I Samuel · Chapter 8

He relates after this that when Samuel was old and was weary of leading Israel in the manner he had, he appointed his sons judges over Israel in Beer-sheba, so that they would judge there those who were distant from him, thereby lightening the burden upon him. However, his sons did not walk in his ways, but rather pursued personal gain; therefore, they accepted bribes. This was the cause that they perverted justice, for “a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise,” as stated in the Torah. Therefore, it is forbidden to accept a bribe, even if one does not intend to pervert justice, because the nature of a bribe is that it deceives a person into favoring the one from whom he received it in his judgment. Even if the recipient of the bribe does not intend to pervert the judgment, the bribe causes the truth of the judgment to be concealed from him due to his desire to benefit the one from whom he received the bribe, to the extent that he cannot see him liable.

As when an elder is unable to travel through the cities of Israel, and he appoints his sons as judges, so that each may go throughout his portion of the land to administer justice:

Joel. He is the "Vashni" mentioned in Chronicles. The judges were in Beersheba. This narrative is to inform us that they did not walk in the ways of their father, who would go and circulate among the cities so as not to burden all of Israel by having them come to him for judgment. They, however, were not content with merely not doing this; rather, they sat at the extremity of the Land of Israel, for Beersheba was at the edge of the Land of Israel, as the verse states, “From Dan to Beersheba,” for these two were the extremities of the Land of Israel. And even if one had sat in Dan and the other in Beersheba, it would not have been bad. But both of them were judging in Beersheba, thereby burdening Israel to come to them and increasing their own reward. And our Sages of blessed memory said that the sons of Samuel did not sin, except in that they did not circulate throughout all the places of Israel, but sat in their homes in order to increase the reward for their messengers and scribes. The Scripture attributes this to them as if they had taken bribes. Of them it is said, “They asked for bribes,” and of them it is said, “They took gifts with the arm.” And according to the plain meaning of the verse, it appears that they sinned.

Judges at Beersheba. They were appointed as judges, and they sat in Beersheba:

The next. The second after him.

The judges were in Beersheba: This implies that it was not merely insufficient that they did not follow in their father’s ways to travel around the cities of Israel to judge them, but rather they sat in Beersheba, at the extremity of the Land of Israel. Had one sat in Dan and one in Beersheba, the burden [on the people] would not have been great. But they both sat in Beersheba, thereby burdening Israel to come to them, and increasing the wages of their heralds and scribes.

And they turned aside. They themselves. And they turned aside. Another matter — namely, the judgment. And our Sages said (Shabbat 56a): The sons of Samuel did not sin, except that they did not go in the ways of their father, who used to go around all places of Israel and judge them in their cities. And they did not do so, in order to increase the reward of their messengers and their scribes.

“And they turned after the spoil.” They turned after the spoil, meaning that their hearts were inclined toward money, and they were anxious for their wealth. It is not good to have judges like these, but rather those who hate spoil, as it is written in the Torah: “men who hate spoil.” These are the men who are content with their portion, who refrain from this world, and do not pursue after money. This is the explanation of “men who hate spoil.” One should not interpret “men who hate spoil” as meaning those who hate robbery, violence, and bribes, for it has already been said, “men who fear God, men of truth.” And the sons of Samuel loved spoil; moreover, they took bribes and perverted justice. But Targum Jonathan [translates]: “And they turned after the spoil,” and [the Aramaic] “and they were occupied with the money of falsehood.”

And they turned aside. They turned themselves aside to covet money, and because of this they took bribes and perverted justice.

The greed. The desire for money, similarly (Exodus 18:21): 'haters of bribes'.

And they did not walk in His ways by going about in the cities of Israel; afterwards they inclined after gain, to increase the wages of their heralds and scribes, and to impose burdens on households, and to ask for their share with their mouths, as our Sages of blessed memory said. And afterwards they took bribes, and afterwards they perverted justice, for one sin drags another in its wake. And our Sages of blessed memory said that they did not sin in the actual taking of bribes, but rather, because they inclined after gain, it is accounted to them as if they had taken bribes.

