Tanach
Shmuel I 17:20-25 שמואל א י״ז:כ׳-כ״ה
Part of: Chapter 17
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם דָּוִד בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּטֹּשׁ אֶת־הַצֹּאן עַל־שֹׁמֵר וַיִּשָּׂא וַיֵּלֶךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ יִשָׁי וַיָּבֹא הַמַּעְגָּלָה וְהַחַיִל הַיֹּצֵא אֶל־הַמַּעֲרָכָה וְהֵרֵעוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה׃
Dovid rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a watchman, and started out and went as Yishay had commanded him; he came to the barricade as the troops were going out to the battlefront, shouting battle cries.
Dovid rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a watchman, and started out and went as Yishay had commanded him; he came to the barricade as the troops were going out to the battlefront, shouting battle cries.
Rashi
וַתַּעֲרֹךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּפְלִשְׁתִּים מַעֲרָכָה לִקְרַאת מַעֲרָכָֽה׃
Yisroel and the Philistines deployed battalions, one opposite the other.
Yisroel and the Philistines deployed battalions, one opposite the other.
Rashi
ותערוך ישראל. מערכת ישראל:
Yisroel deployed. Referring to Yisroel's battalions.13That is why the feminine form [וַתַּעֲרֹךְ] is used because it is referring to מַעֲרָכָה which is grammatically feminine.
וַיִּטֹּשׁ דָּוִד אֶת־הַכֵּלִים מֵעָלָיו עַל־יַד שׁוֹמֵר הַכֵּלִים וַיָּרׇץ הַמַּעֲרָכָה וַיָּבֹא וַיִּשְׁאַל לְאֶחָיו לְשָׁלֽוֹם׃
Dovid left his things with the keeper of the equipment and ran to the battlefront; he arrived and greeted his brothers.
Dovid left his things with the keeper of the equipment and ran to the battlefront; he arrived and greeted his brothers.
Rashi
שומר הכלים. של בני הצבא:
The keeper of the equipment. Of the soldiers.
וְהוּא ׀ מְדַבֵּר עִמָּם וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם עוֹלֶה גׇּלְיָת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי שְׁמוֹ מִגַּת (ממערות) [מִמַּעַרְכוֹת] פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיְדַבֵּר כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִֽד׃
While speaking to them, behold, the champion came up—Golyos the Philistine of Gas was his name—from the Philistine camp and spoke as he had before, and Dovid heard.
While speaking to them, behold, the champion came up—Golyos the Philistine of Gas was his name—from the Philistine camp and spoke as he had before, and Dovid heard.
Rashi
ממערות פלשתים. כתיב, רבותינו דרשו (סוטה מב ב): מאה בני אדם הערו בערפה אמו, כשפירשה מאחרי רות ונעמי חמותה:
From Philistines camp. [The text] is written מִמַּעֲרוֹת; our Rabbis expounded [from the word מַעֲרוֹת]14The root being ערה and the noun ערוה. See Rashi Vayikra 20:18. that one hundred men had relations with his [Golyas'] mother Orpoh, after she left Rus and her mother-in-law Naomi.15See Maseches Sotah 42b. Golyos was born from these relations and no one knew who fathered him so he became known as אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם ‘a man from between them.’ See above verse 4. Da’as Sofrim suggests that מְעָרוֹת [=caves] may have been dug out in the mountain the Philistines as a defensive measure in the case of an attack by the Bnei Yisroel.
וְכֹל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְאוֹתָם אֶת־הָאִישׁ וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפָּנָיו וַיִּֽירְאוּ מְאֹֽד׃
All the men of Yisroel, upon seeing the man, fled from him, and they were very frightened.
All the men of Yisroel, upon seeing the man, fled from him, and they were very frightened.
וַיֹּאמֶר ׀ אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הַרְּאִיתֶם הָאִישׁ הָֽעֹלֶה הַזֶּה כִּי לְחָרֵף אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֹלֶה וְֽהָיָה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יַכֶּנּוּ יַעְשְׁרֶנּוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ ׀ עֹשֶׁר גָּדוֹל וְאֶת־בִּתּוֹ יִתֶּן־לוֹ וְאֵת בֵּית אָבִיו יַעֲשֶׂה חׇפְשִׁי בְּיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {פ}
The men of Yisroel said, "Have you seen this man who goes forth? He goes forth to insult Yisroel. Whoever will kill him, the king will enrich with great wealth, and he will give his daughter to him [to marry], and his father's family he will exempt [from all royal obligations] in Yisroel."
The men of Yisroel said, "Have you seen this man who goes forth? He goes forth to insult Yisroel. Whoever will kill him, the king will enrich with great wealth, and he will give his daughter to him [to marry], and his father's family he will exempt [from all royal obligations] in Yisroel."
Rashi
יעשה חפשי. מדברים האמורים במשפטי המלוכה:
He will exempt. From the listed royal obligations.16See above 8:11–17 for details of these obligations.
המעגלה. סביבות המחנה עושים מעגל, והיוצא חוץ, לפנים או לאחור, מתחייב. לפנים, שמא ירוצו עליו בני מערכות האויבים, לאחור, מבקש הוא לנוס:
To the barricade. They would form a circle around the camp, and whoever would go out [of the circle], either in front of, or behind the camp, would be endangered; in front [of the circle] he might be attacked by the men of the enemy armies, and behind [the circle] because he [apparently] seeks to desert.