Shmuel I 20:18-23 שמואל א כ׳:י״ח-כ״ג

מחר חדש. ודרך כל אוכלי שולחן המלך לבא ביום מועד אל השולחן:

Tomorrow is the New Moon. And it is customary for all those who eat at the king's table to come on the festive day to the table.

ונפקדת. אבי יפקדך וישאל היכן אתה: כי יפקד מושבך. שיהיה מושבך חסר, שאתה יושב בו וכן תרגם יונתן: ותתבעי ארי יהי מרוח בית אסחרותך:

And you will be missed. My father will miss you, and ask where you are. Because your seat will be empty.¹³Yonoson assumed that out of respect for Dovid no one would occupy his seat. For your seat in which you sit, will be empty, and so did Targum Yonoson render, 'and you will be sought, for your seat will be vacant.'

ונפקדת. לשון זכרון:

And you will be missed. An expression of remembering.

כי יפקד. לשון חסרון:

Will be empty. An expression of missing.

ושלשת. שלשת ימים, ואז תרד מאוד, כלומר לכשתגיע היום השלישי, תרד במקום סתר ותתחבא הרבה, כי אז יבקשוך, ובאת אל המקום הסתר הזה אשר אתה נסתר בו היום, שהוא יום מעשה מלאכה וכן תרגם יונתן: ביומא דחולא, שאותו היום נסתר, כמה שנאמר (פסוק כד): 'ויסתר דוד בשדה' מיד, 'ויהי החדש' מחר:

For three days. You shall triple the days, and then you should go down very much, i.e., when the third day arrives,¹⁴Others translate וְשִׁלַשְׁתָּ as “mark three times” [the spot where to hide] to avoid any misunderstanding. The same expression [וְשִׁלַשְׁתָּ], is used to tell the Bnei Yisroel to mark the borders of the land into three parts in Devarim 19:3. you should go down into a secret place, and hide very well, because they will seek you then. And you shall come to this secret place, where you are hiding today, which is a work day.¹⁵I.e., the day after Rosh Chodesh is described as a work day in comparison to Rosh Chodesh which is considered a holiday because they did not engage in their usual work. And similarly Targum Yonoson renders, on a week day, for he hid on that day, as it is stated, 'and Dovid hid in the field,'¹⁶Below verse 24. and immediately, 'it was the New Moon'¹⁷Ibid. on the next day.

האבן האזל. אבן שהיתה אות להולכי דרכים:

The marker stone. A stone which was a landmark for travelers.¹⁸הׇאָזֶל meaning “[a stone for] those who go.” Others, maintain that the marker stone was used as a target at which arrows were shot.

האזל. הולכי הדרך, וכן תרגם יונתן: אבן אתא, אבן האות:

The marker for those who travel. And similarly Targum Yonoson renders אֶבֶן אָתָא, 'the stone [that served as] a sign.'¹⁹For travelers.

צדה אורה. לא מפיק ה"א, ופתרון צדה כמו לצד, כל תיבה שצריכה למ"ד בתחלתה, הטיל לה ה"א בסופה, בצד אותה אבן, אורה חצים למטרה, כדי שלא יבין הנער, וזה סימן יהיה לך לנחש אם אתה צריך לברוח:

I will shoot in that direction. This is not a dotted ה׳. Thus צִדָּה is interpreted like לַצַּד [to a side].²⁰Radak explains צִדָּה as if it had a ׳מַפִּיק ה׳ meaning ‘to its side, i.e., the side of the stone’ he will shoot the arrow. Every word which requires a 'ל' as a prefix, Scripture puts a 'ה' as a suffix,²¹Maseches Yevamos 13b. meaning, 'at the side of that stone, I will shoot arrows to a target' so that the youth will not understand, and this sign will be for you to divine whether you need to run away.

והנה אשלח וגו'. ודרך המבקש חץ הירוי, הולך עד מקום שרואה שהחץ הולך, ואינו יכול לכוין יפה, פעמים שהוא מחפשה והחץ להלן ממנו, ופעמים שהוא הולך להלן מן החץ ומחפשה, והניחוש הזה יהיה לך:

Behold, I will then send… And it is customary for the one who is looking for a shot arrow to go to the place where he sees the arrow flying, but he cannot calculate exactly; sometimes he searches for it, and the arrow is beyond him, and sometimes he goes beyond the arrow and searches for it, and you shall divine with this [sign].

אם אמור אומר לנער וגו' קחנו ובואה. צא אתה בעצמך ממקום מחבואך, וקחנו ובוא אלי, כי אין לך לירא, כי שלום לך, הקב"ה חפץ שתהא כאן ולא תירא, ואפילו שמעתי מאבא רעה:

If I say to the lad…take [the arrows] and come.²²To signal Dovid’s acceptability by Shaul. You should emerge from your hiding place, and take it, and come to me, for you have nothing to fear, for it is well with you. The Holy One, Blessed is He, desires that you be here, and do not fear, even if I have heard evil from [my] father.²³It is apparent that Rashi holds that Yonoson used the shooting of the arrows as a form of divination to determine whether ה׳ wanted Dovid to stay or to flee. According to Rashi, Yonoson did not plan to shoot the arrows in accordance with Shaul’s attitude toward Dovid, i.e., he would shoot the arrows close by as a signal for Dovid to come back if Shaul’s answer was positive towards Dovid; and he would shoot the arrows far off to indicate for Dovid to escape if Shaul’s answer was unfavorable to Dovid.

ואם כה אומר וגו' לך כי שלחך. הקב"ה אומר לך לברוח ולהמלט:

But, if I say thus…then go for Adonoy has sent you away. The Holy One, Blessed is He, tells you to run away and escape.

והדבר אשר דברנו. ברית שכרתנו יחד:

But as for the matter of which we have spoken. The covenant which we made together.

הנה ה' ביני וביניך. עד על אותו דבר:

Behold, Adonoy is [witness] between me and you. A witness concerning that matter.