שמואל א כ׳

כפשע. כפסיעה אחת נפטרתי מפניו, והכה בחנית בקיר, באותה פסיעה נצלתי מן המות:

There is but a step. With one step I left from being before him,¹Rashi’s interpretation follows the literal meaning. Others interpret this phrase figuratively, i.e., there is but a short distance between me and death—Radak. and he drove the spear into the wall. With that step, I was saved from death.

הנה חדש מחר. חידוש הלבנה, וכל אוכלי שולחן המלך אין נמנע איש מלבא ביום טוב אל הלחם:

Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon. The renewal of the moon.²From the word חָדָשׁ [=new]. He could not state that tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh, because Rosh Chodesh could only be declared by בֵּית דִין and the actual day of Rosh Chodesh is unknown until it is sanctified by בֵּית דִין. And of all those who eat at the king's table, no one declines from coming to the repast on the festive day.³The New Moon [=Rosh Chodesh] was celebrated as a festive day. See II Melachim 4:23 and Hosheia 2:13.

ואנכי ישוב אשב עם המלך לאכול. לשון הווה הוא, ואנכי רגיל לישב עם המלך תמיד לאכול סמוך לו:

And I usually sit with the king to eat. This is the present tense [meaning] 'and I am accustomed to sit with the king regularly, to eat beside him.'

ושלחתני. מעתה, ונסתרתי עד הערב של יום שלישי, ולא אהיה עם האוכלים, ויפקד מושבי, ויתמה המלך עלי, או מחר או למחרתו:

Let me leave. From now, and I will hide until the evening of the third day, and I will not be with the people eating, and my seat will be empty; the king will wonder about me either tomorrow or the following day.

נשאול נשאל. רשות שאל ממני:

Asked. He asked me for permission.

זבח הימים. משנה לשנה בזמן הזה:

An annual feast-offering. From year to year at this time.⁴It was customary for family members to offer a yearly sacrifice. Elkonoh, too, used to go to Shiloh every year [See above 1:21].

אם כה יאמר טוב. שלא יחרה לו:

If he says thus, 'Good'. I.e., he is not angry.⁵It is a sign that he harbors no evil.

שלום לעבדך. אין בלבו להרגני:

It is well for your servant. He has no intention to kill me.

ואם חרה יחרה. זהו שאהא לו מצוי להרגני:

But if he gets very angry. This is because he wants me to be accessible so that he can kill me.

כלתה הרעה מעמו. סוף דבר מחשבה רעה לו עלי:

He has decided upon evil. The conclusion is, that he has an evil thought concerning me.

ועשית חסד. לשלחני:

Be kind. To let me go.⁶Or by notifying me of what is happening.—Metzudas Dovid.

חלילה לך. כזאת לחשדני שאדע בו שכלתה מעמו הרעה ולא אגיד לך:

Far be it from you. To suspect me thus, that I know he has decided upon evil, and not to tell you.

מי יגיד לי. במקום שאסתר שם:

Who will tell me. In the place where I will hide.

ה' אלהי ישראל. לשון שבועה:

Adonoy the God of Yisroel. This is an expression of oath.

השלשית. בימי מחר, זהו יום שלישי כשעה של עכשיו, כי מחר חדש, ושמא לא יתמה מחר אבי, אבל יתמה ביום השלישי:

On the third day. Of the following day. That means the third day at this time, for tomorrow is the new moon, and tomorrow my father might not wonder; but he will wonder on the third day.

כה יעשה לי. הקב"ה, כי אחקור את אבי ואמצא שהוא טוב אליך, אם לא אשלח על ידי שליח וגליתי אזנך, כי הטובה אני יכול לגלות, ואם ייטיב אל אבי להרע לך, אותה לא אגלה, פן יודע לאבי מקום שאתה שם, וגליתי אני בעצמי את אזנך:

So may Adonoy do to Yonoson. The Holy One, Blessed is He, when I question my father, and find that he is favorable toward you, if I do not [send word] through a messenger and reveal to you, for good I am able to reveal. But if it pleases my father to do evil to you, that I will not reveal [by messenger], lest my father find out your whereabouts,⁷I.e., the messenger might later reveal Dovid’s whereabouts to Shaul. but I will personally reveal it to you.

ולא אם עודני חי. לשון בקשה הוא, כמו (מלכים-ב ה יז): ולא יתן נא לעבדיך. ואינו זז ממשמעו, ולא תעשה לי טובה בעודני חי, שתעשה עמי חסד ה' בטרם אמות, ומהו החסד, שלא תכרית את חסדך מעם ביתי, בזאת תכרות לי ברית בחיי:

I will not [ask of you] if I still be alive. An expression of request, as in and if only [וָלאׁ] it will be given to your bondsman.'⁸II Melachim 5:17. It is not removed from its usual meaning, 'and will you not do with me good while I am still alive, and do with me the kindness of Adonoy before I die?' And what is the kindness? That you will not discontinue your kindness with my household. Regarding this, you will make a covenant with me in my lifetime.

ולא בהכרית ה'. וגם לא תסיר חסדך מה', כי אף בבא הפורענות על בית אבי, שידעתי שיכרית המקום את אויביך:

Not even when Adonoy cuts off. And also, you will not remove your kindness from them even when retribution befalls my father's house, for I know that God will cut off your enemies.⁹And being that my father’s family is included among your enemies, you will not kill them.

ובקש ה'. את הברית הזאת:

May Adonoy exact punishment. Of this covenant.

מיד אויבי דוד. כנה הכתוב, ופירושו: בקש הקב"ה את העון מיד דוד, כשעבר על הברית ואמר למפיבושת (שמואל-ב יט ל): אתה וציבא תחלקו את השדה, יצתה בת קול ואמרה: רחבעם וירבעם יחלקו את המלכות (שבת נו ב). וכן תרגם יונתן: ואתפרע ליה ה' מיד שנאי דוד:

From Dovid's enemies. Scripture euphemized. Its real meaning is that the The Holy One, Blessed is He, demanded the punishment of the transgression from Dovid.¹⁰Others maintain that ‘Dovid’s enemies’ refers to Shaul and Avneir.—Mahri Kra. When he transgressed the covenant, and said to Mefiboshes, "You and Tziva shall divide the field,"¹¹II Shmuel 19:30. a bas kol came forth, and said, 'Rechavam and Yorovom shall divide the kingdom.'¹²See Maseches Shabbos 56b and Maseches Yoma 22b. And so did Targum Yonoson render, 'and Adonoy took retribution from Dovid's enemies.'

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.

אל מושב הקיר. בראש המטה אצל הקיר:

On the seat against the wall. At the head of the couch, next to the wall.

ויקם יהונתן. עמד ממקומו, לפי שאין דרך הבן להיות מיסב אצל אביו, שדרכן היה לאכול מסובין על המטות, והיה דוד מיסב בין יהונתן ובין שאול, עכשיו שלא בא דוד, לא היסב יהונתן, עד שישב אבנר מצד שאול, ואחר כך ישב יהונתן מצד אבנר ואם תאמר לא ישב כלל, הרי הוא אומר (פסוק לד): ויקם יהונתן מעל השלחן, מכלל שישב:

Yonoson rose. He stood up from his place, because it is not proper for a son to recline beside his father;²⁴Others suggest that Yonoson wanted to keep his distance from Shaul and his show of respect was only a guise. their custom was to eat while reclining on couches, and Dovid would recline between Yonoson and Shaul. Now that Dovid did not come, Yonoson did not recline until Avneir sat down beside Shaul, and afterwards, Yonoson sat beside Avneir. And if you say that he did not sit as all, Scripture states, 'And Yonoson rose from the table,'²⁵Below verse 34. implying that he had been sitting.

מקרה הוא. קרי ראה:

Something happened. He has experienced [a discharge of] semen.

בלתי טהור הוא. ועדיין לא טבל לקריו, שאלו טבל לקריו, אין צריך הערב שמש לחולין:

He must be impure. And he has not yet immersed himself for his [discharge of] semen, for had he immersed himself for his [discharge of] semen, he would not have to wait for sunset [to eat] ordinary food.²⁶See Vayikra 22:4.

כי לא טהור. זו היא נתינת טעם לדבר, לפי שאינו טהור, לפיכך לא בא, שלא יטמא את הסעודה:

For he is not ritually pure. This [clause] gives reason for the matter, because he is not pure, he, therefore, did not come, so that he would not contaminate the feast.²⁷Either because they were accustomed to maintain the stringencies associated with ritual purity even for ordinary food; or perhaps the New Moon feast consisted of the consecrated food of the peace offerings.—Radak.

ממחרת החדש. ממחרת חידוש הלבנה:

The day after the New Moon. The day following the renewal²⁸חֹדֶשׁ here means ‘renewal’ i.e., Rosh Chodesh and not ‘month.’ of the moon.

השני. ביום שני לחדש:

The second [day]. The second day of the month.

והוא צוה לי אחי. גדול הבית צוה לי שאהיה שם, והוא אחי אליאב:

And he, my brother, summoned me. The eldest of the household, summoned me that I be here;²⁹The phrase נִשְׁאֹל נִשְׁאַל reflects the two reasons for his request to go to Beis Lechem. One was to participate in his family’s annual sacrifice and the other reason was because the eldest of the household had summoned him there. and he is my brother Eliav.

אמלטה. אשקמוצי"ד בלע"ז, אלך יום אחד ואבוא:

Let me hurry away. Esmucier in O.F. I shall go away for a day and come [back].

נעות המרדות. לשון נע, אשה נעה ונדה, יוצאנית, כאשר תאמר 'זעוה' מן 'זע', כן תאמר 'נעוה' מן 'נע', והתי"ו מן הדיבוק, שהוא דבוק למרדות:

A straying woman, deserving of punishment.נָע is an expression of straying and wandering, a gadding woman. Just as you have זַעֲוָה from זָע, similarly you have נַעֲוָה from נָע, and the 'ת' is for construct state, for it is connected to הַמַּרְדּוּת.

המרדות. שהיא ראויה לרדות ולייסר דבר אחר: כשחטפו בני בנימן מבנות שילה שיצאו לחול בכרמים, היה שאול ביישן ולא רצה לחטוף, עד שבאתה היא עצמה והעיזה פניה ורדפה אחריו:

Deserving of punishment. Who deserves to be chastised and disciplined. Another explanation is that when the men of Binyomin grabbed the girls of Shiloh, who came out to dance in the vineyards,³⁰See Shoftim 21:20-21. Shaul was bashful, and did not want to grab, until she herself came, behaving insolently, and pursued him.

נעות. על שם הכרמים, והיא גת, כמו (עבודה זרה עד ב): נעוה ארתחו. יטופון נעווהי בחמר (תרגום פרשת ויחי פסוק חכלילי עינים (בראשית מט יב)), ולא מן השם:

Straying. Because of the vineyards. And that is the winepress, as in 'purge the winepress'³¹Maseches Avodah Zorah 74b. [and] 'His winepresses will drip with wine,'³²Bereishis 49:12 Targum Unkelus. in the Targum's translation of 'His eyes are red [from wine].'

נעצב אל דוד. בשביל דוד:

He was saddened over Dovid. Concerning Dovid.

כי הכלימו אביו. בשביל דוד:

Because his father had humiliated him. Concerning Dovid.³³Yonoson did not eat any food on the second day of the New Moon for two reasons and both were ‘concerning Dovid.’ Firstly, he was “saddened” that his father was set upon killing Dovid and secondly because his father “humiliated” him both by verbal abuse and by action [throwing the spear].—Radak

למועד דוד. למועד אשר קבע לו דוד:

For the meeting with Dovid. At the time which Dovid had set for him.

להעבירו. החצי עבר את הנער:

Beyond him. The arrow went beyond the lad.

מאצל הנגב. (תרגום:) מסטר אבן אתא דלקבל דרומא:

From near the southern side. [Targum renders,] 'from the side of the landmark stone which was toward the south.'

עד דוד הגדיל. הרבה לבכות:

Until Dovid exceeded. I.e., he cried more.³⁴I.e., ‘more than Yonoson.’ However, according to Ralbag, ‘more than is fitting.’ Dovid cried more than Yonoson because unlike Yonoson who could return home now, Dovid would have to flee from Shaul who was seeking to kill him.

לך לשלום. והשבועה אשר נשבענו, ה' יהיה עד עליה עד עולם:

Go to peace. And the oath which we have sworn, may ה׳ be its witness forever.