Naioth

Naioth was a place near Ramah where David fled to escape King Saul, and where Samuel and a group of prophets lived.

Naioth was a place near Ramah, a city in the territory of Benjamin, where the prophet Samuel lived with a group of prophets (1Sam. 19:18-24; 20:1). When King Saul sought to kill David, he fled to Samuel at Naioth in Ramah. Saul sent messengers to capture David, but when they arrived, they encountered the prophets prophesying with Samuel. The Spirit of God came upon the messengers, and they also prophesied. This happened three times, and when Saul himself went to Naioth, he too was overcome by the Spirit and prophesied before Samuel. This event gave rise to the saying, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" (1Sam. 19:24).

Dwellings, the name given to the prophetical college established by Samuel near Ramah. It consisted of a cluster of separate dwellings, and hence its name. David took refuge here when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 19:18, 19, 22, 23), and here he passed a few weeks in peace (comp. Ps. 11). It was probably the common residence of the “sons of the prophets.”