Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man that bore his armour: ‘Come and let us go over to the Philistines’garrison, that is on yonder side. But he told not his father.
verse value 4401
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Saul" (בֶּן־שָׁאוּל֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: come, and·to·his·father. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·to·his·father" (וּלְאָבִ֖יו). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·the·young·man" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Rashi
On that side. All 'halaz' and 'le'zeh' in the Scripture is not the language of 'this one,' but the language of a thing opposite it — and he is showing it with his finger. And in the foreign tongue it is not tsish't, but tsyi'l.
On that side. The ravine between the two mountains.
Ralbag
And this entire narrative comes to teach that Hashem does not save by sword and spear. Do you not see that Jonathan alone, together with his armor-bearer, stood against this great army, and God granted great salvation into his hand?
Metzudat David
"Carrying his weapons." His weapons of war:
"And let us cross over." Let us approach the garrison that stands on the side facing us:
Metzudat Zion
That one. This one, similarly (II Kings 23:17 et al.): 'what is this memorial'.
Malbim
Questions (1–7): Why does the verse say in the first verse, “Come, let us cross over,” and in verse six does he say this again, adding, “Perhaps the Lord will do something for us,” to which the youth replied to him? Should he not have said all of this the first time? What is the meaning of what is stated in verse three, that Saul was sitting on the edge of the hill, and with him were about six hundred men, when this was already mentioned above (13:15), and here it appears as a repetition and out of place? Likewise, what is the meaning of what is stated, “And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub,” etc.? Is this not its proper place?
“And it came to pass on that day” — on the day that the Philistine garrison went out to the other side of Michmash, and he said, etc., “Come, let us pass over” — at that time, his intention was not yet to fight them, but merely to cross over to the side opposite the Philistine garrison. For Michmash was to the north of Gibeah (as will be explained at verse 5), and Saul and Jonathan were standing on the southern side of Gibeah. Jonathan desired to cross from the south of Gibeah to its northern side, where he would stand opposite the Philistine garrison. This is what is written: “to the Philistine garrison that was on the other side.” Therefore, he did not inform his father, because his intention was not yet toward the act of valor that he subsequently undertook.
And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate-tree which is in Migron; and the people that were with him were about six hundred men,
verse value 4970
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֥חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·Migron" (בְּמִגְר֑וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·Gibeah" (הַגִּבְעָ֔ה), "pomegranate" (הָרִמּ֖וֹן), "in·Migron" (בְּמִגְר֑וֹן). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Migron', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְשָׁא֗וּל [and·Saul] (343) + יוֹשֵׁב֙ [dwelling] (318) + בִּקְצֵ֣ה [in·end·of] (197) + הַגִּבְעָ֔ה [the·Gibeah] (85) + תַּ֥חַת [under] (808) + הָרִמּ֖וֹן [pomegranate] (301) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + בְּמִגְר֑וֹן [in·Migron] (301) + וְהָעָם֙ [and·the·people] (121) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עִמּ֔וֹ [with] (116) + כְּשֵׁ֥שׁ [about·six] (620) + מֵא֖וֹת [hundred] (447) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 4970.
Rashi
At the end of the height. At the end of the height.
Radak
“Six hundred men.” Did He not already say, “And Saul numbered the people who were found with him, six hundred men”? If so, why did He repeat it again? Rather, to inform us that no additional men were added to them. And even though they were required to fight against the Philistines, who were encamped there opposite them for battle, God saved them.
Metzudat David
“Which is in Migron.” This is the name of a place at the end of the hill.
"And the people." This means: the people who were about six hundred men, they too sat there with him.
Malbim
And Saul sat in Gibeah—let us inquire why he was required to go there. For Saul was sitting at the southern extremity of Gibeah, toward the direction of Migron, not toward the direction of Michmash. And this was due to the small number of people who were with him, who were even at that time only about six hundred men, as had been the case when he first came to Gibeah; and he feared appearing before the camp of the Philistines with his few men.
and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Hashem in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
verse value 2310
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "son·of·Ahitub" (בֶן־אֲחִט֡וּב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: and·Ahijah, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·Ahijah" (וַאֲחִיָּ֣ה), "son·of·Phinehas" (בֶּן־פִּֽינְחָ֨ס), "son·of·Eli" (בֶּן־עֵלִ֜י). The root בין appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "that" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אח ("brother") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ephod', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
Bearing an ephod. The Urim and Thummim.
Radak
"The brother of Ichabod." Since Ichabod is mentioned [in Scripture] and Ahitub is not mentioned, therefore it says "the brother of Ichabod." Or because his name was so called on account of the exile of the Ark — and his father was then with the Ark in the camp, and Israel stumbled through the iniquity of the priests and through their own iniquity. But in this battle, in which Ahijah bore the ephod and was good before the Lord, the matter was the reverse, and there was a great deliverance in Israel.
"A priest of the Lord in Shiloh." Regarding Eli, it is said that he was a priest of the Lord in Shiloh. And Ahijah, this one was present in the camp with the Ark of God, bearing the ephod, which encompasses the breastplate, the Urim, and the Thummim, for through them they inquired: "Bring hither the ark of God; let us draw near hither unto God." Therefore, this narrative is recorded to inform us that the curse upon Eli had not yet taken effect, for one of his sons' sons was still bearing the ephod. For that curse did not take effect until Zadok was established as High Priest, as I have explained.
"And the people did not know." Explanation: The people who were with Jonathan, for it appears that there were two heads for this battle: one was Saul with the people who stood with him, and Jonathan separated with his armor-bearer from the people who were with him, without their knowledge. Therefore, it says, "And the people did not know," for if they had known, they would have gone with him.
Ralbag
"The priest of the Lord in Shiloh" – this refers back to Eli, not to Ahijah, for the Sanctuary at Shiloh was already in ruins. Yet it was stated that "the bearer of the ephod of linen" refers back to Ahijah, and the intent of this is according to its proper context, for he was the High Priest.
"And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone." The verse states this to indicate that had they known, they would have gone with him.
Metzudat David
Brother of Ichabod. Ahitub was the brother of Ichabod.
“Priest of the Lord in Shiloh” refers to Eli, who was the High Priest when the Tabernacle was there.
"Carrying the ephod." This includes also the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim, and this refers back to Ahijah:
Malbim
And Ahiah returns to his narrative, [stating] that Jonathan did not then intend to fall into the camp of the Philistines: a) because he had not informed his father, and he would not perform such a great deed without him; b) because the Urim and Thummim were with them, and he would have inquired of the Lord, for Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, etc., the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, whereas Eli was the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, Ahiah was carrying the ephod, and why did he not inquire of the Lord? c) because even the people did not know that Jonathan had gone, and all this is proof that it was not in his mind at that time to perform wonders, for if so, he would have appointed the people to be ready to follow him.
And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
verse value 6409
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָד֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. Verse gematria: 6409 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·fords" (הַֽמַּעְבְּר֗וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 346: and·name·of, and·name·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·fords" (הַֽמַּעְבְּר֗וֹת), "to·garrison" (עַל־מַצַּ֣ב), "tooth·of·the·crag" (שֵׁן־הַסֶּ֤לַע). The root עבר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel); "of·this" (root זה, 79x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
Between the two passes that Yonatan sought to pass. So it was made: the tooth of the rock was from the side of this to between the passes from this side. And the tooth of the rock to between the passes from this side — the valley is called 'between the passes.' And it had a rock here and a rock there — this one on its side here, and that one on its side there. And the valley between the two sides — that valley Yonatan sought to pass.
The tooth of the rock. The name of one tooth was 'Botsets,' and the name of the other was 'Seneh.'
Radak
"And the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh." Such were their names; the meaning of the names is not known to us, except that the Targum renders Bozez as mishru'ita, a slippery place — from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, b-shar'ata d-nahara — and the Targum of "as slippery places in the darkness" is b-mishra b-kavla. And it rendered Seneh as midrochita, meaning a place of treading.
Metzudat David
"And between the passes." For the Philistines were encamped at Michmash on the mountain, and Israel was encamped opposite them at Gibeah, and the ravine between them is called "between the passes," meaning it lies between the pass and side of the Philistine camp and the pass of the Israelite camp. And when it says "and between the passes," it intends to say: the ravine through which Jonathan sought to pass in order to approach the Philistine camp had a rocky crag on the side of Gibeah and a rocky crag on the side of Michmash.
Metzudat Zion
The passes. From the word 'crossing' and 'side'.
On the post. That is, to the post.
Tooth of the rock. It was protruding like a tooth.
Malbim
And between. He relates that when he came to the north of Gibeah, facing the Philistine outpost, at that time the spirit of the Lord stirred within him to cross over and fight in the name of the Lord. And this was between the passes, for then Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistine outpost and strike them. There were there teeth of rock, high and separating between them, and they were very high, so much so that they were named with specific names, and so it was.
The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmas, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
verse value 1621
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָ֛ד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "tooth" (הַשֵּׁ֧ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "north" (מִצָּפ֖וֹן, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 76: opposite, opposite. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "north" (מִצָּפ֖וֹן), "and·the·one" (וְהָאֶחָ֥ד), "from·south" (מִנֶּ֖גֶב). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·one" (root אחד, 36x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root נגב ("from·south") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Michmas', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. 6 of the verse's 10 words begin with the letter מ. Full calculation: הַשֵּׁ֧ן [tooth] (355) + הָאֶחָ֛ד [the·one] (18) + מָצ֥וּק [molten support] (236) + מִצָּפ֖וֹן [north] (266) + מ֣וּל [opposite] (76) + מִכְמָ֑שׂ [Michmas] (400) + וְהָאֶחָ֥ד [and·the·one] (24) + מִנֶּ֖גֶב [from·south] (95) + מ֥וּל [opposite] (76) + גָּֽבַע [Geba] (75) = 1621.
Rashi
The precipice to the north. Sloping and rising from the north side toward Michmash.
Opposite Geivah. From whence Yehonatan went out.
Radak
"A crag on the north." A position on the north side, over against the Philistines who were at Michmas; and the other on the south side, over against Israel who were at Geba. And Jonathan passed between these two crags. And the Targum renders matzuk as mistachya, and the Targum of Mizpah is Sechuta.
Metzudat David
“Distress from the north.” The place of his stationing was from the north of the valley, opposite Michmash.
From the south. Its position was on the south:
Metzudat Zion
The outpost. The position, similarly (II Samuel 15:24): 'and they set down the ark'.
Opposite. Facing.
Malbim
The one tooth was precipitous from the north; this is the tooth that stood near Gebe, which was steep on its northern side, where it was smooth and level, so that one could not descend from it. And the tooth that stood near Michmash was precipitous on its southern side, facing Gebe, so that one could not ascend upon it. Thus, aside from the fact that there were only two men against a heavy camp, it was also difficult to reach the camp due to the terrain.
And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour: ‘Come and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that Hashem will work for us; for there is no restraint to Hashem to save by many or by few.’
verse value 4348
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 93 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jonathan" (יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "restraint" (מַעְצ֔וֹר), "to·save" (לְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ), "by·many" (בְּרַ֖ב). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·the·young·man" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root יהונתן ("Jonathan") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ערל ("the·uncircumcised") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Ralbag
"Come, let us cross over to the camp of these uncircumcised men." This alludes to the fact that due to their lowliness and their being separated [from the covenant], it is fitting that Jonathan and his armor-bearer should be aided by God, blessed be He, in order to defeat them, for it is not the nature of the Holy Name, may He be exalted, to save by means of many or few.
Metzudat David
"And He said, etc." This is the same utterance mentioned above; and since the subject matter was interrupted, it is stated again, as one would say, "Let us return to the first subject."
Perhaps He will do, etc. – The verse is concise and does not specify what the thing is that He will do, and it is understood from this that it intended to refer to something necessary, namely, salvation.
In the multitude. Whether in a multitude of people or in a small number, for all are equal in His eyes:
Metzudat Zion
Restraint. A matter of prevention, similarly (Genesis 16:2): 'the LORD has restrained me from giving birth'.
Malbim
And it said, “In all this, the Spirit of Might rested upon him from the Lord,” until he was stirred up to fall upon the camp; and it said, “Let us go over to the camp of the uncircumcised,” meaning to them directly. And even though it is impossible that we will defeat them according to the natural order, perhaps the Lord will do for us a miracle, for “there is no restrainer for the Lord.” This means that in natural forces, the overpowering power must be greater than the second, defeated power; if not, the acted-upon power would restrain the acting power and oppose it. Therefore, according to the magnitude of the acted-upon power, the acting, victorious power must be greater still. Not so is it with the Lord, for no natural power restrains Him or opposes Him, such that He would require a great power against the restraining power. This is what is written, “there is no restrainer for the Lord.” And if so, there is no difference whether He saves by many or by few.
And his armour-bearer said to him: ‘Do all that is in your heart; turn you, behold I am with you according to your heart.’
verse value 2125
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֤אמֶר, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "stretch·out" (נְטֵ֣ה), "as·your·heart" (כִּלְבָבֶֽךָ). The root לבב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "all·that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לוֹ֙ [to·him] (36) + נֹשֵׂ֣א [lifting] (351) + כֵלָ֔יו [his·armor] (66) + עֲשֵׂ֖ה [do] (375) + כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר [all·that] (551) + בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ [in·your·heart] (56) + נְטֵ֣ה [stretch·out] (64) + לָ֔ךְ [to·you] (50) + הִנְנִ֥י [they] (115) + עִמְּךָ֖ [with] (130) + כִּלְבָבֶֽךָ [as·your·heart] (74) = 2125.