And behold, all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and they said to him, “Appoint for us a king to judge us, like all the nations.” And behold, they erred in this matter, for Israel is not in a state such that a king should judge them according to his own desire, as is the case with the kings of the nations of the world, who establish for their people customs as it comes to their mind. For this reason, the Torah states that if Israel says, “Let us appoint over us a king like all the nations that are around us,” they may not appoint over them anyone except from among their own brethren, who are bound to fulfill the Torah, and according to the Torah they shall lead them, and not by other customs. For this reason, the Torah commanded that the king shall write for himself a Sefer Torah, another one besides the book he had when he was a private citizen, and it shall be with him always, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that his governance of the people shall be according to the Torah. And for this reason, it was evil in Samuel’s eyes when Israel made this request. And for this reason, he informed them at the end of the matter that Israel has no king other than the Lord. And also the Lord said to Samuel that their request was to turn away from the ways of the Torah. For this reason, He said, “They have rejected Me from reigning over them.” And behold, at the end of the matter, their kings became a cause for Israel to err and to remove them from following the Lord, until they brought exile upon them from their land, as has been explained regarding Jeroboam son of Nebat and his companions. And for this reason, the Lord desired to distance them from this because of the evil end result that was destined to follow from this. And therefore He commanded Samuel to tell Israel the statute of the king, so that they would withdraw from this request due to the difficulty that the people would have in enduring all these things mentioned that the king would rule over them, until they would become his slaves.

And they assembled, as explained (in section 13): The Philistines raised their head at that time and ruled over Israel, whereas the hand of the Lord was upon them all the days of Samuel (above 7:13). For due to the perversion of justice within them, the edge of their sword was turned back in battle, as is known from the matter of Jehoshaphat (II Chronicles 20), that when he established justice upon it, he drove away his enemies before him and said, "Destroy them." Therefore, when they saw that their hand was weakened, and there was none shut up nor left at large, they assembled.

“You have grown old, and you are no longer able to judge us as you did until now, and your sons, whom you appointed as judges over us, have not walked in your ways.” “Set over us a king to judge us like all the nations.” Our Sages of blessed memory stated that the Israelites were commanded with three mitzvot upon their entry into the Land: to appoint a king over them, to blot out the seed of Amalek, and to build the Chosen House. If so, why was this matter evil in the eyes of the Lord? Because they asked for it in complaint, and not for the sake of the commandment. For had they said, “Give us a king who will judge us with righteousness and faith,” the matter would not have been evil in the eyes of Samuel, since Scripture testifies that his sons were not upright judges. Or had they said, “Let us come before you, and you shall judge us all the days of your life,” since you are unable to travel to all the places, they would have said, “Good.” Or had they said, “Let us appoint a king over us by your counsel, since you have grown old, and the king shall judge us and admonish us, and his fear shall be upon us to keep the way of the Lord,” this request would have been good. But when they said, “Set over us a king,” this was evil, representing a lack of trust in God. Furthermore, they said, “like all the nations,” whereas they did not need to be like all the nations if they kept the way of the Lord, for He fights their battles. Yet they said, “And he shall go out before us and fight our battles.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Samuel, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them.” Their intent was not to reject you regarding judgment, for they do not desire a king solely for the matter of judgment, for you alone would have sufficed for them all the days of your life. But now, when they found a pretext to ask for a judge, they asked for a king, and they have rejected Me from reigning over them, and they have removed their trust from Me. And there is a dispute among the words of our Sages of blessed memory: some said they were punished because they prioritized “like all the nations”; and some said they did not seek a king for themselves except to serve idolatry, as it is stated, “Set over us a king,” and this means, “Let us be like all the nations”; and some said that the elders among them asked properly, as it is stated, “Set over us a king to judge us,” and the common people among them corrupted it, as it is stated, “And let us also be like all the nations.”

You have grown old, and your strength has waned to judge anymore. “Like all the nations.” That their king judges them:

And they said to him, “Behold, if we are to attain superior leadership from you, surely you are too old to be a man [fit for rule]; and if from your sons, behold, your sons have not walked in your ways. Therefore, set for us a king.”

And the thing was evil. Because they said: to judge us like all the nations.

"And Samuel prayed." He prayed that prophecy should come to him regarding this matter, so that he would know what the Lord would say.

As they said, etc., “to judge us.” For the authority to judge is entrusted to the judges, to adjudicate according to the Torah, and not to the king, to adjudicate according to his own discretion. And he prayed. That the Divine utterance would come to him, so that he might know what to answer them.

The Questions (from verse 6 to the end of the passage): What was the cause of the anger regarding the king’s request, which is one of the commandments of the Torah, “You shall surely set a king over you”? And what our Sages of blessed memory stated, that they asked for it at an improper time, since the commandment is to appoint a king only after the war against Amalek—this requires clarification as to why it should be so. Furthermore, if that is the case, why did He fulfil their request? And all the more so, it is astonishing what our Sages of blessed memory said, that they sought to serve idolatry; why should this be compared to the matter of idolatry? And what is meant by “to judge us like all the nations” resembles what is said, “and you shall say, ‘I will set over me a king like all the nations’”? And what is meant by “the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel,” when they said, “Give us a king to judge us”—he should have said, “when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us like all the nations’,” for that was the essence of the sin. And what is meant by “Listen to their voice,” etc., “For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me”—is it not all the more so that they saw that He would not listen to them to reject the Lord? And why did He repeat, “Now, therefore, listen to their voice”? And behold, in chapter 12, he reproved them greatly for requesting a king; and why did the Lord command him to fulfill their desire? And why did the Torah command to establish a king for them, after all that this would be a sin and an iniquity? And why did He subsequently add to anoint David, and to build for him a royal house for generations? And what is meant by “And you shall warn them of the rights of the king”—this is very astonishing, for the Torah stated, “That his heart not be lifted up above his brethren,” and “That he not turn aside from the commandment.” And how can he oppress and plunder his people at his whim, and give them to his servants, and call this “the rights of the king”? And what is written a second time, “But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel,” etc., and they said, etc., “And we also will be like all the nations,” etc.—have they not added sin to iniquity, and the Lord said, “Listen to their voice”? And why did they subsequently add that he would fight their wars, which they did not mention at first? And why did Samuel speak this matter a second time in the ears of the Lord? "And the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel." The commentators were perplexed by this: Why was the thing evil in the eyes of Samuel and in the eyes of the Lord? Yet the verse states: "When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you to inherit, and you have inherited it and dwell therein, and you shall say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,' you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses." And our Sages of blessed memory said that it was because they asked Him in complaint, and because they asked Him at an improper time. And they said: "The elders asked properly, but the common people corrupted it." And they said that their request was to serve idolatry. And according to what is explained in my writings, their sin was from three aspects: A) Even though the Torah commanded or permitted them to establish a king for themselves (for Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nehorai dispute on this point [Sanhedrin 20b] whether establishing a king is optional or obligatory), the verse conditioned this and said: "When you come into the land and inherit it and dwell therein, and you shall say, 'I will set a king over me.'" This means that the establishment of a king is necessary for the collective body and is greatly needed. As the researchers have written, the relation of the king to the political collective is like the relation of the heart to the body of an animal that has a heart, and like the relation of existence to the First Cause, Blessed be He. And they said that kingship fulfills three things: 1. Unity and the absence of partnership; 2. Continuity and the absence of change; 3. Absolute power. However, all this applies to the nations upon the face of the earth who conduct themselves according to the processes of nature, and also to Israel at a time when the Divine image departs and their conduct is under the causes of chance and nature. Then it is necessary that they establish a king over themselves to wage their wars and to repel war at its onset. Not so at a time when the Lord distinguishes them from all the nations and conducts them under the staff of His particular providence, and "their king goes before them, and the Lord is at their head." They had no need for a king. As it is written: "And you shall say, 'A king shall reign over us,' but the Lord your God is your king." Therefore, He said that as long as you inherit and dwell in the land, at that time the Lord passed before them in holiness and performed wonders among them, and all their affairs were by miracle and wonder. They had no permission to establish another king and to trespass against the Kingdom of Heaven. Only after inheritance and dwelling, when there were times that the King, the Lord of Hosts, left them and they were like all the nations under the conduct of nature, then it was permitted or commanded in their hand to establish a king for themselves like all the nations around them. Since they were like them under the hand of nature, they needed a leader who would benefit them according to political conduct. According to this, while Samuel was alive, to whom Divine providence clung, and upon whom the Lord thundered with a great voice against the Philistines, as he said, "Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain," they should not have left this providential conduct and sought shelter under the shadow of flesh. Rather, they should have asked Him to remove his sons from being judges and that he himself should lead the people as before. And this agrees with the words of our Sages of blessed memory that they asked Him at an improper time, for in Samuel's lifetime they should not have asked such a thing. B) They defiled the honor of Samuel in this. If they had asked for a king solely for the sake of war, to go out against weapons and to wage their wars, there would not have been so much contempt and disgrace for Samuel. But they said, "Give us a king to judge us," which indicates that they found his judgments burdensome, to the point that they seek another judge better than him. And they emboldened themselves before him to say that they wish to remove him from being judge and to choose another in his place. This is an insult and anger against the Lord who did justice and righteousness for all His people. And this was evil in His eyes particularly, as it is written: "And the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.'" And this agrees with the words of the one who said they asked Him in complaint, for they complained about the prophet's conduct and his judgments with Israel. C) The appointment of kings is in one of two ways: Either that the king be submissive to the laws of the Torah and the commandments, as were the righteous kings of Israel of old and the religious kings of the nations in our time; or that the king rule over the laws and religions, to enact laws and statutes according to his own will, as were the kings of the nations in ancient times, who made laws and statutes and changed them as they pleased. Now, the Torah warned the king that he should keep the Torah and the commandment, as it is written: "And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law... and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life... that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left." Thus, he had no permission to innovate Torah or to change anything from the laws of the Torah. Now, what Israel said, "Give us a king to judge us like all the nations," is a statement with two meanings. For it can be interpreted that the intention was: "Give us a king like all the nations to judge us," in which case the simile "like all the nations" refers to the appointment of the king, and this is similar to what is written in the Torah: "And you shall say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me.'" And what is said, "to judge us," means that he shall judge them according to the laws of the Torah. In this case, their request was not evil in itself, for the Torah permitted them this and said, "You shall surely set a king over you." Only that there was contempt and disgrace for Samuel, as if they were saying that Samuel's judgments did not please them because they were not aligned with justice and Torah law, and they seek a judge better than him in his place. And it can be interpreted that they intended "to judge us like all the nations," meaning that he should not judge them according to the laws of the Torah, but like their neighboring kings who decree religions and establish customs. In this case, they did not offend the honor of Samuel in his capacity as a judge according to the laws of the Torah, for they admitted that they did not find a burden in him from this aspect, and that he judges with justice according to the Torah. They did not reject him. Rather, they do not desire the laws of the Torah nor the judgment of a judge according to its statutes. And this is rebellion against the Lord and His Torah, not against Samuel, as it is written [Exodus 16:8]: "Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord." Now, Samuel judged them to the side of merit, and understood from their words the first interpretation, that the essence of their request was "Give us a king to judge us," meaning according to the laws of the Torah, and it was evil in his eyes only from the aspect of his honor, for they humbled him by implying that his judgments were not good and straight according to the Torah. And this is what is written: "And the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.'"

"To all that..." And even that judgment be handed over to the king. "For they have not rejected you." This means: Lest you say, "How can I continue to attend to them if they have rejected me?" Behold, they have not rejected you, for they did nothing without you; rather, they have rejected Me, and they do not desire the ordinances of the Torah.

"And the LORD said" — and the LORD revealed to him that he should heed the voice of the people to grant their request. This is because it says, "You shall listen to all that they say to you," meaning: listen to the final import of their words, which was that they asked him to judge us like all the nations. Their intention was that they be judged according to the laws of the nations, whose source is the desire and will of the ruler. The text is precise in this matter: for had they not intended this, it would have been stated in the opposite manner, "Give us a king like all the nations to judge us." This is what our Sages of blessed memory said: "The elders asked properly, and the common people spoiled it" (for in this statement there were two faces, each party intending a different purpose). And in this regard, it is not a lack of honor to you, for "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them," for by this they desire to remove from themselves the judgments of the Torah and the Kingship of Heaven.

“Also for you.” The meaning is “with you,” namely: even though you were with them and went before them in their wars, and they succeeded until you completed the subjugation of their enemies for them, to the point that they no longer needed war, because you returned them to the good path, nevertheless, now they have rebelled against Me, even with you, by asking for a king for themselves, which they did not need, since they have no war except the war against Nahash, king of the children of Ammon.

Like all their deeds. This means: It is not a new thing with them, for just as in all their deeds, etc., they rejected Me and chose the worshippers of stars and constellations, so too are they doing now in what they said to you, “Set over us a king to judge us,” in order to reject the judgment of the Torah and choose the judgment of a king.

"Like all." That is to say, even though they wish to abandon the Source of Life to hew for themselves broken cisterns, because until now, since You were at their head, they were guided by the Upper Providence, and the Lord reigned over them and went before them. And now they wish to be under the governance of flesh and the laws of nature. Behold, this is similar to all the deeds they did from the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, that I brought you up from under the dominion of the constellations into the shade of Providence, yet they abandoned Me and served other gods, because they loved to be under the wings of the angels and the stars. So too are they acting towards You: they have rejected being guided by You through miraculous, providential guidance, and they desire natural governance, trusting in the arm of flesh. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said, that they sought to serve idolatry; meaning that this matter appears somewhat as the Scripture likened their situation.

He will testify against them. He will warn them — that the fear of their king be upon them.

"Manner." [It means] a statute; and likewise, "this shall be the priests' due from the people." And so the Targum renders it nimusa. And our Sages of blessed memory differed concerning the manner of the kingship: Rabbi Yose says, everything stated in the section of the king, the king is permitted to do; Rabbi Judah says, this section was stated only to frighten them and to terrify them.

"And now." Since they did not reject you, attend to them and heed their voice. "However, you shall surely forewarn them." This means: Warn them, saying that it is not good for them if the king does not submit to the judgment of the Torah. "And you shall tell them." Prophesy and tell them what the law of the king is that rises to his mind, so that they will know that it is burdensome for them.

Solemnly warn. A matter of warning, named because it is customary to warn before witnesses, so that he will not deny at a later time, similarly (Genesis 43:3): 'the man did solemnly forewarn us'. Justice. He means conduct, and if it is not according to law, similarly (above 2:13): 'and the custom of the priests'.

And now, indeed, now that the schemes of their heart have been revealed, for they are a root bearing gall and wormwood, therefore they are no longer worthy of miraculous providence, which exists only when they are righteous and whole in their faith. And since now their defence is removed from over them and they are like all the nations, to be governed by the way of nature, therefore they truly need a king who will complete their governance in the most effective manner according to the natural order. And therefore, listen to their voice to appoint a king for them. However, "you shall testify against them" means that after they desire that the king not submit to the laws of the Lord, but rather rule and govern according to his own desire without restraint, you shall testify against them concerning the evil that will befall them from this governance. For a ruler who submits to the laws of the Torah will not exalt himself to overturn judgment or take what is not due to him by right of law, for he too must listen to the Torah and the law, as it is stated (Sanhedrin 19a): "The kings of the House of David judge, and they judge him," as it is written, "The House of David, its judgment is to seek justice in the morning." And since they do not judge him, how can he judge? Etc. But a ruler who does not submit to the religion will seize everything for himself by force, as it is stated: "The kings of Israel do not judge, and they do not judge him." And you shall inform them of the statute of the king who will reign over them. He did not say here "the statute of kingship" (as stated below 10:25), which refers to the things that are due to the monarchy by right of law and religion, as it is stated, "They shall not ride on his horse, nor use his scepter," and the like. Rather, he said "the statute of the king," meaning the law and decree that he will establish for himself according to his own desire, contrary to the law, as stated above (chapter 2) "This is the statute of the priests," whose interpretation is a statute that they established for themselves by way of violence.

And He said: “Inform them of all the words of the Lord.” How did He know their thoughts, that they desired to be judged according to the laws of the nations and to abandon the sovereignty of the Lord?

"And they ran before his chariot." The accent is on the final syllable (milra), and its grammatical construction is on the upper syllable (milel), following the pattern of the verbs with the letter ayin in the root (such as "nahi"), even though some of them are accented on the final syllable, as we have written in the section on grammar in the book Mikhlal u-Ta'am. And "they ran" refers to the runners mentioned, or its meaning is that he will take from your sons also to be running on foot before his chariot. And so did Jonathan translate: "like runners and pursuers before his chariot."

“And he shall declare to them the rights of the kingship.” And behold, Samuel informed Israel of the king’s rights, meaning that he would take the tithes from them. And I considered that the king is not permitted to do those matters mentioned; rather, Samuel intended to frighten and terrify them, informing them of what the king would do once he strengthened his hold over his kingdom, when he would impose upon them burdens that cannot be done according to the laws of the Torah.

The law of the king. That which arises in his spirit, without turning to the law of the Torah: "He shall take and set them for him." He shall take them by force, and set them as drivers of his chariot and as horsemen, and as runners on foot before his chariot.

And they will run. A matter of hastening in walking.

And he said, and on this basis he said to them: For instead of that they think that he will establish for them good statutes and ordinances, by which they shall live, it will be the opposite, for this will be his judgment for evil. And he counted seven things: 1) he will take your sons — at first he will take them for menial servitude, to run before his chariot.

And to make his weapons of war. To make them artisans and smiths and carpenters.

“And to make his instruments of war.” The Targum: “And craftsmen to make his instruments of war.” And all of this is for wages, not for nothing; rather, the king takes precedence over every person.

"And to appoint for him, etc." And indeed, many will reject placing upon themselves the yoke of the burden of guiding the people. “And to plow his plowing.” [This refers] to the king’s [plowing].

And to appoint, and from these runners he will select some of them to be commanders of thousands, and some of them for the work of the soil, to plow its plowing, and some of them for the work of the artisan and the planner, to make his weapons of war, in such a way that the commanders will initially be the runners, like horses before the chariot, and he will not choose according to rank, lineage, and distinction, but only according to the will sent forth to exalt or to humble, to commanders or to laborers of the soil, which is devoid of any justice and uprightness, and of any providence over the people at all.

To be perfumers. Preparers of perfumes and spices — for the toiletries of his wives.

"for perfumery": to compound the perfume of the spices; and the Targum [renders it]: to serve them. And regarding "the cooks": [They are] those who cook. And likewise, in Arabic, the one who cooks is called "tabbakh." And the kaf in Arabic corresponds to a het in Hebrew. Or perhaps it is to be understood in its plain sense, as the term for slaughtering, for those who cook will slaughter that which they cook. "And to be bakers." Bakers of bread.

And to perfumers. To make the work of spices, similarly (Exodus 30:25): 'work of a perfumer'. And to cook-women. Those who cook, for behold they slaughter what they cook from the meat. And to bakers. From the word 'baking of bread'.

b) And your daughters: from them he shall not take [wives] for any position of authority, but only as maidservants—those who pound grain, bake, and cook.

And your olive groves. The orchards of olives.

3) And he shall give the fields and the vineyards to his servants, to enrich them, since they are those who stand close before him; and he shall also give them the tithe from the sowing, even though they may have many fields and vineyards of their own.

"And your seed." This refers to fields and vineyards. The verse has already stated, "your fields and your vineyards," for if the king wishes, he may take all the fine fields, vineyards, and olive groves; as for the remaining fields and vineyards, he shall tithe them—meaning he shall take the tithe from the fields and vineyards, or from other produce, after the Levites' tithe has been taken. Our Sages of blessed memory, however, interpreted it to mean that he does not take the fields and vineyards themselves, but rather their fruits. If his servants require them when they go to war, they may plunder the places; if they have nothing to eat there, they may take the produce, but they must pay for its value. However, the tithe of grain, fruits, and flocks is his right to take whenever he wishes, as King Solomon of Israel used to take them. Likewise, regarding the statement, "and to take your daughters to be wives and concubines, as he chooses," the proof that he does not take the fields, vineyards, and olive trees for himself is that the verse says, "and he shall give them to his servants," meaning to his soldiers, for they are all his servants. What, then, is the meaning of "and he shall give them to his servants, to his army that is with him"? It means that he does not take the actual fields and vineyards for himself. Otherwise, Ahab would have taken Naboth's vineyard by royal right, and Jezebel would not have needed all those schemes and the shedding of innocent blood. The phrase "the good ones" means that he shall choose the finest to take their fruits and give them to his servants. And the reason it mentions "your fields, your vineyards, and your olive trees" is that these are the primary sources of livelihood, as it also says, "your grain, your new wine, and your oil."

"He shall tithe." He shall take from them the tithe:

And your seed. From the word 'sowing'. To his eunuchs. To his officials and servants.

"And he shall use." He shall do with them what is necessary for his work:

The good ones. He means, in appearance.

4) “And your servants, and also his servants, shall not do his work, for they shall be princes and nobles; and he shall take your servants, and also your young men, for his work; and likewise his donkeys and his cattle shall rest from labour, and for his work he shall take your donkeys.”

"He will take the tithe of your flocks." And the cattle are included with them, since they were not mentioned in the passage. “And you shall be to Him for slaves.” After he stated the entire passage, what is the need for “And you shall be to Him for slaves”? Has he not already stated that he will take the sons and daughters, the fields and vineyards, and everything he desires? Our Sages of blessed memory said: This teaches that he may impose taxes upon them. It is written here “for slaves,” and it is written there, “And they shall be to you for tribute, and they shall serve you.”

"And you." Even you yourselves shall not be free from serving his service.

5) "Your flocks" – the tithes of the grain of the land and the fruit of the tree, which are of little value to him, he will give to his servants; but the tithes of the increase of your flocks he will take for himself, in order to enrich himself. 6) And besides this, you yourselves will not be free men, but only slaves, for he will rule even over your bodies.

"And you shall cry out." And He said to them, "Behold, this will be burdensome for you, until you cry out to the Lord from the heavy burden that your king will impose upon you, and the Lord will not answer you, because the spirit of your choice has brought you to all this." And the people answered, saying, "Nevertheless, they choose that there be a king to judge them, and they will derive benefit from him, in that he will go before them to fight their battles, so that the enemies will not rule over them as they had ruled previously. For the king will cause all the people to assemble to fight against their enemies, and this will add strength to Israel. However, when Israel had no king, the enemies would fight against some of the Israelites, and the rest would not strengthen their hands [to help them]; in this manner, the enemies would prevail, even though they were far fewer in number than Israel. And it seemed as though he had already said this on account of their fear of Nahash, king of the Ammonites, who came against them to fight with them, as Samuel told them in what follows. And when the Lord saw their intention, He agreed with them. But He directed them at the conclusion of the matter, through the words of Samuel, that they be careful to observe the commandments of the Torah; and if not, behold, both they and their king will be destroyed."

“And you shall cry out.” Because of the hardship of subjugation by kings, you will cry out to the Lord, and He will not answer you, for He already warned you, and despite all that, you desired a king.

And you shall cry out, but then you will not be able to remove His yoke, for it has descended upon you through His servants and His armies; rather, you will cry out to the Lord from the pain of your heart, and the Lord will not answer you afterward, because you have chosen this for yourselves in your choice.

And they said, "No." The lamed is written with a dagesh. Likewise, in the verse, "And they said, 'No, for we shall lodge in the street'" (Genesis 19:2), the lamed has a dagesh.

"In the voice of Samuel." This refers to the fact that he was making repugnant to them the matter of a king who judges according to his own opinion. And they said to him, "No." This means: We will not listen to you.

And they refused. They did not want.

And they refused. Samuel desired by this that they return from their intent, but they did not wish to do so. And they said: "Lo ratzah" does not mean [that he] did not desire, but rather [that he] is not as you say, that he will be a tyrannical ruler who is not subject to the law of the Torah and its judgments, for such a one is not called by the name of king, but only by the name of a tyrannical ruler (for the definition of a king is one chosen by the people, and the definition of a ruler is one who dominates them by force). And he will not be a ruler, but rather a king he will be. We will not be enslaved to him as slaves, but rather he will be subject to us, to lead us according to statute and judgment.

“And our king will judge us.” [This refers to] the words of the judges; or its meaning is: “He will take our judgments from our enemies,” as it is said, “Judge me, O Lord, and contend with my foes” (Psalm 43:1). And in Targum Jonathan: “and He will avenge us.” "And fight." It is of the nifal conjugation — that is to say, he will fight our battles. And so Jonathan renders in some texts: and he shall wage our battle. And it is possible that the nun is the nun of the first person plural, from the qal; and so it reads in the Targum in some texts: and we shall wage our battle.

And we shall be, etc. He wishes to say: And if we are oppressed by the king, we will then be like all the nations, not inferior to them. And he will judge us. This means: Along with the oppressor, benefit too will come, for he will judge between us and fight our battles.

And this is what they clarified in their statements: when they said, “Give us a king to judge us like all the nations,” they did not intend that he should judge them like all the nations according to customs, acting as he pleased; rather, they intended only that they should have a king like all the nations. This is what is written, “But a king shall be over us,” meaning, “We too shall be like all the nations,” i.e., by this we shall equal them in that we shall have a king like theirs, as it is stated, “I will set a king over me like all the nations.” And he shall be obligated to arrange our affairs in two matters: 1) “And our king shall judge us,” meaning according to the judgment of the Torah, for here they did not say, “And judge us like all the nations,” but only that he should judge them according to the customary judgment among them, in accordance with the laws of the Torah; 2) “And he shall go out before us and fight our battles,” meaning that he shall fight against the enemy. And they were precise in saying “our battles,” so that he not be like a tyrant who attributes the wars to himself, and fights wars for the sake of dominion, honor, and the lands he conquers, which are called by his name; rather, he shall fight our wars for our needs, and whatever he conquers shall be ours. For this is the definition of a king placed under religion and law, whose entire purpose is the success of the people and the rectification of their affairs, both in civil governance and against the attacking enemy. And with this we may explain “and fight”: “We shall fight our battles,” meaning that the war shall be called by the name of the people, and it is in the pa'al (qal) binyan.

“And he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.” As its Targum renders it, “And he arranged them before the Lord,” namely, in his prayer, that he prayed to God that He answer him concerning the matter of the kingship, and he arranged their words before Him.

And he heard, behold, he heard that they returned to ask properly, that He judge them according to the laws of the Torah. Moreover, there was now not so much diminution of honor for Samuel, since they added that they desired a man to wage their wars according to the strategies of warfare, which is not within Samuel’s domain, for he was not capable of this; rather, his role was only miraculous guidance, as stated above. Therefore, they spoke in the ears of the Lord to teach in their merit.

“Go, each man to his city.” You go now, each man to his city, and I will do according to your words.

And he said, “Send them back,” meaning that now He should choose a king for them, as it is written, “You shall surely set over yourself a king whom the Lord your God shall choose” (Deuteronomy 17:15). Therefore, he said that they should go to their homes until the word of the Lord comes.