it is better to translate it as a common noun, thus: He came to the great pit which is by the watching place. Some spot near Ramah is meant; probably a height where watchmen were stationed, in the vicinity of a notable cistern or pit, which has since been filled up.
He asked Probably of some watchman there.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“Where are Samuel and David?” 1Sa 19:22 .
A time comes when we ask for old friends and guides. Whilst they are with us we are apt to under-estimate our need of them and their influence upon us. Sometimes our old friends are sought for purposes of revenge, as Saul in this case sought for David. The passage may be used however for the purpose of exciting our thoughts in the direction of inquiry for old kings, and old prophets, and old friends, who have ruled over our spirits, influenced our lives, and ennobled the whole level of our being. The time will come when there will be no answers to such questions. The prophets die, the fathers are withdrawn by death, the most venerable ministries cease their action upon the mind. Whilst our opportunities endure, let us avail ourselves of them to the utmost extent. Gratitude to the teacher will enable that teacher to be more effective in his ministry. There will come a time when our riches will be in our recollections; we shall think of the men we have known, of the hearts with which we have communed, of the gentle and mighty ministries that have operated upon our thought and feeling; we shall be able to recall the great, who from their urns still rule and direct our spirits. Blessed will he be who in old age can construct a whole gallery of living portraits on which he can gaze with admiration, and affection, and gratitude. Pictures of this kind lie within the reach of the poorest. All men are not able to buy canvas, and art, and gilded frames, but the poorest soul can cherish its memories, and live upon them in such a way as to make solitude impossible, and thanklessness a sin. We never can be so indebted to any man as to the religious teacher. This is difficult to realise when all things are flourishing around us, though we may come to its recognition when the sky darkens, when the day dips towards evening, and when all our lights are going out.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
1Sa 19:22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that [is] in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where [are] Samuel and David? And [one] said, Behold, [they be] at Naioth in Ramah.
Ver. 22. Then went he also to Ramah. ] As if he had a mind to try it out with God, to wrestle a fall with the Most High.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
one. A special various reading (Sevir) reads “they”. See App-34.