Metzudat David
"Turn aside for yourself": to go over to them.
Behold, I am with you. I am ready to go with you, as you desire.
Malbim
"And his armour-bearer said unto him." He understood that it is impossible that a man should be stirred to such an act, so far removed from nature, as to risk his life in a place where the danger is open and known, unless a divine power were moving him and rousing his heart that he should not fear. Therefore he said, "Do all that is in thine heart," for the heart is the divine seer in great matters such as these, and a man of spirit may rely upon the vision of his heart in this — and although he himself sees not, his guardian star sees. And accordingly "turn thee": that is to say, that he should turn aside to go down from the rock to between the passes. "And behold, I am with thee": though my own heart sees nothing at all, "behold I am with thee according to thy heart."
Then said Jonathan: ‘Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will disclose ourselves to them.
verse value 1953
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 44 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶֽם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֛ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·men" (אֶל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֑ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·we·will·be·uncovered" (וְנִגְלִ֖ינוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·the·men" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "to·them" (root אל, 86x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אנחנו ("we") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·men', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + יְה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן [Jonathan] (521) + הִנֵּ֛ה [they] (60) + אֲנַ֥חְנוּ [we] (115) + עֹבְרִ֖ים [passing·over] (322) + אֶל־הָאֲנָשִׁ֑ים [to·the·men] (437) + וְנִגְלִ֖ינוּ [and·we·will·be·uncovered] (155) + אֲלֵיהֶֽם [to·them] (86) = 1953.
Metzudat David
And we shall reveal ourselves. We shall reveal ourselves to them, and then we shall conduct a test:
Metzudat Zion
And we will be revealed. From the word 'revealed'.
Malbim
Questions (8-10): How did Jonathan rely on such things, to risk his life?
And he said: The Abarbanel already explained that indeed this test was not necessary or obligatory in and of itself, but only due to Divine providence, if it clings to them. The examination was of this nature: perhaps the Philistines would not say that very utterance, "Come up to us," nor would they say, "Tarry until we come to you". It was possible that they would say, "Come here," or "Draw near to us," or "Come, and we will fight," or something similar to these utterances, as the imagination can conceive, or perhaps they would not speak at all, but simply come out to meet them. Therefore, the examination was this: if they speak those very words and expressions which Jonathan said, this is nothing other than due to Divine providence, which places the words in their mouths, and the Spirit of God sparkles within them to inform them of what they will do. This was of the level of the Holy Spirit, and therefore He chose this method, as it is stated regarding Gideon (Judges 7:11): "And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands will be strengthened."
If they say thus to us: Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.
verse value 2117
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "to·them" (אֲלֵיהֶֽם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "blood" (דֹּ֕מּוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "until·we·come" (עַד־הַגִּיעֵ֖נוּ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "blood" (דֹּ֕מּוּ), "until·we·come" (עַד־הַגִּיעֵ֖נוּ), "and·we·will·stand" (וְעָמַ֣דְנוּ). The root אל appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "to·us" (root אל, 86x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: אִם־כֹּ֤ה [if·thus] (66) + יֹֽאמְרוּ֙ [they·will·say] (257) + אֵלֵ֔ינוּ [to·us] (97) + דֹּ֕מּוּ [blood] (50) + עַד־הַגִּיעֵ֖נוּ [until·we·come] (218) + אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם [to·you] (101) + וְעָמַ֣דְנוּ [and·we·will·stand] (176) + תַחְתֵּ֔ינוּ [in·our·place] (874) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + נַעֲלֶ֖ה [we·will·go·up] (155) + אֲלֵיהֶֽם [to·them] (86) = 2117.
Rashi
Be still. Wait — like (Joshua 10:12): 'Sun, stand still at Gibeon.' And so (Psalms 37:7): 'Wait for the Lord.' If so, they would say: Wait, and let us go up to you — their time is successful and their heart is lifted up over them.
Radak
"His blood is upon us, until we have arrived." They waited, and this is what Jonathan said regarding an omen and a sign, as it is written: "This shall be our sign: if they say to us, 'Come up to us,' their mouth has ensnared them, for we will go up, but they will not." And this is not the forbidden divination. And if it were forbidden, the Holy One, Blessed be He, would not have assisted him in that journey. Rather, it and its like are [cases where] a person hears the voice of words and his heart is strengthened, for they are a sign and an omen concerning the deed. And let not what is found in the words of our Sages of blessed memory deceive you, where Rav said: "Any divination that is not like the divination of Eliezer, servant of Abraham, and like that of Jonathan, son of Saul, is not [valid] divination." This does not mean that such divination is forbidden, as many have interpreted it. For behold, those who divine by a weasel and by birds are not like the divination of Eliezer and Jonathan, and [the latter practice] was forbidden, as our Masters of blessed memory said: "You shall not practice divination"—this refers to those who divine by a weasel and by birds and by stars. And one who says, "His food fell from his mouth," "His staff fell from his hand," "A deer interrupted him," "A raven calls to him," "A fox is on his right," or "A snake is on his left," or "Do not begin, for it is dawn," "It is the new moon," "It is the day after Shabbat"—behold, these matters and their like, which people of evil thoughts have adopted as a fixed law and custom upon themselves, and they think that they are doing good and excellent things—this is what the Torah forbade. But if a person wishes to perform a deed and make one thing a sign and omen for that deed, in order to strengthen his heart and arouse his heart for that matter, this thing is permitted. For if they were doing evil in this matter, the Holy One, Blessed be He, would not have answered Eliezer and Jonathan properly, nor assisted their deeds and helped them. And behold, Rav, the author of this statement who said, "Any divination that is not like the divination of Eliezer and Jonathan is not divination," he himself used to act like their divination, as it is said: "Rav would check by the ferry," and Rav said: "I was going to the house of Rav Nachman, my son-in-law, and I said: If the ferry comes toward me, it is a good day within." And similarly, Shmuel said: "I would check by the ferry." Rabbi Yochanan would check in a child. The explanation is that he would say to the child, "Tell me the verse you are reading," when he wished to begin some deed or journey. But that statement of Rav means: Any divination and sign that one does not make that sign for himself from the beginning, as Eliezer and Jonathan did, is not divination and sign, and one should not rely on it nor be concerned by it if it comes of itself. Therefore, it was asked of him: Why did he not eat from that meal? Since everyone left the meat and went out to meet him, he considered this a sign that that meal would not be for a blessing, because they abandoned it. And what sign and divination did he have in this, since from the beginning he did not set his heart on this? And did not Rav say: "Any divination that is not like the divination of Eliezer and Jonathan is not divination, and one should not rely on it nor be concerned by it"? If so, why was Rav concerned in this matter? Therefore, our Masters of blessed memory said: "A house, a child, and a woman—even though there is no divination, there is a sign." Meaning: Even though it is not divination like divination upon which one relies, there is some sign in the matter to gladden his heart and strengthen it if it is for good, and if it is for evil, one should be concerned by it and seek mercy from Him before the Holy One, Blessed be He. And the explanation of "house" is: If he built a new house and a good or bad event happened to him close to the dedication of the house, and similarly if a child was born to him or he took a wife in this manner. And they said: "And it must have occurred three times." Then it is proper to rely on it, even though it came of itself and he did not make it a sign at the beginning. But regarding the divination that he made a sign from the beginning, they did not ask about it three times; rather, only in the first instance is there a sign, and they relied on the three times based on what our father Jacob said: "Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you will take Benjamin." And these occurrences came to him after Benjamin was born. Therefore, he was concerned in the matter. And similarly, the righteous Joseph said: "Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?" Meaning: A man like me would consider it a bad omen if the cup from which he drinks were lost from him. Therefore, he said: "Is it not this in which my lord drinks, and by which he practices divination? And so I have divined, and the Lord has blessed you because of it." And similarly, "The men practiced divination." All this is language of sign and omen concerning the matter, not divination nor sorcery. And our Masters of blessed memory said: "From here we learn that one may utilize a bat kol (heavenly voice), as it is said: 'And your ear shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or to the left.'" And they said: "The voice of a man in the city, and the voice of a woman in the field." And why should we return to the narratives of the Gemara and the support of the verses? And behold, it is explicitly stated: "We will do as Jonathan did, according to the prophecy." It is said to Gideon: "And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened."
Ralbag
If they were to say to us, “Wait until we have come to you and stood still in our place,” you ought to know that future events are revealed in various ways, and at times there is a disconnected notification influenced by God, blessed be He, in this weak manner, and evidence is drawn from it, as it was said to Gideon: “Go down thou with Purah thy servant to the camp” (Judges 7:10), and they heard what they would speak, for in this there is a slight indication of the new matters, and this is clear upon examination from what we mentioned in the second book of “The Wars of the Lord,” and this is not the place for this investigation. Now, they said, “Wait until we have come to you,” as a sign that the beginning will be for the Philistines to pursue after Israel, and for this reason they have cause to fear that they will be defeated, for the pursuer is usually the victor over the pursued.
Metzudat David
Be silent. Wait in your place until I come to you:
"And we shall stand." Then we will stand in our place, and we will not go up to fight.
Metzudat Zion
Thus. So.
Be still. Wait, similarly (Joshua 10:12): 'sun, be still at Gibeon'.
Our reaching. From the word 'arrival'.
Under us. In our place.
But if they say thus: Come up to us; then we will go up; for Hashem has delivered them into our hand; and this shall be the sign to us.’
verse value 1957
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "come·up" (עֲל֤וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·we·will·go·up" (וְעָלִ֔ינוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 72: and·if·thus, in·our·hand. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·we·will·go·up" (וְעָלִ֔ינוּ), "and·this·to·us" (וְזֶה־לָּ֖נוּ). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·say" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·us" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·our·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְאִם־כֹּ֨ה [and·if·thus] (72) + יֹאמְר֜וּ [they·will·say] (257) + עֲל֤וּ [come·up] (106) + עָלֵ֙ינוּ֙ [to·us] (166) + וְעָלִ֔ינוּ [and·we·will·go·up] (172) + כִּֽי־נְתָנָ֥ם [for·he·gave·them] (570) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּיָדֵ֑נוּ [in·our·hand] (72) + וְזֶה־לָּ֖נוּ [and·this·to·us] (104) + הָאֽוֹת [sign] (412) = 1957.
Rashi
And if so they say, come up to us. The fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in their hearts, and they are afraid to move from their place.
Ralbag
And if they should say, “Come upon us,” behold, this is a sign that Israel will defeat them and pursue them, after they had been hiding for fear of them. For without a doubt, Israel would not go after them unless it became clear to them that they would defeat them, after they had been afraid of them, in this wondrous manner.
Metzudat David
"Ascend upon us." This expression indicates that there will be an ascent and dominance for us.
"And we shall go up." Then we will ascend to battle, for surely the Lord has delivered them into our hands; and their own mouths have caused them to stumble in speaking thus.
And both of them disclosed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said: ‘Behold Hebrews coming forth out of the holes where they hid themselves.’
verse value 4755
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "hid·themselves·there" (הִתְחַבְּאוּ־שָֽׁם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 860: Philistines, Philistines. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·they·disclosed·themselves" (וַיִּגָּל֣וּ), "issuing" (יֹֽצְאִ֔ים), "from·the·holes" (מִן־הַחֹרִ֖ים). The root פלשתי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·garrison" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "where" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגָּל֣וּ [and·they·disclosed·themselves] (55) + שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם [two] (405) + אֶל־מַצַּ֖ב [to·garrison] (163) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [Philistines] (860) + וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ [and·they·said] (263) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistines] (860) + הִנֵּ֤ה [they] (60) + עִבְרִים֙ [Hebrews] (322) + יֹֽצְאִ֔ים [issuing] (151) + מִן־הַחֹרִ֖ים [from·the·holes] (353) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [where] (501) + הִתְחַבְּאוּ־שָֽׁם [hid·themselves·there] (762) = 4755.
Ralbag
"And they both went out to the place of the Philistines." These were the leaders and mighty men who were at the front of the camp on the side of Israel.
Metzudat David
“From the holes.” For they assumed that they were among those hiding in the caves.
Metzudat Zion
The holes. From the word 'hole' and 'puncture'.
Malbim
"And the Philistines said." [The verse] relates this to magnify the sign, for they were not mistaken that they were men of war, to the point that they grew afraid to pursue after them. For they said that they were faint-hearted Hebrews who had hidden in the holes; and nevertheless, their hearts did not dare to go down and pursue after them. Only,
And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan and his armour-bearer, and said: ‘Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.’ And Jonathan said to his armour-bearer: ‘Come up after me; for Hashem has delivered them into the hand of Israel.’
verse value 6368
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "come·up" (עֲל֣וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jonathan" (אֶת־יוֹנָתָ֣ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 142: and·answered, the·garrison. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·answered" (וַיַּעֲנוּ֩), "the·garrison" (הַמַּצָּבָ֜ה), "and·bearer" (וְאֶת־נֹשֵׂ֣א). The root כלי appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·bearer" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'thing', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 10 words.
Rashi
And they answered. The language of raising the voice.
Radak
"Men of the watchpost." Like the "station" of the Philistines, which we have explained. And the Targum [renders it] "men of the target," meaning those who stand around the camp, guarding the camp.
Metzudat David
"Men of the garrison." The men of the officer stationed there:
And let us inform you of a matter. They said it in a manner of mockery and jest, as people commonly say:
Metzudat Zion
And they answered. A matter of speaking.
Malbim
And they said, “Come up upon us,” for this is a sign that their might has failed before Jonathan, and it was put in their mouth, and we will inform you of the matter, for this very thing is a divine revelation that the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel; and therefore it says, “Ascend after,” etc.
And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armour-bearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan; and his armour-bearer slew them after him.
verse value 4117
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "and·went·up" (וַיַּ֣עַל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·his·feet" (וְעַל־רַגְלָ֔יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 516: Jonathan, Jonathan. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "upon·his·hands" (עַל־יָדָיו֙), "and·upon·his·feet" (וְעַל־רַגְלָ֔יו), "slaying" (מְמוֹתֵ֥ת). The root יונתן appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·his·hands" (root על, 112x in I Samuel); "to·face·of" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'after·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣עַל [and·went·up] (116) + יוֹנָתָ֗ן [Jonathan] (516) + עַל־יָדָיו֙ [upon·his·hands] (130) + וְעַל־רַגְלָ֔יו [and·upon·his·feet] (355) + וְנֹשֵׂ֥א [and·lifting] (357) + כֵלָ֖יו [his·armor] (66) + אַחֲרָ֑יו [after·him] (225) + וַֽיִּפְּלוּ֙ [and·they·fell] (132) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + יוֹנָתָ֔ן [Jonathan] (516) + וְנֹשֵׂ֥א [and·lifting] (357) + כֵלָ֖יו [his·armor] (66) + מְמוֹתֵ֥ת [slaying] (886) + אַחֲרָֽיו [after·him] (225) = 4117.
Rashi
Upon his hands and upon his feet. Meaning: with all his strength and speed.
Radak
“Upon his hands and upon his feet.” Perhaps the ascent was difficult to climb with his feet alone, so he also leaned on his hands. And it appears that his path to them was the way of the rock called “Botsats” (as the Targum Yonatan renders: “from Sheru’it”), which was slippery; therefore, he needed to lean on his hands and feet so that his feet would not stumble on the slippery path. And some say that “upon his hands and feet” is a metaphor, meaning that he climbed onto them with all his strength.
“And they fell before Jonathan.” They would fall before him, and his armour-bearer slew them after him. And so did Jonathan render it in the Targum: “And they fell, like those who carry a sword, before Jonathan.”
Metzudat David
“By his hands.” Because the place was sloped, he supported himself with his hands.
“And they fell.” The men of the garrison fell as casualties, but they did not die, until the one who bore his weapons completed their death.
Malbim
Questions (13-15): Did not the guards see that they were two, and say, "Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes"? And how did the guard and the destroyer suddenly tremble?
“And Jonathan went up” — this was an aid from Divine Providence, so that he did not go around the rock’s edge along the road, for there the men of the outpost were stationed, ready and densely packed facing the road. He would not have gone round, for fear and dread. But Jonathan climbed up the rock’s edge and arrived in the middle, between the men of the outpost and the camp, and there he began to strike. Until in the place where the outpost was stationed by the side of the road, they did not see an enemy or foe; but in the place where Jonathan had climbed up, they were scattered, like twenty men in half a field. This is not so at the opening of Enaim, at the parting of the way, where the garrison and the raiders were stationed facing the road.
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.
verse value 4211
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·first" (הָרִאשֹׁנָ֗ה, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·first" (הָרִאשֹׁנָ֗ה), "about·twenty" (כְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים), "as·half·of" (כְּבַחֲצִ֥י). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חצי ("as·half·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתְּהִ֞י [and·it·was] (421) + הַמַּכָּ֣ה [the·slaughter] (70) + הָרִאשֹׁנָ֗ה [the·first] (561) + אֲשֶׁ֨ר [which] (501) + הִכָּ֧ה [struck] (30) + יוֹנָתָ֛ן [Jonathan] (516) + וְנֹשֵׂ֥א [and·lifting] (357) + כֵלָ֖יו [his·armor] (66) + כְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים [about·twenty] (640) + אִ֑ישׁ [man] (311) + כְּבַחֲצִ֥י [as·half·of] (130) + מַעֲנָ֖ה [furrow] (165) + צֶ֥מֶד [couple] (134) + שָׂדֶֽה [field] (309) = 4211.
Rashi
As the half-swing of a yoke of oxen in a field. Within the measure of land — a full half-swing of a plow yoked with oxen plowing in a field.
A furrow. It is the furrow of the plow, which they call rei'a in the foreign tongue. And it is a great might — for they were close to each other, and ready to help each other.
Radak
"About half a furrow's length of a yoke of field." This is the measure of the distance a yoke of oxen goes in its ploughing; and in a space that was half this measure he smote about twenty men. And so Jonathan rendered: about half the distance of a yoke of oxen in a field. And the kaf of k'vachatzi is the kaf of approximation, and likewise the kaf of k'esrim ish.
"A yoke of field." That is to say, a yoke of oxen in a field.
Ralbag
"About twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length of a yoke of field." That is to say, that Jonathan and his armour-bearer smote about twenty men within a small measure of ground — only half the measure of ground that a yoke of oxen would plough of the field in one day.
Metzudat David
The first smiting. For after this, when the Israelites pursued them, they added yet more smiting upon them.
"As with half a furrow, etc." This means to say: Although these twenty were close to one another, for they stood at the distance of half a furrow that a man plows with a pair of oxen in the field, nevertheless, these did not help those.
Metzudat Zion
The furrow. It is the straight line, which the plowman will plow to the proper measure, and returns and plows beside it according to its measure, until he finishes the whole field, similarly (Psalms 129:3): 'they made long their furrows'.
Yoke. Pair.
And there was a trembling in the camp in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked; so it grew into a terror from God.
verse value 4505
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַתְּהִי֩, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·in·all·the·people" (וּבְכׇל־הָעָ֔ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 421: and·it·was, and·it·was. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "fear" (חֲרָדָ֨ה), "and·in·all·the·people" (וּבְכׇל־הָעָ֔ם), "station" (הַמַּצָּב֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "God" (root אלהים, 89x in I Samuel); "and·in·all·the·people" (root כל, 71x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'also·they', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתְּהִי֩ [and·it·was] (421) + חֲרָדָ֨ה [fear] (217) + בַמַּחֲנֶ֤ה [in·the·camp] (105) + בַשָּׂדֶה֙ [in·the·field] (311) + וּבְכׇל־הָעָ֔ם [and·in·all·the·people] (173) + הַמַּצָּב֙ [station] (137) + וְהַמַּשְׁחִ֔ית [and·the·spoilers] (769) + חָרְד֖וּ [they·trembled] (218) + גַּם־הֵ֑מָּה [also·they] (93) + וַתִּרְגַּ֣ז [and·trembled] (616) + הָאָ֔רֶץ [the·land] (296) + וַתְּהִ֖י [and·it·was] (421) + לְחֶרְדַּ֥ת [to·trembling·of] (642) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 4505.
Radak
"The garrison and the raiders." We have explained them. Therefore it says "they also," for they are the ones that hold the sword and the spear.
"And the earth quaked." This is to be understood as a metaphor, meaning that the camp of the Philistines quaked.
"And it came to be a dread of God." As its Targum renders: "And it came to be a trembling before the Lord." That is to say, that the dread came upon them from God, for they did not see what they were afraid of, since none was fighting against them except Jonathan and his armor-bearer.
Ralbag
"And there was a trembling in the camp, etc." This was from God, blessed be He, in terms of providence, to bring upon them this wondrous trembling, in such a way that the sword of each man would be against his brother, despite the fact that they had initially seen that no one from Israel came there except Jonathan and his armor-bearer.
"And it was for the fear of God." This means a great fear, in the sense of "the fire of God," "the mountains of God," or perhaps the intention is that the fear stemmed from God, blessed be He.
Metzudat David
“The ruler and the destroyer.” The governor and the men of the destroyer, they too were terrified, even though it is their nature to be bold-hearted.
"And the earth quaked." He spoke in a language of exaggeration and hyperbole:
"And it was for the fear of God." The camp was filled with great awe, for whenever Scripture wishes to magnify something, it attaches it to the word "El," as it is written: "And its branches were the cedars of El" (Psalms 80:11).
Metzudat Zion
And it trembled. A matter of trembling.
Malbim
"And it came to pass" — and by means of this, terror arose in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. And afterward, the encampment and the destroyer were also terrified. For had he come opposite the place of the encampment, they would not have been terrified, since they would have seen that there were two [distinct entities]. But when he came in the middle, between the encampment and the camp, and struck there, the camp thought that the encampment and the destroyer had already fallen, after they had allowed them to pass beyond their boundary. And by means of this, the camp was terrified. And from the terror of the camp, the encampment also became terrified, until the earth quaked in general. And he explains that truly, "and it came to pass" — for the terror of God, it was not a natural terror, but rather the Lord cast upon them fear and terror.
And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeath-benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither.
verse value 1862
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "and·behold" (וְהִנֵּ֧ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·saw" (וַיִּרְא֤וּ, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·behold, and·went. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·watchmen" (הַצֹּפִים֙), "was·melted" (נָמ֖וֹג), "and·hither" (וַהֲלֹֽם). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel); "and·they·saw" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּרְא֤וּ [and·they·saw] (223) + הַצֹּפִים֙ [the·watchmen] (225) + לְשָׁא֔וּל [of·Saul] (367) + בְּגִבְעַ֖ת [in·Gibeath] (477) + בִּנְיָמִ֑ן [Benjamin] (152) + וְהִנֵּ֧ה [and·behold] (66) + הֶהָמ֛וֹן [the·multitude] (106) + נָמ֖וֹג [was·melted] (99) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַהֲלֹֽם [and·hither] (81) = 1862.
Rashi
The lookouts for Sha'ul. The lookouts that were for Sha'ul on the hill of Benjamin — lookouts — ishkagat'sh in the foreign tongue.
And behold, the multitude. Of the Philistines — it melted from its place and went, and approached here toward the side of Israel.
Melted. Like (Genesis 4:12): 'Restless and fleeing.'
Radak
The watchers of Saul. "Of Saul":
The multitude. The multitude of the camp of the Philistines:
"And they went, smashing." From "and she smote Sisera"; its meaning is going and shattering.
Ralbag
"And the scouts of Saul looked" – and it is possible that from the people who were with him there, some were stationed in a high place to serve as scouts and observers, to see what the Philistines would do, for this would guide them as to whether they should save their lives or defeat the Philistines, upon seeing that they had the ability to do so.
And behold, the multitude melted away, went, and was struck. The meaning is that the sound heard in the camp of the Philistines was the sound of those who were melting away and being struck, not the sound of victors.
Metzudat David
"The watchers for Saul. The watchers who were for Saul on the hill of Benjamin:"
The multitude. Of the Philistines, they are melting away and going, being struck more and more each time:
Metzudat Zion
The sentries. Those standing in a high place, and from there they look far to see what is happening in the battle.
The multitude. The numerous people.
Melts. A matter of melting, and he means, struck and affected.
And striking. A matter of striking, similarly (Judges 5:26): 'and she smote Sisera'.
Malbim
“And they saw, etc., and behold, the multitude melted away.” For as long as the camp stands in its formation and order, it is bound together as a single unit, each person clinging to his brother, and it is called by the name of “camp” or “army” or “people” and the like. But when confusion arises among them, their bonds loosen and melt away, and then they are called by the name of “multitude,” on account of their confusion and tumult, for the term “multitude” indicates an unorganized gathering, not according to the regulations of military order. And they saw that the multitude melted away from their cohesion. And this is because “some went away to the rear, and some came forward to the front,” meaning that some went to distance themselves further back, and some came forward to the front toward the hill. For in this confusion, some panicked and rushed to one side, while others fled to the opposite side. And from this arose a doubt whether this was flight or preparation and the beginning of battle.
Then said Saul to the people that were with him: ‘Number now, and see who is gone from us.’ And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not there.
verse value 3679
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 64 letters. Verse gematria: 3679 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "number·now" (פִּקְדוּ־נָ֣א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 206: with, and·they·numbered. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "number·now" (פִּקְדוּ־נָ֣א), "with" (מֵעִמָּ֑נוּ), "and·they·numbered" (וַֽיִּפְקְד֔וּ). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
Count. The language of counting — like (Job 7:18): 'And You number him in the mornings.'
Radak
"Remember now." Just as it says, "I have remembered you," and it refers to the matter of remembrance and vigilance over the thing.
Metzudat David
Number. See with careful attention:
Metzudat Zion
Attend. A matter of providence, similarly (Jeremiah 15:15): 'remember me and attend to me'.
Malbim
And Saul said: "He desired to know the cause of this matter, from the fact that he knew who had gone from among them and caused the uproar there; and he saw that no man was missing except Jonathan and his armor-bearer, which is unlikely that they would cause such a great tumult."
And Saul said to Ahijah: ‘Bring hither the ark of God.’ For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel.
verse value 2401
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Verse gematria: 2401 = 49². The shortest word is "Saul" (שָׁאוּל֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, chest, chest. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·Ahijah" (לַֽאֲחִיָּ֔ה). The root ארון appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "for·he·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + לַֽאֲחִיָּ֔ה [to·Ahijah] (54) + הַגִּ֖ישָׁה [bring] (323) + אֲר֣וֹן [chest] (257) + הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [the·God] (91) + כִּֽי־הָיָ֞ה [for·he·was] (50) + אֲר֧וֹן [chest] (257) + הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים [the·God] (91) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2401.
Rashi
Bring hither the Ark of God. The Urim and Thummim.
For the Ark of God was that day. The verse is missing one word: For the Ark of God was there that day.
Radak
"He brought near the ark of God." This means the ephod, the Urim and Thummim, which were with the ark of God, to inquire through them about Jonathan.
"And the children of Israel." [This is explained as] "with the children of Israel," and similarly, "And Joseph was in Egypt" [is understood as] "with Joseph who was in Egypt." And when Saul saw that the multitude which was in the camp of the Philistines was going and becoming disheartened, he said to the priest, "Gather your hand," meaning that there is no leisure now except to go to war, for we see that God is with us, for all the multitude of the Philistines are becoming disheartened. And what he said, "And he went, going and increasing," its interpretation is that it increased in becoming disheartened and broken, and it is lacking [a word], and its omission is known from the context. And so did Jonathan translate: "And the multitude that was in the camp of the Philistines went, its going was great, and its breaking was great." And it is possible to interpret it without an omission, and its interpretation would be that "the multitude" is from the matter of tumult and commotion, and from its root, and it would be in the measure of "shoshon" [joy/exultation]. And the proof is that he said, "which was in the camp of the Philistines." And if its interpretation were like the other "multitude," it would suffice for him to mention "the multitude," for the multitude is the large camp. And similarly, he said above, "And behold, the multitude was melted away, and he went," and he did not mention the camp. And the interpretation of "Gather your hand" is like "And he gathered his feet," meaning that he should gather his hands to himself and refrain from opening the Urim and Thummim and from inquiring through them. And the Targum [says]: "Gather your hand" means "Bring near the ephod." And if according to its interpretation, its meaning is, "But did he not already say, 'Bring near the Ark of God'? And what is the reason for 'And it was until Saul spoke to the priest,' etc.? And furthermore, what is the reason for 'Gather your hand'? He should have said 'Open your hand.' And furthermore, the verse did not relate that he inquired through them, but immediately, 'And Saul cried out, and all the people.' Perhaps the intention of the translator was to bring it near to the Ark and to conceal it."
Ralbag
And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ark of God.” This means the Urim and Thummim, which were in the ark, in order to inquire of God regarding the matter of Jonathan and this terror that is in the camp of the Philistines—whether it is fitting to pursue them or to remain in their place.
"For the ark of God was on that day with the children of Israel." He means, according to what I think, that on the day they came to Gilgal concerning this matter, the ark of God and the children of Israel had come there. And for this reason it happened that when the people scattered from Saul, the High Priest remained there with the ark of God. And when Samuel and Saul and the people who were with Saul departed from there to go to Gibeah in Benjamin, the High Priest and the ark of God were taken along with them, and they went to Gibeah. However, the place of the ark of God was then there in the majority.
Metzudat David
He brought the Ark of God near, to inquire before Him through the Urim and Thummim, whether we should go up against them.
And the children of Israel. This means: The Ark was with the children of Israel and among them.
Metzudat Zion
Bring hither. Bring near.
And the children of Israel. The vav is in place of 'with,' similarly (Exodus 1:5): 'and Joseph was in Egypt,' and he means with Joseph.
Malbim
And Saul said, “And therefore he desired to inquire through the Urim and Thummim: What is the cause of the matter, and what is this thing?” For the Ark of God was, etc. He means to say that from the time of the destruction of the Tabernacle at Shiloh, there was no fixed place for the Ark, and they would carry it on that day—that is, at that time—with the children of Israel to wherever they assembled. Therefore, at the time they went to Gilgal to renew the kingship, they brought the Ark with them, and when Saul left there for Gibeah, they carried it with him.
And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased; and Saul said to the priest: ‘Withdraw your hand.’
verse value 3552
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·priest" (אֶל־הַכֹּהֵ֔ן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·the·multitude" (וְהֶהָמ֗וֹן), "and·increased" (וָרָ֑ב), "assemble" (אֱסֹ֥ף). The root שאול appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·increased·and·he·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·the·priest" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·increased', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Ralbag
"And the multitude that was in the camp of the Philistines." This means that the noise of the multitude mentioned in the camp of the Philistines, which was the sound of those who were broken and crushed, grew stronger and stronger.
“Gather your hand.” This means that he should gather his hands to himself and no longer occupy himself with the matter of the Urim and Tumim regarding this question, for they have no leisure.
Metzudat David
Until the matter. While He was speaking to the priest to inquire through the Urim and Thummim, the multitude was increasing in the matter of murmuring and striking.
“Gather your hand.” Withdraw your hand within yourself, to refrain from consulting the Urim and Tumim, for there is no longer a time to inquire through them.
Metzudat Zion
Gather. A matter of bringing in, similarly (Genesis 49:33): 'and he gathered his feet'.
Malbim
And "the multitude" means that in the meantime, the tumult and noise increased there (this "multitude" is the name of the phenomenon, referring to the clamor and the sound of distress), until they heard the sound of their defeat.
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle; and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
verse value 3315
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 3315 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·battle" (עַד־הַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·the·battle" (עַד־הַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה), "his·fellow" (בְּרֵעֵ֔הוּ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Radak
And he cried out. And he gathered: for the gathering of the people is accomplished through a cry.
"Every man's sword was against his fellow." Because of the great tumult of the Lord that was in the camp, they were terrified and in confusion, and the Philistines were striking every man his fellow, and they thought they were striking at the Israelites.
Metzudat Zion
And he cried out. A matter of gathering.
Malbim
And behold, it means to say that three things accompanied Saul’s victory: a) that through the tumult, every man’s sword was against his neighbor:
Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as beforetime, and that went up with them into the camp round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.
verse value 6024
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "were" (הָי֤וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·Hebrews" (וְהָעִבְרִ֗ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·the·Hebrews" (וְהָעִבְרִ֗ים), "to·the·Philistines" (לַפְּלִשְׁתִּים֙), "and·also·they" (וְגַם־הֵ֗מָּה). The root עם appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "were" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'around', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And the Hebrews were with the Philistines. In their help — out of fear of yesterday and the day before. And today they too turned over with their fellows, to be in the help of their brethren.
Radak
And the Hebrews. Explanation: Those Hebrews who had been with the Philistines, as it were, only yesterday or the day before, who were sojourners in their land, who had gone up with them, and were compelled to fight against Israel. They were in the camp surrounding [the main force], meaning that they were not there by their own choice, nor did they place themselves within the camp, but rather around it, on the outside, in order to extricate themselves and to slip away from fighting against Israel, if they could. And now, when they saw that Israel had been victorious, they too joined with Israel, who were with Saul and Jonathan, and they too struck the Philistians. If you might say: How did they not worry about their homes, which they had left in the land of the Philistines? Because they saw that the tumult of the Lord was great among the Philistines, to the point that they were striking one another without knowledge and without perception, they said: in us too they will not perceive and will not know — and they smote them.
Ralbag
"And the Hebrews who were with the Philistines were as yesterday and the day before..." It is possible that the Philistines were ruling over some of the Israelites, who dwelt under their dominion, and the Philistines brought them along with them into the camp to compel them to fight against Israel, as we saw in the case of Achish, king of Gath, who brought David and his men with him to fight against Saul and Israel. For this reason, it is said: "And the Hebrews who were with the Philistines"—namely, those who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them into the camp all around—also turned to become part of the people of Israel, those who were with Saul and Jonathan. Thus explained some of the commentators. However, the correct view in my eyes is that the intent here is: although Israel was in the utmost poverty and humiliation in this war, to the extent that they hid in the places mentioned, nevertheless, after this tumult reached the Philistines, the Hebrews were to the Philistines "as yesterday and the day before" in their fighting against them in the days of Samuel, when the hand of Israel prevailed over them and over their people, surrounding them in the camp to strike them and capture them, in such a manner that not a single one of them would remain. Moreover, even they—namely, the Philistines—became part of the people of Israel, those who were with Saul and Jonathan, because some of them were killing others of their own kind. In this manner, they were assisting Israel, as if they were on their side.
Metzudat David
"And the Hebrews, etc." For many of the Israelites dwelled in the land of the Philistines, and they were enslaved to them, and they went up with them against their will to fight against Israel. And he said: The Hebrews who were aiding the Philistines yesterday and the day before, when they came up into the camp of the Philistines, even they returned to be with Israel, upon seeing that the hand of the Lord was with them.
Malbim
b) And the Hebrews — Israelites who dwelt on the western side of the Land of Israel, in the cities of the Philistines, had been subjugated to the Philistines as recently as yesterday or the day before, and they had also gone up with them into the camp surrounding [the Israelite camp]; that is to say, they stood around the camp to supply its provisions and needs. And now they too were transformed to become part of the people of Israel, joining Saul to aid him.
Likewise all the men of Israel that had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
verse value 3984
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "and·them·of" (וְכֹל֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·had·hidden·themselves" (הַמִּֽתְחַבְּאִ֤ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "who·had·hidden·themselves" (הַמִּֽתְחַבְּאִ֤ים). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel); "Israel" (root ישראל, 102x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכֹל֩ [and·them·of] (56) + אִ֨ישׁ [man] (311) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל [Israel] (541) + הַמִּֽתְחַבְּאִ֤ים [who·had·hidden·themselves] (506) + בְּהַר־אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ [in·hill·of·Ephraim] (538) + שָֽׁמְע֔וּ [they·heard] (416) + כִּי־נָ֖סוּ [that·they·fled] (146) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [Philistines] (860) + וַֽיַּדְבְּק֥וּ [and·they·clung] (128) + גַם־הֵ֛מָּה [also·abundance] (93) + אַחֲרֵיהֶ֖ם [after·them] (264) + בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה [battle] (125) = 3984.
Radak
“And they also cleaved.” Like “and they shall cleave” (וידביקו), and similarly “and they shall direct” (וידרכו) their tongue, like “and they shall guide” (וידריכו). And the meaning of “and they also cleaved” is a matter of attaining, like “and he shall attain him” (וידבק אותו). And in this language its Targum [translation] is a matter of attaining. And its interpretation is that they pursued after them until they attained them in battle and struck them, even they.
Metzudat David
Those who hide. From fear of the Philistines, as it is written above (13:6):
“And they cleaved.” They emerged from their hiding place, and they cleaved, etc.
Metzudat Zion
And they clung. He means they pursued to approach them.
Malbim
c) "And every man of Israel who hides himself," etc., and upon all of them,
So Hashem saved Israel that day; and the battle passed on as far as Beth-aven.
verse value 2716
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Aven" (אָֽוֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·He·saved" (וַיּ֧וֹשַׁע), "and·the·battle" (וְהַ֨מִּלְחָמָ֔ה), "passed" (עָבְרָ֖ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "that" (root הוא, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיּ֧וֹשַׁע [and·He·saved] (392) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (942) + וְהַ֨מִּלְחָמָ֔ה [and·the·battle] (134) + עָבְרָ֖ה [passed] (277) + אֶת־בֵּ֥ית [Beth] (813) + אָֽוֶן [Aven] (57) = 2716.
Radak
“And the battle passed beyond Bethaven.” As its Targum renders it: “And the servants of the battle reached as far as Bethaven.” And the explanation is that “passed” means that from Bethaven onward, it passed on, as they pursued the Philistines.
Ralbag
"And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven": This means that the pursuers passed that place due to the intensity of their running, and they hastened on account of the battle.
Metzudat David
"And the battle." With the battle, it passed beyond Beth-aven, to pursue the Philistines.
Malbim
"And the Lord saved on that day" – for the essence of the salvation was Divine providence, and "the battle passed over Beth-aven," meaning that when they arrived at Beth-aven, the battle had already passed, i.e., it had ceased, for from then on the fugitives were scattered, and they were fleeing, not fighting.
And the men of Israel were distressed that day; but Saul adjured the people, saying: ‘Cursed be the man that eats any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies.’ So none of the people tasted food.
verse value 5239
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 5239 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "was·drawn·near" (נִגַּ֖שׂ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·man·of·Israel" (וְאִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 78: bread, bread. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "until·the·evening" (עַד־הָעֶ֗רֶב), "and·I·will·be·avenged" (וְנִקַּמְתִּי֙), "from·my·enemies" (מֵאֹ֣יְבַ֔י). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that·eats" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root ארר ("cursed") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ערב ("until·the·evening") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 14 words.
Rashi
Were hard pressed that day. They were urged and driven to fight the Philistines.
And he swore. The language of an oath.
That he eat bread. All food is included — like (Jeremiah 11:19): 'Let us destroy the tree with its food.'
Radak
"Were hard pressed." They were pressed; and so its Targum, idchik — that is to say, that they were hungry, for Saul had already adjured the people not to eat until evening, so that they should not break off the battle.
"And he adjured." The vav of va-yoel is like the vav of "behold, Thou wast wroth, and we sinned," whose meaning is: and we had already sinned, therefore Thou wast wroth. So too va-yoel: Saul had already adjured the people, therefore they were hard pressed.
"That which he shall eat bread until the evening." "Any food"—this means that "bread" encompasses all types of food, for even honey they did not taste, due to the oath. It appears that he swore an oath regarding every type of food.
Ralbag
“And a man of Israel approached on that day.” This means that they had already been pressed by the matter of this pursuit, due to Saul’s decree, to the extent that they could not cease from it even for the sake of eating. For Saul had already made the people swear not to eat any food until evening, so that vengeance might be fully executed against his enemies. Therefore, the people refrained from taking the honey to nourish themselves from it. But Jonathan took of it, because he did not heed the oath. And despite this, it was counted as a sin against him, as will be seen later. This was either because he did not inquire beforehand, since he already saw that the people’s hands could not reach their mouths, and this would not have been proper unless it were due to a vow and agreement among them; or because he reproached his father for this oath, as stated, “My father has troubled the land,” and he reasoned that if the people ate from the spoil of their enemies, they would be strengthened further, and thereby the blow against the Philistines would be increased. This was in light of what had become clear to him: that they had not overcome the Philistines by physical strength, but that it was from the Lord.
Metzudat David
“Approached on that day.” Although initially they had hidden themselves, now they drew near to fight against them.
And he adjured. He made the people take an oath that they would not eat anything until evening, so that they would not be preoccupied with their food, in order to take vengeance on the Philistines.
“Bread.” This term encompasses all types of food:
Metzudat Zion
Approached. Came near.
And he vowed. From the word 'curse' and 'oath'.
A taste. The one who takes into his mouth a little of the food and it does not reach the chambers of the stomach, is called a tasting.
Malbim
"And a man of Israel approached" – this implies that Saul saw, upon his arrival at Beth-aven, that the people had ceased from the battle, as it is stated, "And the battle passed away, and they ceased to pursue after their enemies." And this occurred because "men of Israel were approaching" – meaning they were compelled on that day to the battle. That is to say, they did not fight with a willing heart, like a people who despise their lives, dying for the sake of their freedom and their land; rather, it was for them like an "approaching" (a forced advance), in that Saul pressured them into this by provoking the Philistines. Therefore, when they found rest from their enemies, they desired to rest from the battle into which they had gone out of compulsion. Therefore, "Saul adjured them with an oath, saying, 'Let no man eat bread until evening, until I am avenged on my enemies.'" And according to reason, they were fasting on that day, as was their custom in every time of distress. And now that they were saved, they were permitted by law to eat. But Saul decreed that they should not eat, because the salvation was not yet complete until He made his enemies a footstool for his feet. And behold, Saul spoke in his oath: "Cursed be the man who eats bread." And there is an opinion that he only decreed against eating bread, which constitutes a proper meal, but not against tasting a little bread, nor against eating something that is not bread, such as fruits and the like. For he explained the reason: "that I may be avenged on my enemies." That is to say, they should not turn to preparing their meal nor pursue the enemy. And this applies only to a fixed meal, which is delayed in its preparation and eating, but not against tasting and eating various kinds of fruits, which is temporary eating, by which they would not be distracted from the battle. And there is an opinion that his decree was a decree of fasting, that they should fast the entire day, so that the merit of the humble and their repentance would be effective in avenging them on their enemies. And Israel imposed stringencies upon themselves in two matters: 1) "And none of the people tasted bread" – even a mere taste.
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground.
verse value 1534
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 1534 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they·went·in" (בָּ֣אוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·the·land" (וְכׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·all·the·land" (וְכׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ), "in·the·forest" (בַיָּ֑עַר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "they·went·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "upon·the·face·of" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root דבש ("honey") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·forest', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ [and·all·the·land] (352) + בָּ֣אוּ [they·went·in] (9) + בַיָּ֑עַר [in·the·forest] (282) + וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַ֖שׁ [honey] (306) + עַל־פְּנֵ֥י [upon·the·face·of] (240) + הַשָּׂדֶֽה [field] (314) = 1534.
Rashi
And there was honey. Reed honey that grows in the Land of Israel.
Radak
"And all the land." The term "the land" refers to the common people, as in "and all the land came to Egypt" (Genesis 41:57), meaning all the warriors and those gathered to them. And in the manner of their pursuing the Philistines, they came into the forest. And there were swarms of bees among the trees of the forest, and honey was dripping from them onto the face of the field. And Rabbi Shlomo, of blessed memory, wrote that the forest was a sugar-cane forest, and it was the honey that was dripping from them. But I do not know from where he obtained this, for the Targum [translates it as] "in a thicket."
Ralbag
And behold, the honey was on the surface of the field, because there were already many vessels there in which the bees dwelled and made honey in them according to their custom. And the honey was in those vessels in the forest during its prime, as is proper. And it appeared that those vessels were placed there in rows, row upon row, in a straight line, resembling a path. And for this reason, this gathering is called "a path of honey," because length is called a "path" on account of the road, or because of the multitude of bees in that forest, the honey flowed on the surface of the field, as the earlier commentators explained.
Metzudat David
"And all the land." All the people of the land, they are the children of Israel.
And there was honey. The reeds in which the honey grows.
Metzudat Zion
In the forest. The reeds in which the honey grew, are called 'ya'ar,' similarly (Song of Songs 5:1): 'I ate my honeycomb with my honey'.
Malbim
The Questions (25-26): What is the novel implication of the statement that "the people did not taste bread, nor did they taste honey"? Is it possible that they would transgress the oath?
b) “And all the land came into the forest, and there was honey on the face of the field”—even though honey is not included in the category of bread.
And when the people were come to the forest, behold a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
verse value 2583
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·none·reaching" (וְאֵין־מַשִּׂ֤יג, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: the·people, the·people. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·the·forest" (אֶל־הַיַּ֔עַר), "and·none·reaching" (וְאֵין־מַשִּׂ֤יג), "for·he·feared" (כִּֽי־יָרֵ֥א). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·forest" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "flow·of" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'honey', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֤א [and·came] (19) + הָעָם֙ [the·people] (115) + אֶל־הַיַּ֔עַר [to·the·forest] (316) + וְהִנֵּ֖ה [and·behold] (66) + הֵ֣לֶךְ [flow·of] (55) + דְּבָ֑שׁ [honey] (306) + וְאֵין־מַשִּׂ֤יג [and·none·reaching] (420) + יָדוֹ֙ [his·hand] (20) + אֶל־פִּ֔יו [to·his·mouth] (127) + כִּֽי־יָרֵ֥א [for·he·feared] (241) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + אֶת־הַשְּׁבֻעָֽה [the·oath] (783) = 2583.
Rashi
And behold, the honey was flowing. That it was dripping from the reeds.
Radak
“Halekh devash.” That is to say, the “flowing” of honey, which was flowing and trickling over the surface of the field. And the Targum [reads] “baryiz dovshah,” and [Rashi] explains [this as] a flower bed and a row. And in Genesis Rabbah [it states]: “Between the rows, they will shine forth,” meaning that they were making small furrows.
“And his hand cannot reach.” His hand does not reach with the honey to his mouth.
Metzudat David
"Honey went." The honey was flowing from the hives.
And he does not reach out his hand. With the honey:
Metzudat Zion
Went. From the word 'going,' and he means oozing.
Malbim
“And he came...” – “and behold, honey was flowing”: This means that even though the honey was flowing freely, with no impediment either in taking it or in eating it, nevertheless, “he could not reach his hand to his mouth.” This was because the people feared the oath and were stringent regarding a doubtful case.
But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath; and he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.
verse value 6816
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 94 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Jonathan" (וְיוֹנָתָ֣ן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 662: and·they·saw, and·they·brightened. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "not·he·heard" (לֹא־שָׁמַ֗ע), "in·adjuring" (בְּהַשְׁבִּ֣יעַ), "the·end·of" (אֶת־קְצֵ֤ה). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·his·mouth" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "in·his·hand" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מטה ("the·tribe") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root אור ("and·they·brightened") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'honey', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
In the honeycomb. In the honey-reed — like (Exodus 2:3): 'and she laid it among the reeds,' which we render: and she placed it in the reed-bed. And 'suf' are the reeds of a marsh. And so (Song of Songs 5:1): 'I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey.' And in the language of Ishmael they call that honey suqara in the foreign tongue — from the mouth of Rabbi Natan the Ishmaelite.
Radak
"In the honeycomb." This is the comb of honey, from which they extract the honey, as in "I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey." And the Targum renders it: and the comb of honey — because the comb is made of cell upon cell.
"ותראנה" (And they saw). There is a written text (ketiv) and a vocalized text (qere): it is written "ותראנה" but read "ותארנה," meaning that they were darkened and dull from hunger and from exhaustion. And the written text is from the root "ראה" (to see), yet the meaning is the same.
Metzudat David
And he brought his hand back. With the staff:
And his eyes brightened. For they had darkened because of the famine.
Metzudat Zion
And they brightened. From the word 'light'.
Malbim
And Jonathan. He relates that Jonathan had three grounds for exoneration: 1) He did not hear his father’s oath, and thus he was unaware; 2) “And he put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand…” and it was only a slight taste, which is a doubt as to whether a decree was issued regarding this, as stated above; 3) “And his eyes brightened” because his eyes were dimmed due to the affliction of hunger, and through this his sight was restored; and in this case, where he was seized by the affliction of hunger, it was permitted to eat according to the law.
Then answered one of the people, and said: ‘Your father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying: Cursed be the man that eats food this day; and the people are faint.’
verse value 4148
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֨ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·eats" (אֲשֶׁר־יֹ֥אכַל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "from·the·people" (מֵהָעָ֜ם), "plenty" (הַשְׁבֵּ֩עַ֩), "made·swear" (הִשְׁבִּ֨יעַ). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that·eats" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עוף ("and·were·faint") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Radak
"And the people were weary." They did not transgress the oath, even though they were weary and hungry.
Metzudat David
"And the people were weary." This means: "And behold, because of this the people became weary and exhausted."
Malbim
Questions (28–29): Why did the man say, “and the people were faint”? And Jonathan’s answer is not sufficient regarding what had transpired concerning the oath.
“And he answered, etc., ‘and the people were weary’”: This man reproved him, saying that the reason for the decree was not that they should not delay in preparing the meal; for if that were so, he would have decreed only against eating bread at fixed times. On the contrary, through this very thing the people became weary from pursuing the enemy, and it would have been better for them to eat and renew their strength for the pursuit. Surely his intention was regarding self-affliction and fasting for the sake of the Lord, who gives strength to the weary and saves. And if so, even tasting is forbidden.
Then said Jonathan: ‘My father has troubled the land; see, I pray you, how mine eyes are brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
verse value 3409
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֖י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·land" (אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "troubled" (עָכַ֥ר), "how·are·brightened" (כִּי־אֹ֣רוּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·because" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "see·please" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + יֽוֹנָתָ֔ן [Jonathan] (516) + עָכַ֥ר [troubled] (290) + אָבִ֖י [my·father] (13) + אֶת־הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·land] (697) + רְאוּ־נָא֙ [see·please] (258) + כִּי־אֹ֣רוּ [how·are·brightened] (237) + עֵינַ֔י [my·eyes] (140) + כִּ֣י [and·because] (30) + טָעַ֔מְתִּי [I·tasted] (529) + מְעַ֖ט [little·of] (119) + דְּבַ֥שׁ [honey] (306) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 3409.
Rashi
My father has troubled the land. He confused their minds and their salvation — like troubled waters.
Metzudat Zion
Troubled. A matter of spoilage and confusion, similarly (Genesis 34:30): 'you have troubled me'.
They brightened. From the word 'light'.
Malbim
Jonathan answered: a) Regarding the decree itself, which he had not known of until now: "My father has troubled the land," meaning that he did not act well in issuing this decree. b) "Behold, my eyes were enlightened" — for he had fallen into a ravenous hunger (bulmus). c) For he maintained that Saul had issued this decree so that the people would not be kept from pursuing the enemy by stopping to eat. And he said, "Behold, my father has troubled the land," for in truth he did not succeed in achieving his purpose through this oath; rather, the opposite occurred: "See, my eyes were enlightened, for I tasted a little of this honey," and if this small amount alone has renewed my strength and enlightened my eyes,
How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? had there not been then a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?’
verse value 3557
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "even" (אַ֗ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "among·the·Philistines" (בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּֽים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 51: eat, ate. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "even" (אַ֗ף), "enemy" (אֹיְבָ֖יו), "not·be or become great" (לֹא־רָבְתָ֥ה). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שלל ("from·spoil·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'found', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
For would not the blow have been greater today? In amazement.
Radak
"For now the plague has not increased among the Philistines." This is an expression of wonder, for surely if they had eaten [of the offering], they would have had more strength and would have struck the Philistines more.
Metzudat David
“Even though.” This means: If merely tasting it strengthened my eyes, how much more so if I had eaten it fully. And would the blow against the Philistines not now have been greater? For through the eating, their strength would have been further reinforced.
Metzudat Zion
If only. Like 'if'.
Spoiling. Plundering.
Increased. From the word 'increase'.
Malbim
Even so, and all the more so, regarding the statement, “Did the people eat today of the spoil of their enemies which they found?”—for they were like mighty men treading down the mire of the streets, and he said that they would not have been delayed thereby, since they were eating from the spoil that they found, which was prepared before them. Is it not so that the spoil was abundant and ready to be eaten? For now, etc.—he means to say: Even though they were delayed at that time during their eating, is it not so that now the blow against the Philistines has increased? And what they were losing today during the time of eating, they were now gaining to tear apart even the arm and the skull.
And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmas to Aijalon; and the people were very faint.
verse value 1841
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "against·the·Philistines" (בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "from·Michmas" (מִמִּכְמָ֖שׂ), "Aijalon" (אַיָּלֹ֑נָה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "the·people" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "against·the·Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Aijalon', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּכּ֞וּ [and·they·smote] (42) + בַּיּ֤וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַהוּא֙ [that] (17) + בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [against·the·Philistines] (862) + מִמִּכְמָ֖שׂ [from·Michmas] (440) + אַיָּלֹ֑נָה [Aijalon] (96) + וַיָּ֥עַף [and·were·faint] (166) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 1841.
Ralbag
"And they smote the Philistines on that day, from Michmash to Aijalon." I think that this passage is intended to indicate the great extent of the pursuit and the striking of them, such that when they set out from Michmash, crying out to pursue them, they struck them all the way to Aijalon, which is the name of another city; and therefore the people were very weary and faint.
Metzudat David
From Michmash. From the place of the Philistines’ encampment, they pursued them as far as Aijalon, and struck them down.
Malbim
"And they struck..." — This refers to a tree that was located in the portion of Dan, on the western border of the Land of Israel, within the territory of the Philistines, and there they rested.
And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people did eat them with the blood.
verse value 3267
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·slew·on·the·ground" (וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־אָ֑רְצָה, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 115: the·people, the·people. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·slew·on·the·ground" (וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־אָ֑רְצָה). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·the·spoil" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "the·people" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "upon·the·blood" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עטה ("and·covered") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·slew·on·the·ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: (ויעש) [and·did] (386) + וַיַּ֤עַט [and·covered] (95) + הָעָם֙ [the·people] (115) + אֶל־הַשָּׁלָ֔ל [upon·the·spoil] (396) + (שלל) [prey] (360) + וַיִּקְח֨וּ [and·took] (130) + צֹ֧אן [flock] (141) + וּבָקָ֛ר [and·cattle] (308) + וּבְנֵ֥י [and·sons·of] (68) + בָקָ֖ר [cattle] (302) + וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־אָ֑רְצָה [and·slew·on·the·ground] (635) + וַיֹּ֥אכַל [and·ate] (67) + הָעָ֖ם [the·people] (115) + עַל־הַדָּֽם [upon·the·blood] (149) = 3267.
Rashi
And the people did. Like 'va'ya'at ha'am' — the language of 'ya'at' (Genesis 15:11).
Sheep and cattle and calves. I say: This is 'that beast and its son you shall not slaughter on one day' (Leviticus 22:28) — and therefore he called them sinners. And our Sages said: In the slaughter of sacrificial animals — they were sanctifying them as peace offerings, and eating before the sprinkling of the blood. This is what he said: And the people ate upon the blood — eating sacrificial foods and the blood is still in the basin.
Radak
"And the people turned aside." It is entirely with patach, because its root is atah; and its meaning is "and he turned away" or "and he inclined," as in "and thou didst fly upon the spoil," whose meaning is "and thou didst turn away" or "and thou didst incline." And so Jonathan rendered it: and the people turned. And the written form is va-yaas, and its meaning is a term of gathering, as in "and the earth brought forth by handfuls."
"And the people ate." Explanation: They ate in the evening, and the meaning is "upon the blood," because they were preparing the meat in haste, for they were hungry. They were slaughtering onto the ground, and the blood was not running out and draining properly, and it was being absorbed into the meat. Therefore, Saul commanded to roll a large stone and slaughter upon it, so that the blood would run out and drain well. This is not the meaning of "Do not eat upon the blood"; rather, its meaning is as it is the custom of those who sacrifice to idols, who eat around the blood after they have sacrificed to them. This is a matter learned from its context: "Do not practice divination or soothsaying." And our Sages of blessed memory explained that they were consecrating peace-offerings and eating before the sprinkling of the blood. And regarding what is written, "Every man his ox with him that night, and they slew them there," our Sages of blessed memory disputed this matter. Some say that slaughter at night is valid on a private altar, and others say it is invalid. And regarding what is said that they slaughtered at night concerning non-sacred meat, he said, but if they had not consecrated them, it would have been permitted to eat without the sprinkling of blood, for since they entered the Land, they were permitted to eat meat of desire in any place without the sprinkling of blood on the altar. This is what our Sages of blessed memory explained: that regarding the peace-offerings, he said that they were eating without the sprinkling of blood. But the plain meaning of the verses does not imply anything other than what we explained, that the sin was because of the blood being absorbed into the meat and not draining out, because they were slaughtering onto the ground.
Ralbag
And the people turned to the spoil. This means that they diverted and circled around to take from the spoil to eat.
“And they slaughtered toward the ground, and the people ate upon the blood.” This means: near the blood. For each person slaughtered in the place where he was with his livestock, and afterwards they ate there. And the Torah was precise in prohibiting them from eating near the blood, as stated: “You shall not eat upon the blood,” so that they would not become entangled in the corrupt beliefs prevalent at that time among those who performed this act, as we have mentioned in our commentary on the words of the Torah. Therefore, they went around to roll out for him a large stone, and they all slaughtered there, and afterwards they returned to their places to eat, and by this means they guarded themselves from eating near the blood.
Metzudat David
"On the blood." Our Sages of blessed memory stated (Zevachim 121a) that if one consecrated a peace-offering and ate the meat before the blood was sprinkled, the Torah forbade it, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:26): "You shall not eat over the blood."
Metzudat Zion
And he darted. A matter of darting, similarly (below 25:14): 'and he darted among them,' and he means with great speed.
Malbim
And they slaughtered: Our Sages explained that they consecrated all of them as peace-offerings, and they ate them before the blood was thrown [on the altar]. This is what is written: “And they slaughtered on the ground, without a built altar, and they ate…”—namely, they ate while the blood was still present (just as it is stated: “Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven,” where al likewise means while the leaven yet remains).
Then they told Saul, saying: ‘Behold, the people sin against Hashem, in that they eat with the blood.’ And he said: ‘You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me this day.’
verse value 2154
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·told" (וַיַּגִּ֤ידוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "sinning" (חֹטִ֥אים), "you·acted·treacherously" (בְּגַדְתֶּ֔ם), "heap" (גֹּלּוּ־אֵלַ֥י). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root בגד ("you·acted·treacherously") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·blood', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
Roll to me. The language of rolling.
Today. While it is still day. And below (verse 34) it says: And they brought each man his ox with him that night. Our Sages disputed the matter at the end of the tractate Zevachim. Some of them explained: Here in non-sacred food, here in sacrificial food. And some of them explained: Here in sacrificial food that was sanctified to be offered on the great high place of Nob; here in sacrificial food that was sanctified to be offered on a small high place. It teaches regarding a private burnt offering that it is valid to be slaughtered at night.
A great stone. He made it a high place, to sprinkle upon it the blood and burn the fats.
Radak
"Sinning against the Lord." By omitting the aleph from the reading, as they read "to the Lord" and He will answer them.
“Roll unto me today.” The explanation is: “this time,” meaning, from now on, that they should no longer slaughter as they used to slaughter. And similarly, “the day of my cry” – “in the night before You” – is like “time.”
Metzudat David
A large stone. To make it into an altar, to throw upon it the blood:
Metzudat Zion
You have betrayed. You have sinned.
Roll. That is, roll it.
Malbim
"Ye have dealt treacherously with the holy things. Roll unto me this day a great stone" — to be in place of an altar.
And Saul said: ‘Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them: Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against Hashem in eating with the blood.’ And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.
verse value 7516
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 118 letters. The shortest word is "scatter" (פֻּ֣צוּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·sin" (וְלֹא־תֶחֶטְא֥וּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 512: ox, ox. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "scatter" (פֻּ֣צוּ), "his·lamb" (שְׂיֵ֗הוּ), "and·you·shall·slaughter" (וּשְׁחַטְתֶּ֤ם). The root איש appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "with·the·blood" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שה ("his·lamb") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root ליל ("night") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·the·blood', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 7 words.
Rashi
Scatter among the people. Proclaim in many places — and the proclaimers were scattered among the people.
And slaughter here. Here — in the place of slaughter. Another matter: he checked a knife for them.
At night. Beasts of non-sacred food were slaughtered at night — so it is explained in Zevachim (loc. cit.).
Radak
“Scatter among the people.” He said to his servants: “Go forth into the camp and say to all the people: ‘Whoever wishes to slaughter [his offering], let him bring it to Saul; whoever wishes to slaughter his ox or his sheep.’”
“And you shall slaughter it here.” Explanation: In this place, upon the stone. And our Sages of blessed memory explained: “Here” refers to the knife; He inspected the knife for them, and they derived from here the requirement to inspect the knife. And in the midrash, regarding “And you shall slaughter it here,” the Sages say: He showed them a knife of fourteen fingerbreadths: two, two; seven, seven; five, five. He said to them: With this they would slaughter and eat; according to this order they would slaughter and eat.
"To eat with the blood." Like "upon the blood"; and likewise "unto the mountains he hath not eaten" [means] upon the mountains.
Ralbag
“Scatter among the people.” This means: disperse in every direction throughout the camp to instruct all of them that each man should slaughter his own ox and each man his own sheep upon the stone, so that the people would be guarded against eating meat with its blood. This is the explanation that we have given here, and it is most fitting. We have already seen other commentators offer explanations that are not fitting; were we to recount what is problematic in their views, it would be exceedingly lengthy, and that is not our purpose.
Metzudat David
“Scatter.” They were scattered among the people.
"Bring it near to Me. To the place of the altar, in order to throw the blood immediately upon the altar, and afterward you shall eat:"
Metzudat Zion
They scattered. They were dispersed, similarly (Exodus 5:12): 'and the people was scattered'.
His sheep. His sheep.
Here. In this place.
Malbim
“And you shall slaughter it here, in this place, near the altar, so that the blood may be sprinkled immediately.”
And Saul built an altar to Hashem; the same was the first altar that he built to Hashem.
verse value 1569
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "it" (אֹת֣וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hashem" (לַיהֹוָ֑ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 57: altar, altar. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·build" (לִבְנ֥וֹת). The root בנה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֧בֶן [and·he·built] (68) + שָׁא֛וּל [Saul] (337) + מִזְבֵּ֖חַ [altar] (57) + לַיהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (56) + אֹת֣וֹ [it] (407) + הֵחֵ֔ל [he·began] (43) + לִבְנ֥וֹת [to·build] (488) + מִזְבֵּ֖חַ [altar] (57) + לַיהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (56) = 1569.
Rashi
The first one. That altar — the first of the altars that Sha'ul built.
Radak
“Him who began to build an altar to the Lord.” Explanation: That altar was the beginning of the altars that Saul built, for what he offered as sacrifices at Gilgal, he found the altar already built there. And when it says “him who began,” does it not mean that many altars were built by the forefathers? Noah built an altar, Abraham built an altar, Isaac built an altar, Jacob built an altar, Moses built an altar, Joshua built an altar. And yet it says “him who began to build an altar.” Rabbi Yudan said: He was the first among the kings. And there is another interpretation: “That altar, he began to build it,” meaning that he himself laid the first stone, and afterward the builders built the altar until it was completed.
Ralbag
And Saul built an altar to the Lord; that was the beginning of his building an altar to the Lord. You should know that it is not possible to say that Saul was the one who began to build an altar to the Lord, for many, many people built altars before Saul, as stated in the Midrash. And what appears to me is that the intention here is that when Saul commanded that a large stone be rolled out to slaughter upon it—each man his ox and each man his sheep—that matter began the construction of an altar to the Lord. For on that night he did not complete it, because he was hastening to pursue the Philistines. But that stone was the beginning of the construction, and there he subsequently built the altar, in order to commemorate the miracle that was performed for them and to offer thanks to God, blessed be He, for all that He had bestowed upon them. Or perhaps the pronoun in the phrase "that was the beginning" refers back to the stone. Do not be astonished if the word "stone" is sometimes masculine and sometimes feminine, for there are many such instances in the language. Now, Saul was stirred, upon seeing the success of Israel, to pursue the Philistines that very night. But his intention was not fulfilled, for he inquired of God, and He did not answer him on that day, on account of the sin of Jonathan, as became clear through the casting of lots.
Metzudat David
The same stone. This means: With the aforementioned stone, he began the construction of the altar, and completed it with other stones.
Metzudat Zion
It. With it.
Malbim
“And he built.” He built the altar from this stone, meaning that he began to build it at the time of the initial slaughter, when he prepared it for the altar but did not construct it properly due to the haste of the people. Therefore, he completed its construction afterwards, so that the altar would be built and perfected.
