9 Then it happened when he turned his back to leave e e Samuel , God changed his heart ; and all those signs came about on that day . 10 When they came to the hill there , behold , a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily , so that he prophesied among them. 11 It came about, when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets , that the people said to one another , "What has happened to the son of Kish ? Is Saul also among the prophets ?" 12 A man there e said , "Now, who is their father ?" Therefore e it became a proverb : " Is Saul also among the prophets ?" 13 When he had finished prophesying , he came to the high place . 14 Now Saul's uncle said to him and his servant , "Where did you go ?" And he said , " To look for the donkeys . When we saw that they could not be found , we went to Samuel ." 15 Saul's uncle said , "Please tell me what Samuel said to you." 16 So Saul said to his uncle , " He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found ." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned .
17 Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah ; 18 and he said to the sons of Israel , " Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel , 'I brought Israel up from Egypt , and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' 19 "But you have today rejected your God , who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses ; yet you have said , 'No , but set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans ." 20 Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near , and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families , and the Matrite family was taken . And Saul the son of Kish was taken ; but when they looked for him, he could not be found . 22 Therefore they inquired further of the Lord , "Has the man come here yet ?" So the Lord said , "Behold , he is hiding himself by the baggage ." 23 So they ran and took him from there , and when he stood among the people , he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward . 24 Samuel said to all the people , "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen ? Surely there is no one like him among all the people ." So all the people shouted and said , " Long live the king !" 25 Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom , and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord . And Samuel sent all the people away , each one to his house . 26 Saul also went to his house at Gibeah ; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But certain worthless men said , "How can this one deliver us?" And they despised him and did not bring him any present . But he kept silent .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 10:9-27
Commentary on 1 Samuel 10:9-16
(Read 1 Samuel 10:9-16)
The signs Samuel had given Saul, came to pass punctually; he found that God had given him another heart, another disposition of mind. Yet let not an outward show of devotion, and a sudden change for the present, be too much relied on; Saul among the prophets was Saul still. His being anointed was kept private. He leaves it to God to carry on his own work by Samuel, and sits still, to see how the matter will fall.
Commentary on 1 Samuel 10:17-27
(Read 1 Samuel 10:17-27)
Samuel tells the people, Ye have this day rejected your God. So little fond was Saul now of that power, which soon after, when he possessed it, he could not think of parting with, that he hid himself. It is good to be conscious of our unworthiness and insufficiency for the services to which we are called; but men should not go into the contrary extreme, by refusing the employments to which the Lord and the church call them. The greater part of the people treated the matter with indifference. Saul modestly went home to his own house, but was attended by a band of men whose hearts God disposed to support his authority. If the heart bend at any time the right way, it is because He has touched it. One touch is enough when it is Divine. Others despised him. Thus differently are men affected to our exalted Redeemer. There is a remnant who submit to him, and follow him wherever he goes; they are those whose hearts God has touched, whom he has made willing. But there are others who despise him, who ask, How shall this man save us? They are offended in him, and they will be punished.