שמואל א ט״ו:כ״ב-כ״ג

הנה שמוע. בקולו, טוב מזבח:

Behold, obeying His command is better than a choice offering.²³‘ה prefers the fulfillment of His command over the offering of voluntary sacrifices.

להקשיב מחלב אילים. זה מוסב על הנה שמוע מזבח טוב, ולהקשיב, מחלב אילים:

To hearken [is better] than the fat of rams. This refers to, "Behold, obeying [is better] than a choice offering, and to hearken [is better] than the fat of rams."

כי חטאת קסם מרי ואון ותרפים הפצר. וכעונש של און ותרפים, כן עונש של הפצר ויונתן תרגם: ארי כחוב גבריא וכו' וכחובי עמא דטעו בתר טעותא, כן חובת כל אנש דפצר ומוסיף וכו':

For defiance is like the sin of sorcery, and stubborness is like the sin of idolatry. And like the penalty for idolatry, so is the penalty for stubborness.²⁴ Shaul’s original sin was compared to sorcery, but his insisting on his innocence was compared to the more serious sin of idolatry; Shaul was compounding his original sin by insisting on his innocence. Targum Yonoson renders, 'For, as the sin of a people [who divine, so is the sin of any man who disobeys the word of Adonoy]²⁵ Just as one who divines demonstrates that he removes his trust in ‘ה and looks for other means to determine his future, so does one who disobeys and rebels against the word of ‘ה indicate he removes his belief in the power of ‘ה to reward and punish.—Radak and as the sins of a nation who has strayed after idols, so is the sin of any person who adds [to the words of a prophet].

הפצר. לשון תוספת, וכן (בראשית לג יא): ויפצר בו, הרבה עליו דברים:

Stubborness. An expression adding, and similarly, "He urged [וַיִפְצַר] him,"²⁶ Bereishis 33:11. i.e., he spoke many words to convince him.