שמואל א י״ז:ל״ז-מ״ד

ה' אשר הצילני מיד הארי. יודע אני שלא לחנם נזדמן לי הדבר ההוא, אלא שלעתיד אני בא לידי כיוצא בה לתשועת ישראל, ואסמוך עליה ואצא וזה אחד משני צדיקים שנתן להם רמז, וחשו להשכיל לדבר, דוד ומרדכי, שנאמר (אסתר ב יא): ובכל יום ויום מרדכי מתהלך לפני חצר וגו', אמר: לא לחנם עלתה בצדקת זו שנתפסה במשכב הערל הזה, אלא שעתידה היא לעמוד לישראל ביום צרה:

Adonoy Who saved me from the claws of the lion. I know that this incident did not occur to me for naught, but as an indication that in the future, I would be confronted with similar circumstances, as a salvation for Yisroel. I will therefore rely on this, and go out. And he was one of two righteous men, to whom [God] gave a hint, and they understood the matter, Dovid and Mordechai, as it is stated: "And every day Mordechai would walk before the courtyard…"¹⁸Megillas Esther 2:11. He said [to himself], 'It is not for naught that this righteous woman [Esther] has been taken into the bed of this uncircumcised one [Achashveirosh]. It can only mean that she is destined to stand up on behalf of Yisroel at a time of distress.'

את דוד מדיו. נהפכו להיות כמדת דוד משנמשח בשמן המשחה, אף שהיו של שאול שהיה גבוה מכל העם משכמו ומעלה (לעיל ט ב), וכיון שראה שאול כן, הכניס בו עין הרע, והרגיש דוד בדבר:

Dovid in his own battle garments. They changed and became Dovid's size,¹⁹The word מַדָיו is derived from מִדָה [=measure]. since he had been anointed with the anointing oil,²⁰See Maseches Yevamos 76b. although they belonged to Shaul who was taller than all of the other people, from his shoulder and upward.²¹Above 9:2. And when Shaul noted this, he cast an envious glance toward him, and Dovid realized it.

ויואל ללכת. תרגם יונתן: ולא אבה למיזל. יש תיבות משמשות לשון וחילופו, כמו (ישעיהו י לג): מסעף פארה ; (תהלים נב ז): ושרשך מארץ חיים:

But he did not want to go out. Targum Yonoson renders "and he did not want to go."²²Although וַיאֶׁל usually means ‘he wanted’ as in Shemos 2:21. There are words which have two opposite definitions, as in "will cut off [מְסָעֵף] a branch,"²³Yeshayahu 10:33. [derived from סָעִיף, a branch]. [Also,] "and he will uproot you [וְשֵׁרֶשְׁךְ] from the land of the living," [derived from שׁוֹרֶש, a root].²⁴Tehillim 52:7.

כי לא נסה. (תרגום:) ארי לא אליף:

For he was not accustomed. I.e., because he was not accustomed.

כי לא נסיתי. (תרגום:) ארי לית בהון ניסא, אין שבחו של נס בכך. לשון אחר: ויואל ללכת, רצה ללכת ולנסות, וכאשר ראה שהיו כבדים עליו, הסירם:

For I am not accustomed. [Targum renders] 'for their is no miracle [נֵס] in them,' [meaning] there will be no praise for the miracle in this manner.²⁵Dovid wanted it to be clear to all that his victory was achieved solely by the intervention of ה׳. Another explanation why Dovid refused to wear Shaul’s battle garments was because he feared that by doing so would arouse Shaul’s jealousy thereby aggravating Shaul.—Da’as Sofrim Another explanation of ,וַיאֶׁל לָלֶכֶת is, 'he wanted to go, and to try [wearing Shaul's battle garments],' but when he saw that they were too heavy for him, he took them off.

חלוקי אבנים. אבנים דקות וחלקות:

Smooth stones. Thin and smooth stones.

ובילקוט. ובתרמיליה (תרגום:):

And in his pouch. [Targum Yonoson renders] 'and in his pack.'

ולבהמת השדה. אין דרך לבהמות לאכול אדם, אמר דוד: כבר נטרפה דעתו של זה, שלי הוא, בא דוד ואמר לו: ונתתי פגר מחנה פלשתים וגו' ולחית הארץ:

And to the cattle of the field. It is not customary for cattle to eat human flesh. Dovid said [to himself], 'This one's mind is already deranged; He is mine.' Dovid [seeing this] said, 'and I will offer the carcasses of the Philistine camp …and to the beasts of the earth.'