שמואל א י״ד:י״ט-כ״ד

והעברים היו לפלשתים. בעזרתם, מחמת יראה מתמול שלשום, והיום נהפכו גם המה עם חבריהם, להיות בעזרת אחיהם:

And the Hebrews who were with the Philistines. To help them, out of fear, in earlier times;⁹ The Bnei Yisroel who had been living in Philistine territory had been forcibly drafted into the Philistine army to fight against their brethren. but today they too turned [against the Philistines and joined] their fellows to be at their brethren's assistance.

נגש ביום ההוא. היו אצים ונגושים להלחם בפלשתים:

Were hard pressed on that day. They were being rushed and pressed¹⁰ As in Shemos 5:13; Metzudos renders “approached.” to wage war against the Philistines.

ויואל. לשון אלה:

[Shaul] had imposed an oath. An expression of oath.¹¹ Shaul did not want the Bnei Yisroel to interrupt their pursuit of the Philistines; he therefore bound the Bnei Yisroel with an oath that no one should eat any food until the evening.

אשר יאכל לחם. כל מאכל במשמע, כמו (ירמיהו יא יט): נשחיתה עץ בלחמו:

Who will eat food. All food is included [in לֶחֶם], as in, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit ]בְּלַחְמוֹ[."¹² Yirmiyahu 11:19.