And Saul said: ‘Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.’ And they said: ‘Do whatsoever seems good to you.’ Then said the priest: ‘Let us draw near hither to God.’
verse value 5421
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 103 letters. Verse gematria: 5421 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "in·them" (בָהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, do·and·he·said. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "let·us·go·down" (נֵרְדָ֣ה), "and·let·us·spoil" (וְֽנָבֹ֥זָה), "and·let·us·not·leave" (וְלֹֽא־נַשְׁאֵ֤ר). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·God" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·did', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 5 words.
Radak
"And it was despised among them." The zayin is lightly pronounced, and its proper rule is to be dagesh-ed.
"And let us not leave." With tsere, like with chirik; and it is one and the same.
“Unto God”: As its Targum [renders it], “We inquire in the utterance of the Lord.”
Metzudat Zion
And plundered. From the word 'plunder' and 'spoiled'.
Here. To here, similarly (there 3:5): 'do not approach here'.
Malbim
Saul said, “I thought that they were utterly defeated, and that there was no need except to plunder the spoils and to eliminate the remainder of those who escaped.” Therefore, he did not inquire through the Urim and Thummim. The priest said, “Who knows if they have not gathered together again in their cities? Therefore, let us approach to inquire of the Lord.”
And Saul asked counsel of God: ‘Shall I go down after the Philistines? will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?’ But He answered him not that day.
verse value 3756
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "in·hand·of" (בְּיַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·God" (בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·will·go·down" (הַֽאֵרֵד֙), "you·will·give·them" (הֲתִתְּנֵ֖ם). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל [and·asked] (347) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים [in·God] (88) + הַֽאֵרֵד֙ [I·will·go·down] (210) + אַחֲרֵ֣י [after] (219) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [Philistine] (860) + הֲתִתְּנֵ֖ם [you·will·give·them] (895) + בְּיַ֣ד [in·hand·of] (16) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + עָנָ֖הוּ [answered·him] (131) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַהֽוּא [that] (17) = 3756.
And Saul said: ‘Draw nigh hither, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see wherein this sin has been this day.
verse value 3342
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 52 letters. Notable word values: "and·know" (וּדְע֣וּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "draw·near" (גֹּ֣שֽׁוּ), "corners·of" (פִּנּ֣וֹת), "the·purgation·offering" (הַחַטָּ֥את). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + גֹּ֣שֽׁוּ [draw·near] (309) + הֲלֹ֔ם [here] (75) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + פִּנּ֣וֹת [corners·of] (536) + הָעָ֑ם [the·people] (115) + וּדְע֣וּ [and·know] (86) + וּרְא֔וּ [and·see] (213) + בַּמָּ֗ה [what] (47) + הָ֥יְתָ֛ה [was] (420) + הַחַטָּ֥את [the·purgation·offering] (423) + הַזֹּ֖את [this] (413) + הַיּֽוֹם [day] (61) = 3342.
Rashi
The heads of the people. The leaders of the people — the corner stone is the important one.
Radak
"פנות העם" – as its Targum renders it, "the heads of the people." They are called "the heads of the people" because the people are to the city as a corner is to a wall.
Metzudat David
"All the corners of the people." For each tribe stood in its own corner, and he said that all of them from all the corners should approach here, in order that you all may see and know, on account of what matter was this sin offering, because of which the Lord did not answer me:
"The day." This implies: certainly this was done recently, for on that day they succeeded in battle.
Metzudat Zion
Corners. From the word 'corner' and 'angles'.
Malbim
"Wherein this sin hath been this day" — that is to say, it is impossible that the sin was in time past, since He wrought for them a miracle and a deliverance this very day; therefore some sin must have arisen today, after the miracle.
For, as Hashem lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.’ But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.
verse value 3799
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 30: for, for, for. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·one·who·saves" (הַמּוֹשִׁ֙יעַ֙), "in·Jonathan" (בְּיוֹנָתָ֥ן). The root כי appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "from·all·the·people" (root כל, 71x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·die', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + חַי־יְהֹוָ֗ה [as·Hashem·lives] (44) + הַמּוֹשִׁ֙יעַ֙ [the·one·who·saves] (431) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (942) + כִּ֧י [for] (30) + אִם־יֶשְׁנ֛וֹ [though·it·be] (407) + בְּיוֹנָתָ֥ן [in·Jonathan] (518) + בְּנִ֖י [my·son] (62) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + מ֣וֹת [surely] (446) + יָמ֑וּת [will·die] (456) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + עֹנֵ֖הוּ [answering·him] (131) + מִכׇּל־הָעָֽם [from·all·the·people] (205) = 3799.
Metzudat David
"For the Lord lives." I hereby swear by the living Lord, etc.
If there is. That sin:
Metzudat Zion
There is. From the word 'there is'.
Malbim
But if it is found in Yonatan, even though he was a means to salvation, he shall be put to death, for according to the degree that Divine providence was attached to him, so too is the sin he committed in kindling the anger of the Lord magnified; for the sin is magnified according to the stature of the sinner and according to his proximity to God. And the Ramban’s opinion is that this is included in what is stated: “Every devoted thing, whether man or beast, which a man devotes, shall not be redeemed; it shall be put to death.” This teaches that the court has the power to decree a herem (ban of devotedness), and one who transgresses it is liable to death, as was the case with Joshua’s ban, and with the ban in which the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead were slain at Gibeah.
Then said he to all Israel: ‘Be you on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.’ And the people said to Saul: ‘Do what seems good to you.’
verse value 4397
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֔ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·Israel" (אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 302: to·a·side, to·a·side. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "will·be" (תִּֽהְיוּ֙), "we·become" (נִהְיֶ֖ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·all·Israel" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "will·be" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
To one side. To cast lots between all of you and between us.
Radak
To one side. In the lottery, all of Israel were on one slip of parchment, and Jonathan and Saul were on another slip of parchment.
Metzudat David
To one side. He means to say: Let us divide ourselves into two groups—you, all of you, on one side, and I, my sons, etc., on the other—and we shall cast lots between the two groups.
Therefore Saul said to Hashem, the God of Israel: ‘Declare the right.’ And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot; but the people escaped.
verse value 2897
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "come" (הָ֣בָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Hashem" (אֶל־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "come" (הָ֣בָה), "complete" (תָמִ֑ים), "they·went·out" (יָצָֽאוּ). The root שאול appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'complete', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁא֗וּל [Saul] (337) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֛ה [to·Hashem] (57) + אֱלֹהֵ֥י [the·God·of] (46) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (541) + הָ֣בָה [come] (12) + תָמִ֑ים [complete] (490) + וַיִּלָּכֵ֧ד [and·was·captured] (70) + יוֹנָתָ֛ן [Jonathan] (516) + וְשָׁא֖וּל [and·Saul] (343) + וְהָעָ֥ם [and·the·people] (121) + יָצָֽאוּ [they·went·out] (107) = 2897.
Rashi
Give a perfect one. Give a true lot.
And the people came out. Clean from the lot.
Radak
"Give a perfect [lot]." A lot that is perfect and true. And the Targum renders: bring it forth in truth — that is to say, give the lot in truth.
Metzudat David
"Give a perfect lot." This teaches that the lot should fall under Divine providence and not by chance.
Metzudat Zion
Give. Give, similarly (Genesis 29:21): 'give me my wife'.
Complete. From the word 'complete,' he means a whole and true thing.
Cross-references: Exodus 28:30; I Samuel 10:20; I Samuel 28:6
And Saul said: ‘Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.’ And Jonathan was taken.
verse value 2029
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "my·son" (בְּנִ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 516: Jonathan, Jonathan. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "cast" (הַפִּ֕ילוּ). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "my·son" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + הַפִּ֕ילוּ [cast] (131) + בֵּינִ֕י [between] (72) + וּבֵ֖ין [and·between] (68) + יוֹנָתָ֣ן [Jonathan] (516) + בְּנִ֑י [my·son] (62) + וַיִּלָּכֵ֖ד [and·was·captured] (70) + יוֹנָתָֽן [Jonathan] (516) = 2029.
Radak
הפילו. Explanation: They cast lots, and so did Jonathan translate: "They cast lots."
Then Saul said to Jonathan: ‘Tell me what you have done.’ And Jonathan told him, and said: ‘I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; here am I: I will die.’
verse value 5288
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jonathan" (אֶל־י֣וֹנָתָ֔ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "surely" (טָעֹ֨ם), "that·in·my·hand" (אֲשֶׁר־בְּיָדִ֛י). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Jonathan" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "that·in·my·hand" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·did', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Metzudat David
"What have you done? What is the sin that you have committed?"
"Behold, I shall die." I am prepared to die and will not complain.
Malbim
"Behold, I die" — Jonathan, in his righteousness, did not utter the excuse he had previously made (above, verses 29 and 30), which he had said after seeing that the lot had fallen upon him, indicating that he had sinned.
And Saul said: ‘God do so and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.’
verse value 3115
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 41 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "and·thus" (וְכֹ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "thus·may·he·do" (כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "that·die" (כִּי־מ֥וֹת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "that·die" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'may·he·add', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה [thus·may·he·do] (410) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + וְכֹ֣ה [and·thus] (31) + יוֹסִ֑ף [may·he·add] (156) + כִּי־מ֥וֹת [that·die] (476) + תָּמ֖וּת [you·shall·die] (846) + יוֹנָתָֽן [Jonathan] (516) = 3115.
Radak
"Thus shall God do." This means: Thus shall He do to me; and this is the custom of the language, namely: "So and so shall be my lot, if you do not die."
Ralbag
And behold, Saul swore that his son Jonathan would be put to death on account of this sin. But the people of Israel intervened so that Jonathan did not die, for he had done his deeds with God on that day. And this deliverance is called a "redemption," in accordance with the verse: “You have redeemed my soul in peace” (Psalms 55:19), and “Those redeemed by the Lord shall return” (Isaiah 35:10).
Metzudat David
"Thus may God do to me" is the matter of an oath; he swore but did not specify, and it is as if he said, "May God do to me such and such evil, etc."
And the people said to Saul: ‘Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it; as Hashem lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has wrought with God this day.’ So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.
verse value 8393
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 120 letters. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·with·God" (כִּֽי־עִם־אֱלֹהִ֥ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: did, did. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "Jonathan" (הֲֽיוֹנָתָ֤ן), "salvation" (הַיְשׁוּעָ֨ה), "if·he·falls" (אִם־יִפֹּ֞ל). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 4 words.
Rashi
And the people redeemed him. They released Saul from his oath.
Radak
“For he hath wrought with God this day”. That is to say: he has done good before God and before His people, for he greatly trusted in God and risked his life for the people of the Lord. He went forth, bearing his weapons, to fight in the camp of the Philistines. And the Targum says: “For it is revealed before the Lord that he did it in error this day.” The reason why the people redeemed Jonathan, according to this interpretation, is that in their argument they redeemed him because they claimed that he had acted unintentionally. If so, what is the meaning of “the salvation which he wrought”? It was only because he had acted unintentionally. But he means: it would have been evil and bitter; if we had not found a claim to redeem him from death, it would have been so, for he had wrought a great salvation for Israel. Thus also explained my master, my father, of blessed memory.
One might ask: After Jonathan had erred in this matter, and the Scripture testifies concerning him, “And Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people” (1 Sam 14:27), why then was Saul not answered through the Urim and Thummim? The Gaon Rabbi Saadia, of blessed memory, explained: It was in order to show the people that he had acted unintentionally. For they were saying that there was partiality in the matter, since the king’s son had transgressed the ban and was not punished, whereas if it had been another person, he would have been punished. And all the people did not know that Jonathan was not present at the time of the oath. And when Saul was not answered through the Urim and Thummim, they were compelled to cast lots to determine on whom the sin lay, and the lot fell upon Jonathan. They investigated and inquired, and they found that he had not been present at the time of the oath. All the people argued on his behalf that he had acted unintentionally, and there was no death penalty upon him.
Regarding the verse, “And the people redeemed Jonathan,” Rabbi Eliezer says: They gave his weight in gold and redeemed him. Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish: Rabbi Yochanan said: Did he eat bread? No, he ate honey. Reish Lakish said: Did he not merely taste it? Is it not so that Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Zeira: Tasting does not constitute eating, nor does it constitute drinking, nor does it constitute a break in the fast, and it does not require a blessing. Hence, “And the people redeemed Jonathan.”
Metzudat David
Jonathan shall die. And is it fitting that Jonathan should die, through whom a great salvation came?
Far be it. It is a desecration and a disgrace to put him to death.
"If he falls from the height of a hair, etc." This is an expression of hyperbole and rhetorical flourish, in the manner that people speak, meaning to say: that nothing harmful will be done to him.
"For with God." This means: On this day, he did a kindness with God by saving his people at the risk of his own life. How then could he transgress the oath willfully and with loathing? Surely it was an unintentional transgression, and he was unaware of the oath.
"And the people redeemed." With these words, they redeemed him from death, and he was not put to death.
