He too stripped off his clothes: the word too indicates that either the earlier messengers or the prophets, or both, were without clothes. The meaning expressed by the word too should not be omitted in translation. It is repeated with the word prophesied as well, and this repetition gives it added emphasis. The words rendered he too are, in fact, the same as those translated “he himself” in verse 22. Fox preserves the emphasis by translating verses 23 and 24 as follows:
So he went there, to Nayot in Rama, and there came upon him, him too, the spirit of God; he went, going-along and ranting-like-a-prophet, until he arrived at Nayot in Rama. And he stripped off, he too, his garments, and he ranted-like-a-prophet, he too, before Shemuʾel.

Prophesied: see verse 20.

Lay naked: a literal translation of this expression may have quite a different meaning in other languages. If this is the case it may be more accurate to say “lay without clothes” or something similar.

Hence it is said, “… among the prophets?” For a different explanation of this saying, see 10.9-12. To show that these words are the writer’s aside to explain to the readers a well-known saying, Good News Translation places this sentence within parentheses and says “This is how the saying originated.” Compare New International Version: “This is why people say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’ ”

It is quite clear that the words it is said refer to a common saying among the people of Israel at the time and not just to something that was said on that one occasion, as the rendering of the Living Bible (Living Bible) would lead readers to believe: “ ‘What!’ they exclaimed. ‘Is Saul a prophet, too?’ ” The writer certainly intends to explain one of the sources of the proverbial saying.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .