Jonathan's soul is knit to David; the women's song — 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands' — kindles Saul's jealousy, yet David weds Michal.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
verse value 4211
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·loved·him" (וַיֶּֽאֱהָבֵ֥הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 521: Jonathan, Jonathan. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·soul·of" (וְנֶ֙פֶשׁ֙), "was·bound" (נִקְשְׁרָ֖ה), "in·soul·of" (בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ). The root נפש appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קשר ("was·bound") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + כְּכַלֹּתוֹ֙ [when·He·finished] (476) + לְדַבֵּ֣ר [to·speak] (236) + אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל [to·Saul] (368) + וְנֶ֙פֶשׁ֙ [and·soul·of] (436) + יְה֣וֹנָתָ֔ן [Jonathan] (521) + נִקְשְׁרָ֖ה [was·bound] (655) + בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ [in·soul·of] (432) + דָּוִ֑ד [David] (14) + (ויאהבו) [and·they·loved] (30) + וַיֶּֽאֱהָבֵ֥הוּ [and·he·loved·him] (35) + יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן [Jonathan] (521) + כְּנַפְשֽׁוֹ [as·his·soul] (456) = 4211.
Radak
"And the soul of Jonathan." The Masorah: from the beginning of the book until here, Yonatan — except for two, "Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised" and "And Yehonatan said" — and from here to the end of the book, Yehonatan.
Ralbag
And he likened it to the fact that Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he saw that he would be king over Israel, upon seeing the goodness of his success. And therefore you will find in what will come that Jonathan said to David, "I know that you shall reign over Israel, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand," and even Saul, my father, knew this. And what directed them to this knowledge was what Samuel had foretold to them, that the kingdom would not endure for Saul.
Metzudat David
"To speak." It is the matter that he said, that he is the son of Yishai:
"And his soul." This means: Then, upon Jonathan hearing that David too was a great man, his soul became bound to the soul of David.
Metzudat Zion
Was bound. From the abundance of love, as if his soul was bound to his soul and joined with it, and it is from the language of expression, similarly (Genesis 44:30): 'and his soul is bound to his soul'.
Malbim
And it is now recounted how he caused the horn of David to sprout, and his fortune continued to shine forth with increasing light. 1) From the side of Jonathan, when he ceased speaking, the soul of Jonathan became bound to the soul of David. This means that from the aspect of the spirit of might and holiness, there was a bond and union in the soul, for the like is drawn to and yearns for the like. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. This means that it was not a love of companionship or of utility, but rather an intrinsic love, whereby the good loves the good. And the love was as his soul, which is the intense love that has nothing above it.
And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.
verse value 1859
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 1859 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·took·him" (וַיִּקָּחֵ֥הוּ, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "in·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקָּחֵ֥הוּ [and·he·took·him] (135) + שָׁא֖וּל [Saul] (337) + בַּיּ֣וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + נְתָנ֔וֹ [he·gave·him] (506) + לָשׁ֖וּב [to·return] (338) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + אָבִֽיו [his·father] (19) = 1859.
Metzudat David
And they did not allow him to return, as was his custom from the time he used to go and return.
Metzudat Zion
He let him. A matter of allowing, similarly (Numbers 21:23): 'and Sihon did not allow'.
Malbim
"And he took him": From the side of Saul, whose intention was to build for him a trustworthy house and to betroth him to his daughter, therefore he did not allow him to return to his father's house, to the sheep, for he was destined to become the king's son-in-law.
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
verse value 3068
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Verse gematria: 3068 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "him" (אֹת֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jonathan" (יְהוֹנָתָ֛ן, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Jonathan" (root יהונתן, 40x in I Samuel); "as·his·soul" (root נפש, 33x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'covenant', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּכְרֹ֧ת [and·he·cut] (636) + יְהוֹנָתָ֛ן [Jonathan] (521) + וְדָוִ֖ד [and·David] (20) + בְּרִ֑ית [covenant] (612) + בְּאַהֲבָת֥וֹ [in·his·love] (416) + אֹת֖וֹ [him] (407) + כְּנַפְשֽׁוֹ [as·his·soul] (456) = 3068.
Metzudat David
“Because of his love for him.” Because he loved him as his own soul.
Malbim
And he made a covenant, 3) From Jonathan’s side, that through love he added to make a covenant with him, and the cause of the covenant was not from any fear, as is the way of those who make covenants, whose cause is some fear lest they do harm to each other or to their children, like the covenant of Abimelech with Abraham and Isaac and the like, but rather from his love he made this covenant.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
verse value 4565
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·robe" (אֶֽת־הַמְּעִיל֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·he·stripped·himself" (וַיִּתְפַּשֵּׁ֣ט), "the·robe" (אֶֽת־הַמְּעִיל֙), "and·he·gave·it" (וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "upon·him" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root פשט ("and·he·stripped·himself") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·David', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְפַּשֵּׁ֣ט [and·he·stripped·himself] (805) + יְהוֹנָתָ֗ן [Jonathan] (521) + אֶֽת־הַמְּעִיל֙ [the·robe] (556) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + עָלָ֔יו [upon·him] (116) + וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ [and·he·gave·it] (477) + לְדָוִ֑ד [to·David] (44) + וּמַדָּ֕יו [and·his·garments] (66) + וְעַד־חַרְבּ֥וֹ [and·until·his·sword] (296) + וְעַד־קַשְׁתּ֖וֹ [and·until·his·bow] (886) + וְעַד־חֲגֹרֽוֹ [and·until·his·girdle] (297) = 4565.
Radak
"And Jonathan stripped off his tunic." The meaning is "from the tunic," just as it says "they went out from the city," for the hitpael conjugation is not transitive. He used the hitpael to indicate that with great willingness and much love he stripped off his garments and gave them to him.
Metzudat Zion
And he took off. A matter of removing the garment.
The robe. The name of an important garment.
And his garments. The rest of the garments.
And until his sword. And even his sword.
Malbim
“And it shall be spread out” – this indicates and admits that he will have dominion over all that is his.
And David went out; whithersoever Saul sent him, he had good success; and Saul set him over the men of war; and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
verse value 4036
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֥י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "over" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "he·would·send·him" (יִשְׁלָחֶ֤נּוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul, Saul. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "he·would·send·him" (יִשְׁלָחֶ֤נּוּ), "teaches" (יַשְׂכִּ֔יל), "and·it·was·good" (וַיִּיטַב֙). The root שאול appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x 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 'battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Radak
"And also in the eyes of Saul's servants." This plural means that Saul's servants did not envy him, even though he had set him above them.
Metzudat David
"And David went out." From that time onward, he went out to war.
“Concerning the men of war.” “To the chief and to the officer over the men of war”:
“Servants of Saul.” These were the military commanders, and although it was their profession, they did not become jealous of him.
Metzudat Zion
He will act wisely. He will succeed, for the successful one appears as one acting with understanding.
Malbim
And he went out. d) Moreover, he added to his success in his war against the Philistines. e) Therefore, Saul appointed him commander of the army. f) And also in this matter he succeeded, in that he found favor in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of Saul’s servants, and they did not envy him for ruling over them. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”
And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments.
verse value 8280
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 96 letters. Verse gematria: 8280 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·Philistine" (אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔י, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "when·returning" (בְּשׁ֤וּב), "and·they·went·out" (וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה), "from·all·cities·of" (מִכׇּל־עָרֵ֤י). The root שיר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 3 words.
Rashi
And with shalishim. Yonatan translated: And with cymbals — a type of musical instrument.
Radak
"And it came to pass when they came in." With a bet, and so too in "when he returned," and the meaning is: "when Israel came in from the battle," "when David returned from striking the Philistines."
“Leshor.” It is written with a vav and read with a yod, and these are two conjugations, yet the meaning is one.
"And the dances." Explanation: And the dances in their hands. And the Targum [renders it] as "for praise, in the dance."
"And with three-stringed instruments." A musical instrument that has three strings; and the Targum renders: and with cymbals.
Ralbag
“With joy and with thirty.” Its meaning is like the meaning of, “Have I not written to you thirty things, and they are wonderful and noble matters?” And with this it says that they were saying in their songs noble matters, and from those statements they said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” as if they prophesied concerning David’s exalted status, that he would be above Saul’s exalted status.
Metzudat David
“Upon their coming.” When the men of war came to their land:
“And the meholot.” He means to say: and the meholot [a kind of musical instrument] were in their hands.
"with timbrels." Just as it is written, "and with timbrels."
Metzudat Zion
To sing. To chant.
And the mecholot. The name of musical instruments, similarly (Exodus 15:20): 'with timbrels and with mecholot'.
And on the three-stringed. A musical instrument with three strings.
Malbim
"And it came to pass when they came" — from here the text relates how suddenly a cloud covered the light of his success, and he began to be hated and pursued, time after time, by Saul; and this was the cause of his kingship. Now, what the text has related up to this point occurred while Saul was still residing in the Valley of Elah, for after they had defeated the Philistines, they remained in the Valley of Elah in camp, and from there they engaged in battles with their neighbors all around. David prospered, and became a chief. Then Saul set his face to return to his home, Gibeah of Saul. This is what is written, "And it came to pass when they came" (meaning, when they came to their home). When David returned, he brought with him the head of the Philistine to show it in the cities of Israel through which they passed (until they left it in Jerusalem, as stated above in the previous chapter, verse 54). Then the women came out from all the cities of Israel through which they passed, to sing and dance over the victory. The text relates that their coming out was to meet King Saul, not to meet David, for they knew this: that one does not bestow honor upon a servant in the presence of his master. And it did not enter anyone’s mind at all to honor David then, much less [did it enter their mind] to elevate his standing above that of Saul, for that is rebellion against the monarchy. Only:
And the women sang one to another in their play, and said: Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.
verse value 3680
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "has·struck" (הִכָּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·answered" (וַֽתַּעֲנֶ֛ינָה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "the·playing" (הַֽמְשַׂחֲק֖וֹת), "and·they·said" (וַתֹּאמַ֑רְןָ), "in·his·myriads" (בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root רבבה ("in·his·myriads") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽתַּעֲנֶ֛ינָה [and·they·answered] (591) + הַנָּשִׁ֥ים [the·women] (405) + הַֽמְשַׂחֲק֖וֹת [the·playing] (859) + וַתֹּאמַ֑רְןָ [and·they·said] (697) + הִכָּ֤ה [has·struck] (30) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + בַּאֲלָפָ֔ו [among·his·thousands] (119) + וְדָוִ֖ד [and·David] (20) + בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו [in·his·myriads] (622) = 3680.
Radak
And they answered them. Like Miriam answered them:
“Saul smote them by the thousands.” The thousands and the tens of thousands of the Philistines—namely, Saul smote the Philistines by the thousands, and David smote them by the tens of thousands. Or its meaning is: with his thousands and with his tens of thousands—namely, when Saul smote the Philistines, he smote them alone as if he had thousands with him; and David, alone, smote the Philistines with a great blow, as if he had tens of thousands with him.
Metzudat David
"In his thousands." In the many thousands of the Philistines:
Metzudat Zion
And they answered. A matter of raising the voice, similarly (Deuteronomy 27:14): 'and the Levites shall answer...with a loud voice'.
The dancing. Rejoicing.
With his myriads. A myriad is ten thousand.
Malbim
The questions: How did the dancing maidens answer with such words, which are contrary to the honor of the king, by magnifying David's deed above the king's deed, in his presence?
"And the women answered" — the women that made sport: that is to say, not the singers, who utter words of song according to the substance of the speech, but the makers of sport, who utter words of jest, speech of two faces, to awaken laughter and gladness. It was they who answered this, and their intention was not truly to magnify that David had ten thousands — for the contrary is the case, since a victory with few men is the greater — but they said that the greatness of the victory which Saul and Jonathan won, having but thousands with them as mentioned above, was above the victory of David, who had with him ten thousands of Israel. Or they intended by the word "ten thousands" the stones that he shot (from the sense of "an archer," and "set yourselves in array against Babylon, ye archers"). But Saul took the words according to their plain sense, as though they intended that the Israelites who were with David were more than those with Saul. And concerning this:
And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said: ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands; and all he lacks is the kingdom! ’
verse value 3682
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "and·more" (וְע֥וֹד) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·eyes" (בְּעֵינָיו֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 506: they·gave, they·gave. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "multitude" (רְבָב֔וֹת), "and·to·me" (וְלִ֥י), "the·thousands" (הָאֲלָפִ֑ים). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·thousands', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
And still more to him. And still more, what is he lacking that needs to be added to him.
Except the kingship. He needs nothing more except the kingship.
Radak
And further, only the kingship. And further, what remains for them to give him except the kingship? That is to say, there is no great matter that they did not grant him in their statements, except that they did not call him "king." And in this manner is the Targum: "And from now on, nothing else remained for him except the kingship."
Metzudat David
They gave to David. This means: In the song it was said about David that he struck down tens of thousands, etc., and what else remained to give him? Only the kingship remained, as if to say: By these words, he is close to reigning.
Metzudat Zion
They gave. Its meaning is the speaking about the matter, similarly (above 1:16): 'do not give your maidservant'.
Malbim
"And Saul was angry" etc. And what more can he have but the kingdom? For surely it is the chosen of the people who reigns, and if the majority of the people follows him, the kingship is his in potential; and there is yet lacking to him only the kingship in actuality; therefore,
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "perversity" ((עון), 3 letters) and the longest is "David" (אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "eying" (עוֹיֵ֣ן). The root עון appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + שָׁא֖וּל [Saul] (337) + (עון) [perversity] (126) + עוֹיֵ֣ן [eying] (136) + אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד [David] (415) + מֵֽהַיּ֥וֹם [from·the·day] (101) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + וָהָֽלְאָה [and·onward] (47) = 1210.
Rashi
Eyeing. (Targum:) an evil eye.
Radak
"And Saul eyed David." It is written with a vav and read with a yod, and both are one, and its meaning is that he looked at him with an evil eye, and its Targum is "as a kind of."
Ralbag
“Hate David.” The intent was that he would gaze at him with a look of hatred, such that all his thoughts were focused on destroying him as far as he was able, whether by devising schemes or by killing him with his own hands, in a manner that David would not be guarded against. And indeed, one of these schemes was as follows: When an evil spirit from God would come upon Saul, and he would speak confused words within the house due to the evil spirit, it was David’s custom to play before him on his instrument to remove the evil spirit from him. And so Saul’s scheme was that he would then take a spear in his hand and intend to strike David while he was playing before him, in order that he might kill him, for at that time David would not be guarded against it.
Metzudat Zion
Envying. From the word 'eye,' and from the word 'examination,' and he means that he was always examining and calculating against him with an evil eye.
Malbim
And Saul eyed David jealously, setting his matters in his heart, thinking that he was the man about whom the prophet said, "and hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou." Therefore, he began to entertain thoughts of killing him, and this will be recounted from here onward.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house; and David played with his hand, as he did day by day; and Saul had his spear in his hand.
verse value 4661
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֨ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "spirit·of" (ר֩וּחַ֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·midst·of·the·house" (בְתוֹךְ־הַבַּ֔יִת, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·midst·of·the·house" (בְתוֹךְ־הַבַּ֔יִת), "and·the·spear" (וְהַחֲנִ֖ית). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·day', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Rashi
He will prophesy. (Targum:) and he raved. A prophet and a madman speak words of hints that are not recognizable.
Radak
"And it came mightily upon." [It means] and it passed over, like "and they passed over the Jordan"; and its Targum is "and it rested."
And he prophesied. As its Targumic translation: I acted foolishly, meaning that he was speaking words of folly.
Metzudat David
“As day by day.” Just as was his custom every single day, when an evil spirit comes upon him:
Metzudat Zion
And it passed over. And it passed.
And he prophesied. Targum Yonatan: 'and he became insane,' he means that he spoke words of insanity, and he uses the language of prophecy, for the prophet and the madman speak words of hints, one for his prophecy and one for his madness.
Malbim
And it came to pass (this was the first time that he sought to kill him) through this thought, an evil spirit entered him, and he prophesied. Know that wherever the verb "prophesied" is written in the hitpa'el form, it indicates an incomplete prophecy, for this is the custom of the hitpa'el form: to denote either an imaginary action, such as "one becomes rich, one becomes poor," and of this type is the usage of "prophesied" regarding Saul, similar to "a madman prophesies" (Jeremiah 29:26), "they prophesy before them" (1 Kings 22), and "they prophesied until the offering of the meal offering" (1 Kings 18:29); or it denotes habit and learning, as in "Noah walked with God," and "it occurs of the sons of the prophets," and when Joshua said, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying," he meant they were learning prophecy. This is not the case with absolute prophecy, which is expressed in the heavy binyan or in the nif'al. He means that in his madness, he was like one foretelling the future, namely that David would take his kingdom.
And Saul cast the spear; for he said: ‘I will smite David even to the wall.’ And David stepped aside out of his presence twice.
verse value 2401
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2401 = 49². The shortest word is "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·spear" (אֶֽת־הַחֲנִ֔ית, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·will·strike" (אַכֶּ֥ה). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "against·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קיר ("and·in·the·wall") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·wall', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֤טֶל [and·he·cast] (55) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + אֶֽת־הַחֲנִ֔ית [the·spear] (874) + וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אַכֶּ֥ה [I·will·strike] (26) + בְדָוִ֖ד [against·David] (16) + וּבַקִּ֑יר [and·in·the·wall] (318) + וַיִּסֹּ֥ב [and·turned] (78) + דָּוִ֛ד [David] (14) + מִפָּנָ֖יו [from·his·face] (186) + פַּעֲמָֽיִם [twice] (240) = 2401.
Rashi
I will strike at David and at the wall. One strike I will strike — that the spear enter into David and into the wall.
Radak
“In David and in the wall.” This means that he thrust the spear through and it became embedded in the wall. Its Targumic translation is “wa’barzinya bekutla min barza,” which, according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, interprets “barza” as “that which is opposite the iron,” meaning the hole made by the spear.
Ralbag
And behold, God, blessed be He, helped David, and he was preserved from this when he turned aside from before him twice. Then it became clear to Saul that God, blessed be He, was with David and had departed from him, and he feared him. He removed him from his presence and appointed him commander of a thousand, so that he would go out and come in before the people. And behold, Saul’s intention was to cause him to fall into the hands of the Philistines.
Metzudat David
“I will strike David and the wall.” This means: a strong blow, until it passes through David’s body and enters further into the wall.
Twice. On two occasions he cast the spear, and it happened that David was turning and leaning away from it, and it did not strike him:
Metzudat Zion
And he cast. He threw, similarly (Jonah 1:5): 'and they cast the cargo'.
And in the wall. In the wall.
Malbim
The questions: What is the difference between this instance and the second instance, in which he also sought to strike him with a spear, and against the wall where David escaped from before him? And here, Saul feared him?
And he intended to strike him as if unintentionally, not aiming at David but at the wall, as though he had struck him by mistake. And that David turned aside was under the providence of God, for David’s eyes were on the harp and he did not see what Saul was doing; rather, God arranged that he should turn aside from him without any intention on his part. And through this, Saul perceived with his senses that particular providence is attached to David. Therefore,
And Saul was afraid of David, because Hashem was with him, and was departed from Saul.
verse value 1723
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "turned·aside" (סָֽר, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·before" (מִלִּפְנֵ֣י, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·with" (וּמֵעִ֥ם). The root שאול appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּרָ֥א [and·he·was·afraid] (217) + שָׁא֖וּל [Saul] (337) + מִלִּפְנֵ֣י [from·before] (210) + דָוִ֑ד [David] (14) + כִּֽי־הָיָ֤ה [because·he·was] (50) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + עִמּ֔וֹ [with] (116) + וּמֵעִ֥ם [and·with] (156) + שָׁא֖וּל [Saul] (337) + סָֽר [turned·aside] (260) = 1723.
Radak
"And Saul was afraid." With the yod of the prefix-letters alone, the yod of the root having fallen from the writing.
Metzudat David
“For the Lord was with him.” This means that He caused [things] to turn away from before him on several occasions without any deliberate intention.
Malbim
"And Saul saw, when he saw that the Lord was with him, and in the opposite direction, [the Lord] withdrew from Saul:"
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
verse value 2205
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·he·removed·him" (וַיְסִרֵ֤הוּ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·he·removed·him" (וַיְסִרֵ֤הוּ), "prince·man" (שַׂר־אָ֑לֶף). The root עם appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "prince·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·came" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'prince·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְסִרֵ֤הוּ [and·he·removed·him] (287) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + מֵֽעִמּ֔וֹ [with] (156) + וַיְשִׂמֵ֥הוּ [and·mounted·it] (367) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + שַׂר־אָ֑לֶף [prince·man] (611) + וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·he·went·out] (107) + וַיָּבֹ֖א [and·came] (19) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + הָעָֽם [the·people] (115) = 2205.
Radak
From his presence. So that he should not always be with him in the house as he had been, but rather that he should go out and come in before the people:
Metzudat David
A commander of a thousand: so that he may be engaged in war continuously, and perhaps he will be killed.
"And he went out and he came in." This implies that he was their leader.
Malbim
"And he removed him" – he thought to humble him, so that he would no longer be near to the king and captain of the host, but only a commander of a thousand. Yet even this did not suffice, for "he went out and came in before the people," meaning that the people did nothing on their own without him; he was the one who went out and came in before them.
And David had great success in all his ways; and Hashem was with him.
verse value 903
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִ֛ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·his·ways" (לְכׇל־דְּרָכָ֖ו, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·all·his·ways" (לְכׇל־דְּרָכָ֖ו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'poem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דָוִ֛ד [David] (14) + לְכׇל־דְּרָכָ֖ו [to·all·his·ways] (310) + מַשְׂכִּ֑יל [poem] (400) + וַיהֹוָ֖ה [and·Hashem] (32) + עִמּֽוֹ [with] (116) = 903.
Rashi
Successful. He succeeds.
Radak
"To all his ways." Like "in all his ways"; and like it, "Thou sattest upon the throne," and "before you by the sword."
Maskil. As its Targum [renders it]: "one who prospers."
Ralbag
And behold, David was exceedingly successful in all his ways, and God, blessed be He, was with him; this added to Saul’s fear of David. Added to this, this was already a cause for all Israel and Judah to love David, for he would go out and come in before them. When Saul saw this, he devised a scheme to give him his daughter, in such a way that he had vowed during his battle with Goliath, thinking that this would be a means to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines, for he had stipulated with him that he would wage the Lord’s battles against the Philistines.
Metzudat Zion
To all his ways. In all his ways, the lamed is in place of the bet, similarly (Leviticus 26:7): 'before you by the sword'.
Acting wisely. Successful.
Malbim
The questions (14–16): What he stated, that David prospered and that he was afraid of him, did he not already say this in verse 5?
"And it came to pass that David —whereas until now he had been successful in the ways of Saul, which he had sent him [to follow]; now he was discerning in his ways, which he walked in on his own before the people. And 'he was discerning' means that he did everything with understanding and knowledge, and with the aid of Divine providence, for the Lord was with him."
And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him.
verse value 1917
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "very" (מְאֹ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·he" (אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·sojourned" (וַיָּ֖גׇר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "from·his·face" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel); "and·saw" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'very', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֣רְא [and·saw] (217) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא [that·he] (513) + מַשְׂכִּ֣יל [poem] (400) + מְאֹ֑ד [very] (45) + וַיָּ֖גׇר [and·sojourned] (219) + מִפָּנָֽיו [from·his·face] (186) = 1917.
Metzudat Zion
And he feared. He was afraid, similarly (Numbers 22:3): 'and Moab was afraid'.
Malbim
And Saul saw in this that he was exceedingly wise, to such an extent that he could not do anything to him, and he was afraid of him, for this is more than the fear mentioned in verse 12.
But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.
verse value 1429
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "and·Judah" (וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "loves" (אֹהֵ֖ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Israel" (וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "going·forth" (יוֹצֵ֥א), "before·them" (לִפְנֵיהֶֽם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "and·to·come·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "before·them" (root פנים, 93x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [and·all·Israel] (597) + וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה [and·Judah] (36) + אֹהֵ֖ב [loves] (8) + אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד [David] (415) + כִּי־ה֛וּא [for·he] (42) + יוֹצֵ֥א [going·forth] (107) + וָבָ֖א [and·to·come·in] (9) + לִפְנֵיהֶֽם [before·them] (215) = 1429.
Malbim
And all Israel, and by this he was not able to do to him any harm, and thus his jealousy and hatred grew:
And Saul said to David: ‘Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give you to wife; only be you valiant for me, and fight Hashem’S battles.’ For Saul said: ‘Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.’
verse value 5864
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 101 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֚ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "hand·of·Philistines" (יַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 60: they, be·to·me. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "my·daughter" (בִתִּ֨י), "I·will·give·to·you" (אֶתֶּן־לְךָ֣), "be·to·me" (הֱיֵה־לִ֣י). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
And Sha'ul said. In his heart.
Let not My hand be upon him. Lest I be punished.
And let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. For this reason he said to him: And fight the battles of the Lord.
Metzudat David
And Saul said, etc. He meant to say: He did not say that he would give him his daughter out of love for him; rather, he thought that through this means he would fall into the hands of the Philistines, and his hand would not be upon him.
Malbim
And Saul said, (the second matter, that he desired to set a trap for him): "Behold, my daughter the elder"—meaning that he is obligated, by virtue of the promise made to the victor over the Philistine, to give him his daughter; yet he could have given him the younger one, requiring him to wait until the elder daughter is married first. However, he wishes to give him the elder daughter, regarding whom he had not incurred any obligation. Therefore, he stipulated a condition with him: "Only be valiant," etc. And Saul's true intention was that he should fall in battle, as is written: "And Saul said," etc.
And David said to Saul: ‘Who am I, and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?’
verse value 2867
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֖י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Saul" (אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "my·life" (חַיַּ֔י), "that·I·should·be" (כִּי־אֶהְיֶ֥ה), "son-in-law" (חָתָ֖ן). The root מי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root חתן ("son-in-law") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + דָּוִ֜ד [David] (14) + אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל [to·Saul] (368) + מִ֤י [who?] (50) + אָֽנֹכִי֙ [I] (81) + וּמִ֣י [and·who] (56) + חַיַּ֔י [my·life] (28) + מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת [clan] (828) + אָבִ֖י [my·father] (13) + בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [in·Israel] (543) + כִּי־אֶהְיֶ֥ה [that·I·should·be] (51) + חָתָ֖ן [son-in-law] (458) + לַמֶּֽלֶךְ [to·the·king] (120) = 2867.
Radak
And who is alive? What does "alive" mean? It means that life is significant. For the life of a distinguished person is significant and precious, but the life of a despised person is not significant. And in His saying "who," it is because he is alive that life is the matter, and the thing that will be said on account of him is "who." For one does not say "who" except concerning a living person who speaks.
"The family of my father in Israel." Explanation: Who is "the family of my father in Israel"? And who is it whose memory stands in the second place? And the Targum [renders]: "But my father's seed in Israel," meaning: There is nothing greater about me except that my father's family is among the well-known ones in Israel.
Ralbag
And behold, David distanced himself from the side of humility regarding marrying the king, saying, “Who am I that I should be worthy to marry the king?” as if he said, “I am despised and very lowly.” And “What is my life?” means: How important is my life that I should be worthy of this? Was I not a shepherd of sheep, and how could it be that I would take from after the sheep to take the king’s daughter?
“Of the family of my father in Israel.” It might seem that the intent here is to ask, “Who is the family of my father in Israel?” But rather, he stated this because he descended from Ruth the Moabite. Similarly, Saul said, “And my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin,” to indicate that he was not worthy of kingship.
Metzudat David
"Who am I?" – as if to say, "Am I not a lowly man?"
"And who is alive?" He means to say: Whose life is considered significant? For the life of a person of high standing is significant and precious, but the life of a despised person is not significant at all.
"Family." And the word mi that he used stands in place of two, and it is as if it said: "And who is my father's family?"—surely they are poor and young.
"Ki ehyeh" – that I will be worthy and fit to be the King’s bridegroom, as it were saying, “Surely this is a great matter to me,” and all that you say I will do for this reason.
Malbim
The question: Why did he not answer, “And I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed,” as he subsequently states?
And David said. He did not say now, as he says at verse 23, "and I am a poor man and lightly esteemed," for he was also promised great wealth, and this was with Saul as a loan, as our Sages of blessed memory said in Sanhedrin, chapter 2, "And he has a great bride-price and gift," only David spoke in a manner of humility, "Who am I?" not in a manner of refusal, as will be explained.
But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul’s daughter should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
verse value 4430
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "to·give" (תֵּ֛ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Adriel" (לְעַדְרִיאֵ֥ל, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·time·of" (בְּעֵ֛ת), "to·give" (תֵּ֛ת), "Merab" (אֶת־מֵרַ֥ב). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·she" (root הוא, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·David', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֗י [and·it·was] (31) + בְּעֵ֛ת [in·time·of] (472) + תֵּ֛ת [to·give] (800) + אֶת־מֵרַ֥ב [Merab] (643) + בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל [daughter·of·Saul] (739) + לְדָוִ֑ד [to·David] (44) + וְהִ֧יא [and·she] (22) + נִתְּנָ֛ה [was·given] (505) + לְעַדְרִיאֵ֥ל [to·Adriel] (345) + הַמְּחֹלָתִ֖י [the·Meholathite] (493) + לְאִשָּֽׁה [to·wife] (336) = 4430.
Rashi
At the time that she was to be given. When the time came that they set to give her to him — and while they were occupied to give her to him, the matter rolled and she was given to Adriel.
Radak
"At the time that he gave." As its Targum [translates it]: "In the days when it came to give Merab to David," meaning: when the time arrived that Saul had given [her to David], the matter was reversed and she was given to Adriel, and David had no betrothal [rights] in her.
Ralbag
“And it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, was given to David.” This means that at that time they agreed between themselves to give her to David, and from this passage it is implied that David did not betroth her.
"Through the one of the twain shalt thou be my son-in-law this day." This means: "Through two daughters that I have shalt thou be my son-in-law this day, for I will give you one of them, namely the unmarried one, for it is impossible that I give you the married one." And I think that he said this to him because he had vowed to him that he would give him his daughter as a wife. It is possible that he would give him the elder, for she is more fitting in this regard, for it is not proper to give the younger before the elder. However, now that the elder was given to Adriel the Meholathite, it became clear that the intention in this matter was not so, but rather that he would give him one of his daughters. And it seems that David did not consent to this out of humility, as previously stated, but rather the verse was abbreviated. And Saul thought that the reason David did not agree to this was that he feared falling into the hands of the Philistines. And therefore he commanded his servants to speak to David in secret and inform him that the king desired him and all his servants loved him, in order that David might think that Saul's intention was not to cause him to fall into the hands of the Philistines.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass at the time when..." When the time appointed for giving Merab to David arrived, she gave herself to Adriel, and received from him betrothal without her father's knowledge.
Malbim
"And it came to pass" — only that when they were engaged in the matter of giving him Merav, an incident occurred, for she was given to Adriel. She had been betrothed without her father's knowledge, because she was of age. Our Sages of blessed memory dispute whether David's betrothal to Merav was a betrothal of error, since he betrothed her with a loan of wealth that had been promised by Saul, and thus she is not betrothed; and Rabbi Yehuda held that they were full-fledged betrothals, because he betrothed her with the benefit of the forgiveness of a loan, and she was given to Adriel in transgression, and he took Michal after the death of Merav. In any case, David forgave Saul the wealth that had been promised to him, and he did not give him Merav. And regarding this, he subsequently said, "And I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed," for he no longer deserved anything from Saul.
And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
verse value 2939
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "Michal" (מִיכַ֥ל, 4 letters) and the longest is "daughter·of·Saul" (בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·loved" (וַתֶּאֱהַ֛ב). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "the·thing" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'David', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתֶּאֱהַ֛ב [and·loved] (414) + מִיכַ֥ל [Michal] (100) + בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל [daughter·of·Saul] (739) + אֶת־דָּוִ֑ד [David] (415) + וַיַּגִּ֣דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + לְשָׁא֔וּל [to·Saul] (367) + וַיִּשַׁ֥ר [and·straighted] (516) + הַדָּבָ֖ר [the·thing] (211) + בְּעֵינָֽיו [in·his·eyes] (148) = 2939.
Metzudat David
"And the thing seemed right in his eyes." In his thinking that through this the Philistines would have power over him.
And Saul said: ‘I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.’ Wherefore Saul said to David: ‘You shall this day be my son-in-law through the one of the twain.’
verse value 6094
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לּוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לּוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "hand·of·Philistines" (יַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "I·will·give·it" (אֶתְּנֶ֤נָּה), "to·snare" (לְמוֹקֵ֔שׁ), "with·two" (בִּשְׁתַּ֛יִם). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hand·of·Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
With two you shall marry me. I have two daughters — with one of them you will marry me. And so Yonatan translated: Be-chadah metarin. Similar to it (II Samuel 24:12): Three I will take upon you — one of three, as is explained there: Choose for yourself one of them.
Radak
"In two you shall marry me." As its Targum renders it: "In one of the two." And similarly, "And he was buried in the cities of Gilead," whose explanation is: Even though I spoke to you concerning my two daughters, and it did not happen that the first one would be yours, the second one shall truly be yours today, and in her you shall marry me today. And it appears that David withdrew his hand from the matter, because he had been slighted by him at first; therefore Saul was compelled to command his servants to speak to David.
Metzudat David
And Saul said, etc. Thus he said in his heart:
And it became for him a snare. For by means of this he will fight against the Philistines:
"In two shall you be married to me." This means: to one of my two daughters; either I will give you Merav against her will, or Michal with her consent.
Malbim
And it became for him a snare, that he would surrender his life to danger on account of his love for her; and according to the one who says that the betrothal of Merab was a full betrothal, he also thought that he would marry her in transgression and be ensnared by it.
In two ways shall you be my son-in-law: He comes to excuse himself, that Merab's having been given to Adriel was not with his knowledge, and I am still in agreement even with the marriage of Merav, so that I am allied to thee by marriage through both of them.
And Saul commanded his servants: ‘Speak with David secretly, and say: Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore be the king’s son-in-law.’
verse value 3474
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. Verse gematria: 3474 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "in·you" (בְּךָ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·his·courtiers" (וְכׇל־עֲבָדָ֖יו, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·he·commanded" (וַיְצַ֨ו), "his·servants" (אֶת־עֲבָדָ֗ו), "speak" (דַּבְּר֨וּ). The root עבד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·David" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root בך ("in·you") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·love·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Radak
Balat. That is, in secret, as its Targum translates it, “in a hidden place,” so that it would be seen that Saul’s words were true and not words of mockery and falsehood. And there are among our Sages of blessed memory who said that both were David’s wives, and after the death of Merav he took Michal, and Adriel took Merav in a transgression. And some of them said that David’s betrothal to Merav was a mistaken betrothal, and Adriel took her permissibly.
Metzudat David
“Speak to David.” Because David did not answer him, thinking that he was mocking him, as he had mocked him with Merab, thinking that she had received betrothal from another with her father’s knowledge, therefore Saul commanded his servants to speak to him.
"Behold, the king desires you." The meaning is: Do not think that because Merav was married to another, this was done with the king’s knowledge or consent; it was not so, for he desires you. Nor should you think that the king’s servants are envious of you, and that they are the ones who caused you to be despised in Merav’s eyes, and that you should fear they might cause you to be despised in Michal’s eyes as well; this too is not the case, for all the king’s servants love you, and Merav despised you on her own accord. But since Michal loves you, marry her.
Metzudat Zion
Secretly. In secret, similarly (Judges 4:21): 'and she came to him secretly'.
Malbim
And he commanded, because he saw that David’s heart was broken from believing, he commanded that his servants should strengthen his hands in this, they should say to him that in the matter of Merab the hindrance was not from the king, for he desired him, nor from his servants who loved him, but only from Merab, and now that Michal loves you, marry the king’s daughter.
And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said: ‘Seems it to you a light thing to be the king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?’
verse value 4145
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֤י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: David, David. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "is·it·a·light·thing" (הַֽנְקַלָּ֤ה), "a·poor·man" (אִֽישׁ־רָ֥שׁ), "and·lightly-esteemed" (וְנִקְלֶֽה). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Radak
"Is it a light thing?" The feminine form is used of hitchaten, which is an infinitive; and likewise, "Is it not this that doth cause it unto thee, thy forsaking the Lord thy God?"
Poor and common. Its Targumic translation is “miserable and ordinary,” meaning a poor man who has nothing that he can give as the bride-price fitting for a king’s daughter. Therefore, Saul said to his servants: “Thus shall you say to David: ‘The king desires no bride-price, but only a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.’”
"And lightly esteemed." That I am not worthy to take the king's daughter.
Ralbag
"I am a poor and despised man." This means: Therefore, I cannot give a bride-price and gifts as befits the daughter of a king.
Metzudat David
“הַנְּקַלָּה” – It is a light matter in your eyes to marry a king? Is it not so that one may only marry him if he is one of the nobles of the people, and with a large dowry? But I am a poor man, possessing nothing; moreover, I am lowly and not honored. Why would the king desire me? This is not so.
Metzudat Zion
The despicable. From the word 'light'.
Poor. Poor.
And despised. It is the opposite of the honored.
Malbim
And David said: "Now he claims that he is a poor man," as stated above (in verse 19).
And the servants of Saul told him, saying: ‘On this manner spoke David.’
verse value 1296
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֥י) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 1296 = 36². The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·the·words" (כַּדְּבָרִ֥ים, 6 letters). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּגִּ֜דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + עַבְדֵ֥י [slave] (86) + שָׁא֛וּל [Saul] (337) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + כַּדְּבָרִ֥ים [as·the·words] (276) + הָאֵ֖לֶּה [these] (41) + דִּבֶּ֥ר [spoke] (206) + דָּוִֽד [David] (14) = 1296.
And Saul said: ‘Thus shall you say to David: The king desires not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ For Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
verse value 6004
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "but" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "by·hand·of·Philistines" (בְּיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּֽים, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "thus·you·shall·say" (כֹּה־תֹאמְר֣וּ), "no·desire" (אֵֽין־חֵ֤פֶץ), "in·a·dowry" (בְּמֹ֔הַר). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
"With a hundred foreskins." His desire was for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to disgrace them and to take vengeance on his enemies:
And Saul thought. The intention is: But in truth, his heart did not think thus; rather, he plotted to deliver him into the hands of the Philistines.
Metzudat Zion
With a bride-price. The gift of the virgins is called 'mohar,' similarly (Exodus 22:16): 'as the bride-price of the virgins'.
Malbim
The questions: Why did Saul need this? Was it not the case that, in any event, he went to war wherever he was sent? And how should he now fall in cutting off their foreskins?
And Saul thought to bring down David. He meant to say that if they fight and kill in the manner of warfare, there is no enmity thereby incurred against the commander of the army. But if he were to fall upon people who are sitting in security, and circumcise them as an act of disgrace, this is not the way of warfare, but rather the way of an oppressor and one who takes vengeance; consequently, the Philistines would necessarily bear great hatred toward him and plot to take revenge upon him.
And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. And the days were not expired;
verse value 2955
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "David" (דָוִ֔ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·words" (אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 92: his·servants, in·the·king. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "they·filled" (מָלְא֖וּ). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel); "the·words" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּגִּ֨דוּ [and·they·told] (29) + עֲבָדָ֤יו [his·servants] (92) + לְדָוִד֙ [to·David] (44) + אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים [the·words] (662) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + וַיִּשַׁ֤ר [and·straighted] (516) + הַדָּבָר֙ [the·matter] (211) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + דָוִ֔ד [David] (14) + לְהִתְחַתֵּ֖ן [to·become-a-son-in-law] (893) + בַּמֶּ֑לֶךְ [in·the·king] (92) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + מָלְא֖וּ [they·filled] (77) + הַיָּמִֽים [day] (105) = 2955.
Rashi
And the days were not filled. He did not wait until the days were filled that he set for him to bring the hundred foreskins.
Radak
"And the thing was good." The yod is written alone, and the yod of the root has dropped from the text.
"And the days were not filled." The time that he had set for him to bring him the hundred foreskins had not yet arrived, until he rose and went and brought him two hundred.
Ralbag
"And the thing pleased David well, to be the king's son-in-law." This means that David agreed to this condition, for he trusted in God, blessed be He, that He would enable him to fulfill it, and it would become clear to Saul that the Lord was with him. And instead of the foreskins of a hundred Philistines he brought him two hundred, to demonstrate the excellence of his success.
Metzudat David
And the matter was right. To bring the foreskins and to become son-in-law to the king:
"And the days were not filled." This indicates that [Saul] had allotted him a time period to bring them, yet David hastened to bring them before the days had been completed.
Metzudat Zion
They were completed. They were fulfilled.
Malbim
“And the thing was right” – meaning, even though the matter was not right in his eyes from its own perspective, since it is not the way of war, as stated above, it was right in his eyes from the perspective of the goal he would achieve through it, namely, to marry the king’s daughter.
and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
verse value 6832
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 98 letters. Notable word values: "and·struck" (וַיַּ֣ךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "David" (דָּוִ֜ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·foreskins" (אֶת־עׇרְלֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 14: David, David. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "their·foreskins" (אֶת־עׇרְלֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם), "and·filled·them" (וַיְמַלְא֣וּם). The root דוד appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·his·men" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 5 words.
Rashi
And David rose and went, he and his men, etc. — and he filled them. Pritshenti'r in the foreign tongue.
Radak
“And they brought them to the king.” The lamed is light, and the meaning of “they brought them” is that his servants brought them to him, for David did not bring them before the king, but rather sent them by the hand of Saul’s servants or by the hand of David’s men, as is the manner of one who sends a messenger by the hand of another. And the interpretation of “they brought them” is that they completed them, meaning that all two hundred were brought before him.
Metzudat David
"And he filled them." He completed the entire two hundred, even though he had only mentioned one hundred.
And Saul saw and knew that Hashem was with David; and Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.
verse value 2088
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2088 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "daughter·of·Saul" (בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·Michal" (וּמִיכַ֥ל), "loved·him" (אֲהֵבַֽתְהוּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "with·David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·David', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֤רְא [and·saw] (217) + שָׁאוּל֙ [Saul] (337) + וַיֵּ֔דַע [and·knew] (90) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + עִם־דָּוִ֑ד [with·David] (124) + וּמִיכַ֥ל [and·Michal] (106) + בַּת־שָׁא֖וּל [daughter·of·Saul] (739) + אֲהֵבַֽתְהוּ [loved·him] (419) = 2088.
Radak
And Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him. Therefore, he added to his fear of him for two reasons: one, that he saw that the Lord was with him; and second, that Michal, his daughter, loved him, and he could not cause his death through her. And even if he were to speak of his death in his house, Michal, his daughter, would reveal it to him.
Ralbag
"And Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him." Behold, this too added to Saul's fear, for this indicates the success of David and that the kingship would be his. For even though it became clear to Saul's daughter that her father hated David, nevertheless she became attached to him with love. And this too would be a barrier preventing Saul from killing David, so as not to cause pain to his daughter's heart. Moreover, it is possible that she would reveal to David her father's secrets, and because of this he would be guarded from the evil that he planned to do to him.
Metzudat David
And Saul saw. Good was his success:
“She loved him.” And she revealed to him her father’s enmity toward him, and he would be guarded.
Malbim
And when he saw that even this scheme had not harmed him, he knew with clear knowledge that the Lord was with him, and that Michal also loved him; and this would strengthen his hand to attain the kingship.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually.
verse value 1950
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "enemy" (אֹיֵ֥ב) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 1950 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·fear" (לֵרֹ֛א, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·days" (כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים, 7 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·he·continued" (וַיֹּ֣אסֶף), "to·fear" (לֵרֹ֛א), "enemy" (אֹיֵ֥ב). The root שאול appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'still', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אסֶף [and·he·continued] (157) + שָׁא֗וּל [Saul] (337) + לֵרֹ֛א [to·fear] (231) + מִפְּנֵ֥י [from·face·of] (180) + דָוִ֖ד [David] (14) + ע֑וֹד [still] (80) + וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + שָׁא֛וּל [Saul] (337) + אֹיֵ֥ב [enemy] (13) + אֶת־דָּוִ֖ד [David] (415) + כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים [all·the·days] (155) = 1950.
Rashi
To fear. To be afraid.
Radak
"To fear." The yod, the first radical, is concealed from the writing; therefore the lamed has a tsere.
Metzudat David
"And he gathered." And because of this, he added to his fear of David.
Metzudat Zion
And he gathered. Like 'and he added' with a vav.
To fear. From the word 'fear' and 'terror'.
Malbim
“And he gathered” — thereby the fear and enmity of Saul increased, not intermittently, but continuously throughout all the days.
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David prospered more than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
verse value 3693
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "slave" (עַבְדֵ֣י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "princes·of" (שָׂרֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "Philistines" (פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "their·going-out" (צֵאתָ֗ם), "was·prudent" (שָׂכַ֤ל), "and·esteemed" (וַיִּיקַ֥ר). The root יצא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "David" (root דוד, 262x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·it·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצְא֖וּ [and·went·out] (113) + שָׂרֵ֣י [princes·of] (510) + פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים [Philistines] (860) + וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + מִדֵּ֣י [from·enough·of] (54) + צֵאתָ֗ם [their·going-out] (531) + שָׂכַ֤ל [was·prudent] (350) + דָּוִד֙ [David] (14) + מִכֹּל֙ [from·all] (90) + עַבְדֵ֣י [slave] (86) + שָׁא֔וּל [Saul] (337) + וַיִּיקַ֥ר [and·esteemed] (326) + שְׁמ֖וֹ [his·name] (346) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 3693.
Rashi
And the captains of the Philistines went out. To come in raiding parties to plunder spoil in Israel.
Radak
“Whenever they go out.” At any time of their going out; and similarly, “Whenever they ascend to the House of the Lord,” “Whenever the new moon comes in its season,” “Whenever I speak of him,” and similar expressions.
"David behaved wisely." [That is,] he prospered.
"And his name was precious." He was precious in the eyes of all who heard of him. And in the Midrash on "and his name was precious" in a halakhic context: When the Philistines heard that David had taken a wife, the officers of the Philistines went out and said, "It is written in their Torah: 'When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the army.' Let us go and fight against them." They did not know that David was wise and expounded: In what case was this said? In a war of permission. But in a war of commandment, all go out, even the groom from his chamber and the bride from her canopy.
Ralbag
"David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul." That is to say, that he prospered in war more than all of them.
And his name became very great. This means that anyone who mentioned his name would do so with esteem and great honor.
Metzudat David
"And they went out." [This refers to the Philistines] going out to plunder the land of Israel, and at every time they went out, David succeeded in striking them more than all of Saul's servants, and through this he became honored in the eyes of all.
Metzudat Zion
Whenever. At every time, similarly (above 1:7): 'whenever she went up'.
He succeeded. He succeeded.
And it became precious. From the word 'precious' and 'honored'.
Malbim
"And they went out"—truly, just as Saul had calculated that through the drunkenness and uncircumcision of the Philistines, they would wage war against him until death because of their disgrace, so it came to pass, for the commanders of the Philistines went out to take vengeance on David. But David did not hide from them; rather, he fought and proved more successful than all of Saul’s servants. And whereas Saul had intended to bring him down through this, it was the opposite: for his name became very great.
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim