שמואל א כ׳:כ״ד-כ״ו

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.