שמואל א, פרק י״ט, פסוק כ״ב

After his messengers fail in their mission, Saul realizes he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands and lead the pursuit himself [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. His route, however, is somewhat puzzling. He heads toward Ramah, despite already knowing that David and Samuel are staying in Naioth.

Saul takes this path because he initially has no intention of going directly to Naioth. He assumes Samuel will simply return to his home in Ramah. Furthermore, Saul feels it is beneath his royal dignity to go searching for David inside the prophet's own domain; instead, he expects Samuel to come out and greet him. This plan changes when Saul reaches a large well located on the road between Ramah and Naioth. At this juncture, he alters his course and decides to find out exactly where the two men are [מלבי״ם].

Arriving at the great well in a place called Sechu [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ], Saul asks the locals for the exact whereabouts of Samuel and David [מצודת ציון]. An unnamed individual answers his inquiry [ביאור שטיינזלץ], though this response can also be understood as coming from the crowd as a whole [מנחת שי]. They inform the king that the men he is looking for are currently located in Naioth.