Malbim
Jonathan shall die. They offered two reasons: 1) Even if he sinned, did he not perform the great salvation, etc., and the people would risk their lives for him, just as he risked his life for them, and they would defend him; 2) Heaven forbid that we say of him that he sinned and that even one hair of his crown should fall to the ground, for he has done with God today, and Divine providence clung to him. How could it be conceived that he would sin and be guilty of a deliberate transgression? Certainly, they pleaded on his behalf that it was an inadvertent error, and that he did not eat bread but merely tasted honey, and it was not counted as a sin for him. Rather, according to his exalted status, since he has done with God today, the Holy One, Blessed be He, scrutinizes him with the fineness of a hair, treating his inadvertent errors as deliberate ones, so that he would not be liable to death as one who transgresses deliberately. Nevertheless, the difficulty remains: why was Saul not answered favorably after it was established that Jonathan acted inadvertently? The Abarbanel wrote that the fundamental reason he was not answered favorably was due to his own sin, in that he transgressed the word of the Lord at Gilgal. And since this salvation was not achieved through Saul and his merit, but rather through Jonathan and his merit, therefore God did not respond when Saul asked whether he should pursue the Philistines, to show that He was not pleased with him or with his pursuit. And Saul thought that the issue was due to the eating, and he asked about the eater; therefore, the Lord answered him, so that he would know that He was not angry because of the food—for this He answered—but rather because of Saul. These are his words, and it is an obvious strained interpretation.
The fundamental point is that the Lord considered for such a righteous person, to whom providence clung, an inadvertent error as a deliberate one. For after it was revealed to him that he had transgressed the ban, he should have exerted himself before his father to have his vow asked about and annulled retroactively. Especially since he said, "My father hath troubled the land." And with such a vow, which did not benefit this war, he could have regretted it from the very beginning. And through the lot falling upon him, Saul asked about the vow. And it can be said that this is what is written, "And the people ransomed Jonathan," meaning they exerted themselves so that Saul would permit him from his vow. And he had an opening for regret through what the people said, "Jonathan shall die." And in the Midrash on "And the people ransomed Jonathan," they gave his weight in gold and ransomed him. Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish: Rabbi Yochanan said, "Did he eat bread? Did he not eat honey?" Resh Lakish said, "Did he eat? Did he not merely taste?" And these are the two reasons that I mentioned above.
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.
verse value 2755
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "and·went·up" (וַיַּ֣עַל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Philistine" (וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·their·place" (לִמְקוֹמָֽם). The root פלשתי appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "they·went" (root הלך, 133x in I Samuel); "Philistine" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistine', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣עַל [and·went·up] (116) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + מֵאַחֲרֵ֖י [from·after] (259) + פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [Philistine] (860) + וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים [and·Philistine] (866) + הָלְכ֥וּ [they·went] (61) + לִמְקוֹמָֽם [to·their·place] (256) = 2755.
Radak
"And Saul went up from after the Philistines." As soon as the Lord did not answer him through the Urim and Thummim, he did not wish to pursue the Philistines at this time, for he thought: even though Jonathan escaped, there is a charge of sin between us regarding the oath, or [that] after the night had passed in this matter with which they were occupied, the Philistines had meanwhile gone to their place.
Metzudat David
“From behind the Philistines.” He returned to his place and did not pursue them any further.
So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; and whithersoever he turned himself, he put them to the worse.
verse value 4112
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "he·took" (לָכַ֥ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·son·of·Ammon" (וּבִבְנֵֽי־עַמּ֨וֹן, 9 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "he·took" (לָכַ֥ד), "against·all·his·enemies" (בְּֽכׇל־אֹיְבָ֡יו), "against·Moab" (בְּמוֹאָ֣ב). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·among·the·Philistines" (root פלשתי, 124x in I Samuel); "upon·Israel" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 12 words.
Radak
As for "he grasped the kingship": He strengthened himself in the kingship, and it was in his hand without any doubt, because all Israel saw that he was successful in his wars.
“Yirshie.” It means “He will terrify and confound,” and similarly, “And He will silence” (v’hu yishket), and “Who will condemn?” (u-mi yirshie). And its Targumic translation is: “He will obligate.”
Ralbag
And Saul seized the kingship over Israel. For through these wondrous salvations that were accomplished by his hand when he fought against all his enemies, he seized the kingship over Israel, as all the people feared him with a great fear and submitted to carry out his command and decree without delay.
“And in all where he turned, he would cause them to be guilty.” This means that he would hold his enemies accountable and destroy them, in the manner of the verse: “O God, do not cause me to be guilty” (Psalm 7:9). Alternatively, the intention here is that “he would cause them to be guilty” means “he would fight,” i.e., he would fight in all directions where he turned, against those who committed injustice against him. This is what is stated at the end: “And he saved Israel from the hand of those who oppressed them,” for he did not fight them except because they were oppressing Israel and acting unjustly against them.
Metzudat David
As it is stated, “He took hold of the kingdom.” This means: He strengthened himself in it, so that it remained firmly in his hand without any doubt, for he fought against his enemies and succeeded, and he terrified his enemies.
Metzudat Zion
He will terrify. He will terrify and confuse, similarly (Job 34:29): 'and He will quieten, and who will condemn?' and it is named because in the hand of the wicked are terror and confusion.
Malbim
And Saul seized the kingship, for as long as the Philistines ruled over Israel, his kingship was not so strong. And in every direction he turned, he would defeat those who sought to do evil and harm Israel; he would wage war against them and overcome them.
And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that spoiled them.
verse value 2614
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "and·smote" (וַיַּ֖ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "strength" (חַ֔יִל, 3 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "plundering·him" (שֹׁסֵֽהוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·hand·of" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel); "and·did" (root עשה, 79x in I Samuel); "and·smote" (root נכה, 52x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עמלק ("Amalek") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Amalek', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + חַ֔יִל [strength] (48) + וַיַּ֖ךְ [and·smote] (36) + אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֑ק [Amalek] (641) + וַיַּצֵּ֥ל [and·has·taken·away] (136) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + מִיַּ֥ד [from·hand·of] (54) + שֹׁסֵֽהוּ [plundering·him] (371) = 2614.
Rashi
And he did mightily. And he gathered an army.
Radak
"And he made an army." Gathered. And so did Jonathan translate it: "And he gathered armies."
"And he smote Amalek." What was commanded to him by God: "Go and strike Amalek."
Metzudat David
“And he saved, etc.” He only saved Israel from his hand, but he did not utterly destroy them, until Samuel told him by the word of the Lord to utterly destroy them.
Metzudat Zion
And he did. A matter of gathering, similarly (Numbers 24:18): 'and Israel shall do valiantly'.
Warriors. Men of valor.
He trampled. A matter of treading and trampling, similarly (Judges 2:14): 'trampling and they will trample'.
Malbim
And he made a mighty host: Since the verse enumerates all the battles, it also includes the battle against Amalek, in which he made a mighty host; that is, he gathered a large army from Israel.
"And he saved" [them], because he did not utterly destroy them all, for his intention was only to rescue them from the hand of their oppressors in the present, and not to blot out their name on account of the past, as is the commandment of the Lord.
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born Merab, and the name of the younger Michal;
verse value 4729
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "name·of" (שֵׁ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Malchi-shua" (וּמַלְכִּישׁ֑וּעַ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 346: and·name·of, and·name·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·Ishvi" (וְיִשְׁוִ֖י), "and·Malchi-shua" (וּמַלְכִּישׁ֑וּעַ), "his·daughters" (בְנֹתָ֔יו). The root שם appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·they·were" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·name·of" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מיכל ("Michal") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Malchi-shua', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Radak
"And Ishvi." He is Abinadab, who is mentioned in the battle in which Saul and his sons died; and he is the one mentioned in Chronicles. And he did not mention Ish-bosheth, because these three went out with him to the battle — and since he mentioned them in connection with the battle, he did not mention Ish-bosheth. But in Chronicles, where he mentioned them in connection with the genealogy, he did mention him; and the Eshbaal mentioned there is Ish-bosheth.
Ralbag
And behold, he elaborated in mentioning the names of his sons and daughters, the name of his wife, and the names of the captains of the host that he had, for the sake of honoring Saul and for the purpose of what he subsequently mentions in these narratives.
Metzudat David
And Ishvi: He is Ish-bosheth, for in Chronicles (I Chronicles 8:33) Ishvi is not mentioned, and in his place Eshbaal is mentioned, and he is Ish-bosheth; similarly, Jerubbaal is also called Jerubbesheth (II Samuel 11:21). And even at the time when Saul’s sons were killed in battle (below, 31:2), Ishvi was not counted among them, and this is because he is Ish-bosheth, and he remained alive and reigned. And as for why Abinadab, who is counted among Saul’s sons who died in battle, is not mentioned here, nor in Chronicles, perhaps he had not yet been born at that time.
Malbim
Ishvi — he is Avinadab mentioned below (31), and in 1 Chronicles 9, and the verse does not count Ish-bosheth, for he was king afterwards and his name was known anyway; thus wrote Abarbanel.
Cross-references: II Samuel 2:8; I Chronicles 8:33
and the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
verse value 4045
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "and·name·of" (וְשֵׁם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "daughter·of·Ahimaaz" (בַּת־אֲחִימָ֑עַץ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 346: and·name·of, and·name·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "daughter·of·Ahimaaz" (בַּת־אֲחִימָ֑עַץ), "Abner" (אֲבִינֵ֔ר). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "beloved" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·name·of" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אחינעם ("Ahinoam") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'daughter·of·Ahimaaz', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְשֵׁם֙ [and·name·of] (346) + אֵ֣שֶׁת [wife·of] (701) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + אֲחִינֹ֖עַם [Ahinoam] (179) + בַּת־אֲחִימָ֑עַץ [daughter·of·Ahimaaz] (621) + וְשֵׁ֤ם [and·name·of] (346) + שַׂר־צְבָאוֹ֙ [chief·of·his·troops] (599) + אֲבִינֵ֔ר [Abner] (263) + בֶּן־נֵ֖ר [son·of·Ner] (302) + דּ֥וֹד [beloved] (14) + שָׁאֽוּל [Saul] (337) = 4045.
Rashi
Avner son of Ner. And Ner was Saul's uncle, the brother of Kish. And both were sons of Avyael. And also Avyael was called Ner, in Chronicles (I 8:33) — for he was lighting candles for many in the dark passages (Leviticus Rabbah 9:2).
Ralbag
And Abner preceded Kish, Saul’s father, due to Abner’s prominence and Kish’s inferiority. Do you not see what was said regarding why he preceded him? “What was this son of Kish?” And for this very reason, too, he mentioned Abner before mentioning his father, because he was also commander of the army. Therefore, the lineage is traced through his father, who was Abner’s father, when it states, “And Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.”
And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
verse value 1384
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "and·Ner" (וְנֵ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "father·of·Saul" (אֲבִֽי־שָׁא֛וּל, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·Kish" (וְקִ֧ישׁ), "father·of·Saul" (אֲבִֽי־שָׁא֛וּל), "father·of·Abner" (אֲבִֽי־אַבְנֵ֖ר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son·of·Abiel" (root בין, 67x in I Samuel); "father·of·Saul" (root אב, 44x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אבנר ("father·of·Abner") in I Samuel. Full calculation: וְקִ֧ישׁ [and·Kish] (416) + אֲבִֽי־שָׁא֛וּל [father·of·Saul] (350) + וְנֵ֥ר [and·Ner] (256) + אֲבִֽי־אַבְנֵ֖ר [father·of·Abner] (266) + בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵֽל [son·of·Abiel] (96) = 1384.
Radak
"And Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel." I have already explained it above.
Metzudat David
Ben Aviyal. Kish and Ner—each of them was the son of Aviyal.
Malbim
And Kish: He wishes to say, how was Abner related to David and Saul? For Kish and Ner were sons of Abiel, brothers from the same father; and "son of Abiel" refers also to Kish.
And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him to him.
verse value 3568
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·Philistine" (עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "strong" (חֲזָקָ֣ה), "and·every·mighty·man" (וְכׇל־בֶּן־חַ֔יִל), "and·gathered·him" (וַיַּאַסְפֵ֖הוּ). The root שאול appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "all·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Saul', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתְּהִ֤י [and·it·was] (421) + הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ [battle] (128) + חֲזָקָ֣ה [strong] (120) + עַל־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים [against·Philistine] (960) + כֹּ֖ל [all] (50) + יְמֵ֣י [day] (60) + שָׁא֑וּל [Saul] (337) + וְרָאָ֨ה [and·he·shall·see] (212) + שָׁא֜וּל [Saul] (337) + כׇּל־אִ֤ישׁ [all·man] (361) + גִּבּוֹר֙ [a·mighty·man] (211) + וְכׇל־בֶּן־חַ֔יִל [and·every·mighty·man] (156) + וַיַּאַסְפֵ֖הוּ [and·gathered·him] (168) + אֵלָֽיו [to·him] (47) = 3568.
Rashi
And Sha'ul would see. The language of the present — when Sha'ul would see a man, mighty and valiant, he would gather him to himself.
Ralbag
"Every man of valor and every man of strength." Behold, I consider that he calls "a mighty man" the strong and courageous man who is skilled in matters of warfare, and "a man of strength" refers to one who succeeds in battles.
Metzudat David
And see: When Saul saw a mighty man, etc., he would gather him to himself.
Metzudat Zion
A man of valor. He is the one who knows the tactics of war.
And he gathered him. He brought him in to him.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim