Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valour.
verse value 3725
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "son" ((מבן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·there·was·a·man" (וַיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·there·was·a·man" (וַיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ), "son" ((מבן), "of·Benjamin" (מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ין). The root בין appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·there·was·a·man" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel); "and·his·name" (root שם, 71x in I Samuel); "son" (root בן, 69x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קיש ("Kish") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'right', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִי־אִ֣ישׁ [and·there·was·a·man] (342) + (מבן [son] (92) + ימין) [Jamin] (110) + מִבִּנְיָמִ֗ין [of·Benjamin] (202) + וּ֠שְׁמ֠וֹ [and·his·name] (352) + קִ֣ישׁ [Kish] (410) + בֶּן־אֲבִיאֵ֞ל [son·of·Abiel] (96) + בֶּן־צְר֧וֹר [son·of·Zeror] (548) + בֶּן־בְּכוֹרַ֛ת [son·of·Becorath] (680) + בֶּן־אֲפִ֖יחַ [son·of·Aphiah] (151) + בֶּן־אִ֣ישׁ [son·of·a·man] (363) + יְמִינִ֑י [right] (120) + גִּבּ֖וֹר [mighty] (211) + חָֽיִל [strength] (48) = 3725.
Radak
"And there was a man from the sons of Benjamin." So it is written in two words, but read as one word, "from Benjamin," and the meaning is the same.
Kish, son of Aviel. And in Chronicles it says, “Ner begot Kish, and Ner was the son of Aviel.” Was he not Kish’s brother and Abner’s father, as it states in this book? It is possible to explain that Aviel’s name was also Ner, and he had two names, as we have found many such cases in Chronicles. He had two sons: one he named Kish, and the other he named Ner after himself, and he was the father of Abner. And I found in Leviticus Rabbah that his primary name was Aviel, and they called him Ner because he lit lamps in dark alleyways.
Metzudat David
“Son of a man of the right hand.” This means: the son of a great man from the sons of Benjamin.
Metzudat Zion
Strength. A matter of power and might.
Malbim
And the memory of the reasons for which the Lord chose Saul: a) On account of his lineage, that his father’s name was Kish, son of Aviyael. (And in I Chronicles 8:33) it states, “Ner begot Kish,” and our Sages of blessed memory explained that Aviyael was called “Ner” because he lit lamps for many people in dark alleyways. This was a good sign of his character traits, meriting reward for the many. And Kish himself was a mighty man of valor, for the strength of the father begets strength in the son.
And he had a son, whose name was Saul, young and goodly, and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
verse value 2988
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. Verse gematria: 2988 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "son" (בֵ֜ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·him·was" (וְלוֹ־הָיָ֨ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·to·him·was" (וְלוֹ־הָיָ֨ה), "from·sons·of" (מִבְּנֵ֥י), "high" (גָּבֹ֖הַּ). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·to·him·was" (root היה, 167x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מעל ("and·upward") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'than·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 4 words.
Radak
“Chosen and good.” The meaning of “good” is in character and in appearance. And in Targum Jonathan it reads “uprising and good,” meaning good in character. And so too, “better than him” means “good from him.”
Metzudat David
Choice and good. He was chosen for his deeds and was of goodly appearance:
“Tall.” And he was taller than all the people, from his shoulders and upward.
Metzudat Zion
From his shoulder. From his shoulder.
Malbim
And for him, b) from the side of Saul himself, who was complete both in his spiritual qualities—being young and goodly, meaning that even though he was young in years and the fervor of his blood had not yet subsided, nevertheless he was good with God and with man, and he was not drawn after his desires, to the extent that there was no man among the children of Israel, even among the elders, better than him in his qualities. And likewise he was complete in his appearance and beauty, for he was taller than all the people from his shoulders upward, so that he was distinguished in strength (from the side of his father), in good qualities, and in the appearance of his stature, and he was fit for kingship.
Now the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son: ‘Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the asses.’
verse value 6483
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 76 letters. Notable word values: "father·of" (אֲבִ֣י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֔ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·perished" (וַתֹּאבַ֙דְנָה֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·they·perished" (וַתֹּאבַ֙דְנָה֙), "of·Kish" (לְקִ֖ישׁ), "one" (אֶת־אַחַ֣ד). The root אתון appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אתון ("the·she-asses") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root בקש ("seek") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Saul', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Malbim
"And they were lost." He relates how the Master of causes brought it about that Saul should come to Samuel. By the providence of the LORD the asses of Kish were lost. Now the verb avad is always joined with a mem, and here it comes with a lamed — "and the asses of Kish were lost" — because they were not truly lost but only hidden for the time, for the sake of Kish, Saul's father: because he was Saul's father the asses were hidden, so that Saul should go to seek them. b) The LORD brought it about that he should say to Saul that he should go to seek them; for by ordinary practice it would have sufficed to send his servants after them, and not his son, for whom he was afterward anxious — but so did the LORD put it into his heart.
And he passed through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not; then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.
verse value 4195
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·land·of·Shaalim" (בְאֶרֶץ־שַֽׁעֲלִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 288: and·he·passed·through, and·he·passed·through, and·he·passed·through. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·land·of·Shalishah" (בְּאֶֽרֶץ־שָׁלִ֖שָׁה), "and·they·passed·through" (וַיַּעַבְר֤וּ), "in·land·of·Shaalim" (בְאֶרֶץ־שַֽׁעֲלִים֙). The root עבר appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 107x in I Samuel); "in·land·of·Shaalim" (root ארץ, 44x in I Samuel); "they·found" (root מצא, 39x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·found', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲבֹ֧ר [and·he·passed·through] (288) + בְּהַר־אֶפְרַ֛יִם [in·hill-country·of·Ephraim] (538) + וַיַּעֲבֹ֥ר [and·he·passed·through] (288) + בְּאֶֽרֶץ־שָׁלִ֖שָׁה [in·land·of·Shalishah] (928) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + מָצָ֑אוּ [they·found] (137) + וַיַּעַבְר֤וּ [and·they·passed·through] (294) + בְאֶרֶץ־שַֽׁעֲלִים֙ [in·land·of·Shaalim] (743) + וָאַ֔יִן [and·nothing] (67) + וַיַּעֲבֹ֥ר [and·he·passed·through] (288) + בְּאֶרֶץ־יְמִינִ֖י [in·land·of·Benjaminite] (413) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + מָצָֽאוּ [they·found] (137) = 4195.
Radak
"In the land of Shalishah." Jonathan rendered: in the southern land; and likewise he rendered "from Baal-shalishah" as "from the southern land."
"In the land of Shaalim." Jonathan rendered: in the broken land.
Metzudat Zion
And there were not. They did not find in it.
Malbim
The questions: Why did it say first "and he passed over" and then "and they passed over"? First it said "and they did not find," and then "and there was none," and then it returned to say "and he passed over and did not find."
"And he passed by" (3): God brought it about that he should make his way crooked so that they would not search for the donkeys in nearby places (for it is not the way of donkeys to stray far away). Rather, he passed by the region of Ephraim, and he also passed through the region of Shalishah (meaning that each of them went by a different route, as is the manner of those who search). They did not find them. And they passed through the region of Shaalim; this means that while they were in the region of Shalishah, and likewise in the land of the Benjamites, they had some knowledge that the donkeys had passed through there, and they divided the land to search for them. But in the region of Shaalim, they had no knowledge whatsoever of their whereabouts. Regarding this it says, "and there were none," meaning they went together and did not separate to search for them. Regarding this it says, "and they passed through together."
When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him: ‘Come and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and become anxious concerning us.’
verse value 3756
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִ֛י) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֗מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·she-asses" (מִן־הָאֲתֹנ֖וֹת, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "Zuph" (צ֔וּף), "that·with·him" (אֲשֶׁר־עִמּ֖וֹ), "and·let·us·return" (וְנָשׁ֑וּבָה). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that·with·him" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "and·Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root דאג ("and·he·becomes·anxious") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·let·us·return', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
In the land of Zuph. In the land in which there is a prophet.
Zuph. Like 'Zophah.'
Lest my father cease from the donkeys. That our worry about him will grow, until he forgets the donkeys.
And he is worried. Ituvitahr in the foreign tongue.
Radak
"In the land of Zuph." Jonathan rendered: in the land wherein there is a prophet.
And He was concerned for us. Jonathan’s Targum translates [the word] as “ve-yitzef lanu,” meaning “He will be afraid.” Similarly, in Genesis Rabbah: “Where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?” He replied, “A certain man was afraid.” In any case, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt-offering.”
Ralbag
"They came to the land of Zuph." This is Ramah, where the house of Samuel was, and it was called the land of Zuph because the inhabitants there traced their lineage to Zuph, as it is stated at the beginning of this book that Elkana was the son of Zuph. And they had not yet entered Ramah proper, but were in the field outside the city.
Metzudat David
“Lest he cease.” He means to say: Lest from now on he no longer pay attention to the concern over the loss of the donkeys, due to his concern for us, for he might think that we are lost in the land.
Metzudat Zion
He will cease. He will withhold.
Malbim
"They." d) The LORD brought it about that they passed as far as Zuph, where the prophet was; and there the LORD put it into their hearts that they should wish to turn back, and that the lad should persuade him to go to the seer.
And he said to him: ‘Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honour; all that he says comes surely to pass; now let us go thither; perhaps he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.’
verse value 5177
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 92 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·of·God" (אִישׁ־אֱלֹהִים֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "honored" (נִכְבָּ֔ד), "that·he·speaks" (אֲשֶׁר־יְדַבֵּ֖ר), "come" (בּ֣וֹא). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that·he·speaks" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "man·of·God" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·go·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 9 words.
Rashi
Our way. What happened to the donkeys — for their sake we went all this way.
Radak
"And the man was honored." This means that he was honored and great in the words of prophecy, such that whatever he would speak would come to pass. And so did Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translate: "And the man was from the prophets of truth; whatever he would prophesy, it would be fulfilled." It was necessary to state this even though every true prophet is likewise such, in that whatever he speaks in prophecy comes to pass. However, because at that time the matter of prophecy was held in such high esteem among them, that when Samuel prophesied, or the diviners, or the sorcerers, or the mediums who were among them—if they would sometimes speak of the future or the hidden things, they would often be proven false—therefore it said: "Whatever he would speak, it would come to pass."
“our way in which we walked upon it” – namely, the matter for which we walked.
Metzudat David
In this city. Which is before us:
"And the man was honored." He is great in the matter of prophecy, and everything he says will come to pass.
Our way. The matter of our way, which we walked on account of it:
Malbim
And the man was honorable, because at that time there were found men who were truly divine and honorable, but they did not reveal secrets and future events. And such a man was not needed now, for he would not achieve his desire to learn about the loss of the donkeys. And there were found men who revealed future events through sorcery, and they were not honorable, so that even if he were to obtain what he sought, he would obtain disgrace from asking a divine matter from them. Therefore, he said that this man was honorable, and also that whatever he would speak would come to pass. And therefore, let us go there, perhaps he will tell us our way, meaning that he will tell us the matter for which we went on this way, which is the matter of the donkeys.
Then said Saul to his servant: ‘But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have we?’
verse value 3838
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "nothing·to·bring" (אֵין־לְהָבִ֖יא, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 341: to·the·man, to·man·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "we·will·go" (נֵלֵךְ֮), "and·what·shall·we·bring" (וּמַה־נָּבִ֣יא), "bread" (הַלֶּ֙חֶם֙). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "to·the·man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 2 words.
Rashi
And what shall a man give to the seer? Yonatan translated: If he receives money, what shall we give the man? Sha'ul did not know Samuel's ways, and he thought that he would ask for a fee.
And a reward. Yonatan translated: And a matter that is fitting — the language of fairness. And Menachem explained: 'Teshurah' — the language of a gift, seeing the face of a king and an important person — the language of 'ashurnu' (Numbers 24:17). And his words seem plausible.
Radak
"And what shall we bring for the man?" They did not know whether he accepted money, like the diviners, for whom the inquirers give money. And Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "If he accepts money, what shall we bring for the prophet?"
For the bread was gone. And did they give him bread as wages? Rather, this is what they said: “We have no money; for even the bread we do not have for provisions, and with what shall we purchase provisions for our journey?” And according to this interpretation, Jonathan rendered it: “Even we, our provisions have been exhausted from us.” “Exhausted” means “removed.” And regarding “the high places were not removed,” its Targum is: “they were not exhausted.”
"And there is no present to bring." We have no gift to bring him.
"And what have we?" And Jonathan rendered: and there is nothing proper to bring in to the prophet of the Lord; and what have we to do?
Metzudat David
"And now we will go." This means: "And now, if we go, what shall we bring him as a gift?" For they assumed that he accepts gifts, since they had not known him since then.
For the bread is gone. For if it were still there, we would bring him bread as a portion, and apart from the bread we have no gift to bring, for what do we have besides it?
Metzudat Zion
A prophet. From the word 'bringing'.
Azal. Went away, similarly (Job 14:11): 'the waters fail from the sea'.
And a present. A gift, similarly (Isaiah 57:9): 'and you sent a present to the king with oil'.
Malbim
The Questions (7-9): What is meant by “And what shall we bring the man?” and why is it repeated, “And there is no present to bring to the man of God”? And why does it add, “What is with us?” And what is meant by “the lad said, and I will give,” and why does it not say “and thou shalt give”? And what is meant by “formerly in Israel,” for this narration is not understood at all, and what is its place here? And why does it not say briefly, “Formerly in Israel they called the prophet ‘Seer’”?
And behold, let us go, and what shall we bring to the man? For they did not understand Samuel’s nature and assumed that he accepted gifts and presents from those who came to him. They said, “What shall we bring to the man?” meaning that one who comes to the seer to inquire a matter from him ought to compensate him for his trouble in secluding himself on his behalf. Moreover, it was their custom that anyone who came before a ruler or a great man would bring him a present, which is the gift given to him for the sake of seeing his face, as it is said, “They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.” Now, presents were given only by distinguished men who appeared before him as a mark of honor, not by ordinary, nameless individuals who came merely to inquire about their needs. The value of the present corresponded to the status of both the giver and the recipient. However, the fee that inquirers paid for the extraction of their answer was according to the effort involved and according to the nature of the matter about which they inquired. This is what is written: “And behold, let us go.” Surely we are obligated: 1) to pay him for his trouble, and what shall we bring to the man? Even though in this regard a small thing would suffice, since the matter they sought—the donkeys—is not a major concern, nevertheless, our bread is also gone from us, and all the more so, we have no money. 2) Surely, when I appear before him, since he is a distinguished man, it is fitting that I bring him a present. The value of the present should be determined by the fact that he is a man of God, and “they shall not appear before his face empty-handed.” Yet there is no present to bring, for this is entirely impossible, since the value depends on the status of both the recipient and the giver.
And the servant answered Saul again, and said: ‘Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.’—
verse value 5254
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "in·my·hand" (בְיָדִ֔י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "our·way" (אֶת־דַּרְכֵּֽנוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·answer" (לַעֲנ֣וֹת), "a·quarter·of" (רֶ֖בַע), "shekel" (שֶׁ֣קֶל). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·man·of" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "in·my·hand" (root יד, 99x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root שקל ("shekel") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'silver', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
A quarter of a shekel. Zuzah hadah dakhsafa — one denarius of silver.
Radak
"And the lad added to answer Saul." The meaning of the word is like "and you shall answer and say" and "Job answered first," for this is the beginning of the return of speech, that the lad replied to Saul regarding the matter of the prophet. And how can it say "and the lad added"? And so did Jonathan [the Targumist] translate it: "to answer Saul," and he did not translate it as "to reply." And it is possible to interpret it according to its plain meaning, the matter of answering, which is the return of speech. And the meaning of "and added" is that initially Saul said to his lad, "Come, let us return," and the lad answered him, "Behold, there is a man of God in this city." And now, when Saul said to him, "What is a prophet to a man?" the lad added to answer him, "Behold, I have found a quarter of a shekel in my hand."
A quarter of a silver shekel. The Targum: “One zuz of silver,” for the shekel [is equivalent to] four zuzim.
Ralbag
And he said, “Behold, I have found in my hand a quarter shekel of silver.” It is fitting that the inquirer should ask: What is this gift for one who was a ruler in Israel? And how can it be conceivable that he would imagine that it is the way of a prophet to accept such gifts? And it seems that we should say regarding this matter that this gift was given only to arouse the prophet to concentrate his thoughts on the matters of the owner of this gift, and in this manner his thought would concentrate on his affairs, and prophecy would come to him concerning them. For this reason, it was customary for those who inquired of him for prophecy to give him something in order to cause his thought to concentrate on their matters. And perhaps this was the case now, because perhaps due to old age, prophecy did not come to him regarding such matters except in this manner. And similarly, we found regarding Isaac that he said to Esau to bring him delicacies and eat, so that his thought would concentrate on his matters for a long time, and what was destined to come to him would reach him through prophecy. For it is not the way of the perfect one to request such things for the sake of pleasure, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah. And Samuel, because his thought was wandering concerning the matter of the kingship that Israel had asked—namely, which of them should be chosen to be king over them, since God had already told him to anoint a king for Israel—prophecy came to him regarding this before Saul asked him anything. And therefore, he immediately informed him of all his affairs and gave him tidings concerning the aspect of kingship when he said to him that all the desire of Israel was his, and that of his father’s house.
Metzudat David
It is found in my possession. He means to say: mine:
Malbim
And the young man answered further: “This is true; if you were to appear before him in a formal audience, you would be required to give him a gift. However, the advice is that only I go to him, and in my hand I will have a quarter-shekel of silver, which will suffice for his fee for the trouble, and I will give it to him in exchange for showing us our way. And I, being a young servant, am not required to give a gift.”
Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said: ‘Come and let us go to the seer’; for he that is now called a prophet was beforetime called a seer.—
verse value 3787
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·Israel" (בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 210: to·face, to·face. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "when·he·went" (בְּלֶכְתּוֹ֙), "to·seek" (לִדְר֣וֹשׁ), "unto·the·seer" (עַד־הָרֹאֶ֑ה). The root הלך appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "thus·he·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·the·seer', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
In former days in Israel. The scribe wrote this — and it is not from the words of Sha'ul's youth.
For the prophet today. To the one whom they call today 'prophet,' in former days they called 'ro'eh.'
Radak
“For the prophet today.” Our Sages of blessed memory received that the Prophet Samuel wrote his book, and this incident occurred at the end of his days, for Samuel died during the lifetime of Saul, and Saul did not reign for more than two years. If so, what is meant by “formerly,” or what is meant by “today”? It is possible to explain that the calling of the “seer” a prophet was as it had been formerly, so it was today when Samuel wrote this. And what he said “formerly” does not mean that it ceased today, but rather he means that from former times this calling was used, calling the prophet “seer,” as Saul and his servant said, “Is there here a seer?” or “Which house is the seer’s house?” But recently, in the days of Samuel, when prophecy was widespread and the words of the prophets went forth in Israel, whether in reproofs or in predictions, they also called the “seer” a “prophet.” For the term “prophet” is a term of speech, related to the matter of the “utterance of lips,” and even though they are not from the same root, in the days of Samuel, some would call him “seer” in the words of the ancients, and some would call him “prophet.” And the meaning of “seer” is that he sees in the prophetic vision the future events, or what he is commanded at the moment to declare. And so too, “formerly in Israel…”—a man drew off his sandal, for it was so in former times, and on that day as well this deed occurred. And furthermore, “today” refers to the acquisition by which one acquires any matter.
Metzudat David
“Formerly in Israel.” These are the words of the author of the book, who said: In ancient times, it was the custom of speech in Israel that when someone went to inquire a matter of the Lord from the prophet, he would say, “Let us go to the one who sees.”
“For the prophet today”: What is called a prophet today was formerly called a seer.
Malbim
Previously, the author of the book informs us, so that we not be astonished as to how it was that for an ox, for a donkey, and for any lost item, they would go to the "ro'eh" (seer), and they would give him money as his wage, and a gift for the honor of seeing his face (for if the custom had not been so, Saul would not have said so to his servant). We do not find anything like this among all the prophets who were after that generation. He says that there is a difference between the prophet of the later generation and the "ro'eh" of earlier times. The prophet is called by his name after his utterances and reproofs (from the term "niv," meaning the utterance of lips), because God spoke through him and sent him to declare to the people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. He was not sent for the works of God [in a general sense], but only for the needs of the community and the nation as a whole. The Divine Spirit did not rest upon him to show him particular matters concerning individuals. However, the "ro'eh" is called by his name because he would gaze with the Divine Spirit resting upon him at all things that were happening and that would happen, including the affairs of individuals and their details. Therefore, people would flee from the prophet, who would always declare transgression and reprove for sin, but they would pursue the "ro'eh," because each person obtained from him what he sought: regarding theft, regarding lost property, regarding the sick, regarding a woman and children. And they would give him a gift and a present because he secluded himself to examine their affairs. This is what is written: "For of old in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, 'Come, let us go to the seer,'" because they would go to the seer and inquire of him. And they would go to him in groups of men, because each person had a matter to ask. For the prophet of today, upon whom the Spirit rests only for prophecy and to reprove with the rod of his mouth, is called "ro'eh" in earlier times, because he gazed upon all the details with the Divine Spirit, which did not depart from him.
Then said Saul to his servant: ‘Well said; come, let us go.’ So they went to the city where the man of God was.
verse value 2984
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "good" (ט֥וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·city" (אֶל־הָעִ֔יר, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "your·word" (דְּבָרְךָ֖). The root הלך appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·the·city" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "where" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'let·us·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שָׁא֧וּל [Saul] (337) + לְנַעֲר֛וֹ [to·his·servant] (356) + ט֥וֹב [good] (17) + דְּבָרְךָ֖ [your·word] (226) + לְכָ֣ה [come] (55) + נֵלֵ֑כָה [let·us·go] (105) + וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ [and·they·went] (72) + אֶל־הָעִ֔יר [to·the·city] (316) + אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם [where] (841) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [the·God] (91) = 2984.
Malbim
And Saul said, “See, the young man’s counsel is good; he shall be the one to inquire and to give [the offering].” Therefore he said, “Come, let us go; you shall be the principal one in the journey, and I shall be the attendant.” And this too was from the Lord, that Saul should think to disguise himself before the seer, so that he would not appear before him as a man of importance. And see, despite all this, the seer recognized that upon him his crown would shine.
As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them: ‘Is the seer here?’
verse value 3369
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֗מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "in·ascent·of" (בְּמַעֲלֵ֣ה), "girls" (נְעָר֔וֹת), "going·out" (יֹצְא֖וֹת). The root הם appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "the·seer" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel); "going·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מים ("water") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root יש ("being") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
“On the ascent of the city.” On the road that ascends to the city.
“Is there here?” – with a question-formative he, and he meant to say: Is there anyone here who sees?
Metzudat Zion
To draw. So it is called the taking of water, similarly (Isaiah 12:3): 'and you will draw water'.
Malbim
They [the women]—also this was under Divine providence: after the Lord had said, “Behold, tomorrow at this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin,” it was necessary that he arrive before Samuel at precisely that moment, neither earlier nor later, as it is stated, “at this time tomorrow.” Therefore, He arranged that the young women spoke with him and detained him with lengthy words until the exact moment arrived.
And they answered them, and said: ‘He is; behold, he is before you; make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.
verse value 3721
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 62 letters. Verse gematria: 3721 = 61². The shortest word is "being" (יֵּ֖שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·answered" (וַתַּעֲנֶ֧ינָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 310: being, to·the·city. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·they·said" (וַתֹּאמַ֥רְנָה), "in·the·high·place" (בַּבָּמָֽה). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "went·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root במה ("in·the·high·place") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Radak
And they said, "He is." There is a midrash on it: they said to him, you will see the cloud bound above his doorway — as in the phrase, "and sometimes the cloud was."
Behold, it is before you. Corresponding to Saul, for he was the honored one, and his companion was his servant.
Regarding the phrase “to the people at the high place”: Every instance of “high place” in this context, and in similar cases, Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered as “beit ischaruta” (a house of feasting), because the peace-offerings, which are eaten by all people after the burning of the fats and the sprinkling of the blood, were made by the men of the city to be eaten in the house of the high place that they had constructed for the occasion. For the permission regarding high places was in effect at that time, from the destruction of Shiloh, and the Tabernacle was at Nob. And any place designated for eating is called a “misiva” (feast), because their sitting down to eat was in the manner of a feast. Thus, he also translated “and they sat down to eat bread” as “vesachru” (and they feasted), as our Sages of blessed memory stated: “At a feast, one follows the elder,” and in Aramaic, this is termed “ischaruta.”
Metzudat David
Behold, before you. They showed him the place of his house, which was in front of him and opposite him.
"The sacrifice of the day." The sacrifice that is fixed for this day:
Malbim
“And they answered him, and they said” – namely, in response to his question, “Is there here a seer?” it would have sufficed for them to answer, “Yes.” Yet they lengthened their reply, addressing matters not asked of him. The measure of the verse is: “And they answered him, ‘Yes’; and they said, ‘Behold, he is before thee; make haste now.’” For what is stated, “Behold, before you,” is not an answer to his question, but rather a statement they made on their own: “Behold, he is before thee; make haste now.” First, they spoke in general terms: 1) Know that “Behold, before you” means that he is now found before you; you will easily find him to speak with him. 2) Nevertheless, “now hasten” – you are compelled to hasten to come now, for afterward you will not find him. And they explained their words: What they said, “Behold, before you,” is for two reasons: 1) Because today he has come to the city, and it is not seemly that the men of the city press him with their questions and judgments immediately upon his arrival, until he first rests from his journey. And thus you will find him alone, to inquire your matter from him, since you are a guest. 2) Because today there is a sacrifice for the people, and they are all occupied in preparing the sacrifice, and you will find him secluded alone.
As soon as you are come into the city, you shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he does bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time you shall find him.’
verse value 5758
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 109 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·will·find" (תִּמְצְא֣וּן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 587: you·will·find, you·will·find. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "when·you·come" (כְּבֹאֲכֶ֣ם), "the·high·place" (הַבָּמָ֜תָה), "not·will·eat" (לֹֽא־יֹאכַ֤ל). The root אכל appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·you·come" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "as·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root אנתה ("for·he") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·invited', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 6 words.
Rashi
When you come to the city, so and so. They were long in words, in order to observe Sha'ul's beauty.
The bamah. Yonatan translated: Le-beit ishruta. After Shiloh was destroyed, the high places were permitted, and they would offer peace offerings on the high place and eat together.
For he will bless the sacrifice. Yonatan translated: Ari hafariis mazona — he breaks bread on the food. On the peace offerings they bless at their eating: Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu le'echol et hazevach.
as today. As long as the day still stands:
Radak
"When you come to the city." Our Sages of blessed memory said: What was the purpose of all this lengthiness that these young women extended in their speech? Some said: In order to gaze at the beauty of Saul. And some said: Because it was from the Lord, for the time had not yet arrived when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Samuel, "At this time tomorrow I will send you a man."
"For he shall bless the sacrifice." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "For he breaks bread over the food." This is the language of "botze'a" (the one who breaks the bread) as used in the words of our Sages of blessed memory. The host is called the "botze'a," and the one who blesses first at the meal is called the "botze'a," because he breaks the bread and blesses over it. The explanation of "he shall bless the sacrifice" is that he shall bless over the sacrifice. And even though he would bless first over the bread, since the main part of the meal was the sacrifice, it says "he shall bless the sacrifice." Or perhaps because the sacrifice had its own distinct blessing, for when they ate the peace-offerings, they would bless over it: "Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to eat the sacrificial meat," and the blessing over the bread did not exempt one from the blessing over the sacrifice.
“The invited ones.” The invited and the summoned to eat there, as its Targum renders it: “the ready ones.”
"Like this day." The kaf is to affirm the matter; and likewise, "swear to me this day," and the like.
Metzudat David
Thus you will find. He means to say: He will still be in his house and has not yet ascended the platform, and you will find him in his house:
"For the people shall not eat." This means: "Hurry and go, for he will not tarry long in his house, for the people shall not eat until he arrives, and he will hasten to come there, so that the invited guests will not be delayed on his account."
He shall bless over the sacrifice. He shall recite over the sacrifice the blessing appropriate to it, which is: "Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to eat the sacrifice."
“Like this day.” Like this very time, you will find him. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Berakhot 48b): That the young women prolonged their words, in order to gaze at the beauty of Saul.
Metzudat Zion
The invited. Those prepared for the feast, and it is from the word 'calling'.
As on this day. As at this time, for 'day' is also spoken of the matter of 'time,' similarly (Numbers 8:17): 'in the day that I smote,' and the kaf comes to confirm the matter.
Malbim
The questions are as follows: They have lengthened the language without understanding. There is, behold before you, and he added, "When you come to the city, thus shall you find him." And he said a third time, "That same day you shall find him." Besides this, the language is strained and disordered.
"When you come now" — they expounded on what was written: "Hurry, for if you hasten, then when you come to the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. But if you delay until he goes up to eat, you will not be able to speak with him." And do not think that he will be delayed from going up to the high place, for the people will not eat until he arrives, and surely he will hasten to go up because of the trouble of the people who are fasting and waiting for him. And especially because he will bless the sacrifice and hasten to fulfill the commandment. Therefore, go up now and do not linger. And also do not imagine that you will find him even tomorrow, for only today will you find him, for tomorrow he will depart from here and return to his house.
And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.
verse value 3126
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֗מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·meet·them" (לִקְרָאתָ֔ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 285: the·city, the·city. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·meet·them" (לִקְרָאתָ֔ם). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "going·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel); "and·they·went·up" (root עלה, 81x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + הָעִ֑יר [the·city] (285) + הֵ֗מָּה [abundance] (50) + בָּאִים֙ [going·in] (53) + בְּת֣וֹךְ [in·midst·of] (428) + הָעִ֔יר [the·city] (285) + וְהִנֵּ֤ה [and·behold] (66) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + יֹצֵ֣א [going·out] (101) + לִקְרָאתָ֔ם [to·meet·them] (771) + לַעֲל֖וֹת [to·go·up] (536) + הַבָּמָֽה [the·high·place] (52) = 3126.
Radak
"Coming out toward them." Coming out from one of the houses of the city to go up to the high place, and he met them.
Malbim
"They are coming... and behold, Samuel came out to meet them." God arranged that Samuel (even though, according to the revealed account, he was exiting to ascend to the high place) should come out to meet them and encounter them at the appointed moment, and this was the primary purpose of his going out at this moment. And He explained the reason for this, namely:
Now Hashem had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying:
verse value 1762
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֔ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "is·gone" (גָּלָ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "coming·of·Saul" (בֽוֹא־שָׁא֖וּל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "ear·of" (אֶת־אֹ֣זֶן), "coming·of·Saul" (בֽוֹא־שָׁא֖וּל). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "coming·of·Saul" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Samuel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיהֹוָ֔ה [and·Hashem] (32) + גָּלָ֖ה [is·gone] (38) + אֶת־אֹ֣זֶן [ear·of] (459) + שְׁמוּאֵ֑ל [Samuel] (377) + י֣וֹם [day] (56) + אֶחָ֔ד [one] (13) + לִפְנֵ֥י [to·face·of] (170) + בֽוֹא־שָׁא֖וּל [coming·of·Saul] (346) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 1762.
Malbim
Questions (15–16): What is the meaning of the doubling in “for I have seen My people, for their cry has come to Me”?
"And the Lord revealed..." etc., "saying, 'At this time tomorrow I will send to you.' Therefore, he needed to meet him at the appointed moment."
"And you shall anoint him... for I have seen..." These are statements that limit and explain "and you shall anoint him" as referring to a prince, because "I have seen my people"—meaning that I observed their affairs, that they desire and need a king to govern their affairs. And "I will save my people from the hand of the Philistines," because their cry has come to Me on account of their oppressors.
’To-morrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel, and he shall save My people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come to Me.’
verse value 7299
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 92 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·shall·anoint·him" (וּמְשַׁחְתּ֤וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 521: My·people, My·people. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·you·shall·anoint·him" (וּמְשַׁחְתּ֤וֹ), "over·My·people" (עַל־עַמִּ֣י), "and·he·shall·save" (וְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ). The root אל appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "went·in" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root מחר ("tomorrow") in I Samuel. First appearance of the root בנימן ("Benjamin") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Philistines', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 7 words.
Radak
"Now, tomorrow." "Now" refers to this very moment, and "tomorrow" refers to the following day; likewise, Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "In this very hour, tomorrow."
"For I have seen My people." As its Targum renders it: "For I have seen before Me the suffering of My people."
"For their cry came up to Me." For the Philistines were fighting against them from the time that Samuel grew old and was no longer able to admonish them; they sinned, and the Philistines dominated them, until they appointed governors over them in their land. They cried out to the Lord and said to Samuel, "Establish for us a king to save us."
Metzudat David
"About this time tomorrow." At this same time, on the day of tomorrow.
For I have seen My people: I am watchful over the afflictions of My people:
His cry. Regarding what the Philistines were doing to them [after Samuel had grown old]:
And when Samuel saw Saul, Hashem spoke to him: ‘Behold the man of whom I said to you: This same shall have authority over My people.’
verse value 3583
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Samuel" (וּשְׁמוּאֵ֖ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "He·withholds" (יַעְצֹ֥ר), "over·My·people" (בְּעַמִּֽי). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·utteranced" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 316x in I Samuel); "whom" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root עצר ("He·withholds") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Saul', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: וּשְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [and·Samuel] (383) + רָאָ֣ה [saw] (206) + אֶת־שָׁא֑וּל [Saul] (738) + וַיהֹוָ֣ה [and·Hashem] (32) + עָנָ֔הוּ [answered·him] (131) + הִנֵּ֤ה [they] (60) + הָאִישׁ֙ [man] (316) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [whom] (501) + אָמַ֣רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + אֵלֶ֔יךָ [to·you] (61) + זֶ֖ה [this] (12) + יַעְצֹ֥ר [He·withholds] (370) + בְּעַמִּֽי [over·My·people] (122) = 3583.
Rashi
He will rule over My people. He will govern — (other manuscripts do not have this) like (Deuteronomy 32:36): 'atzur ve'azav.' Such is the manner of the ruler — to restrain the people in war, that they not scatter and not spread from one another. And to restrain each one from doing evil — in our language we call it 'me'itzar' — kirshetni'r in the foreign tongue.
Radak
"And the Lord answered him." He said to him: "From the spirit of prophecy." And so did Jonathan translate: "From before the Lord it was said to him."
"This one will restrain My people." He will reign like a designated heir, an heir to the monarchy, and the king is called "etzar" (restrainer) because he restrains the people so that they will not go or do anything except by his permission. And the Targum translates it as "din ye'adi maruta min ami," meaning: He will remove the yoke and dominion from My people. And he said this because of the Philistines, who were ruling over them, and he said "ye'atzor" (will restrain), meaning that he will restrain the Philistines and prevent them from fighting against Israel, as it is stated, "And He will save My people from the hand of the Philistines."
Metzudat Zion
He answered him. A matter of speaking, similarly (Proverbs 16:1): 'an answer of the tongue'.
He will rule. He will govern, named because he restricts and holds back his people from doing anything without permission.
Malbim
The questions, and the Lord answered him – this implies that he asked concerning this matter:
And the Lord answered him: For when Samuel saw the guest approaching, he knew that in a moment the destined man would arrive, and he was asking and searching in his thoughts whether this was he. And the Lord answered him, "Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you; this one will restrain My people." He explained to him that what He had told him—that he would save them from the hand of the Philistines—would be because he would restrain them from their evil ways and transgressions. And through this, he would merit to save and be saved.
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said: ‘Tell me, I pray you, where the seer’s house is.’
verse value 3458
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Verse gematria: 3458 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Samuel" (אֶת־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "where?·this" (אֵי־זֶ֖ה). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "the·seer" (root ראה, 82x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gate', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ [and·approached] (319) + שָׁא֛וּל [Saul] (337) + אֶת־שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל [Samuel] (778) + בְּת֣וֹךְ [in·midst·of] (428) + הַשָּׁ֑עַר [gate] (575) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א [pray·tell] (78) + לִ֔י [to·me] (40) + אֵי־זֶ֖ה [where?·this] (23) + בֵּ֥ית [house·of] (412) + הָרֹאֶֽה [the·seer] (211) = 3458.
Rashi
And he came near. Yonatan translated: Ve'ara.
Radak
"Et Shmuel" – like "El Shmuel":
Metzudat David
And he drew near. He approached Samuel and asked him about the house of the seer.
Metzudat Zion
Samuel. To Samuel.
Which. Where.
Malbim
The questions: it should have said, "to Samuel":
"And Saul drew near to Samuel." The verb nagash is always joined with "el," but here it says "et." For in truth Samuel had turned aside from his way to the side of the gate to meet Saul, until Saul drew near to him — and he also brought him near, which is what the object-marker "et" indicates — so that the first man he met on his coming was Samuel; and therefore he asked him, "Where is the house of the seer?"
And Samuel answered Saul, and said: ‘I am the seer; go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me to-day; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.
verse value 4564
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·declare" (אַגִּ֥יד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָֽךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·send·you" (וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֣יךָ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: and·them, in·your·heart. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "that" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'day', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Radak
"I am the seer." This was no departure from the way of humility, for since he had asked him which was the house of the seer, it was not possible for him not to answer him. But our Sages of blessed memory said that he stumbled in this matter, for he should have said "ask others," or the like. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You are the seer? I am letting you know that you are not the seer. And where did He let him know? At the time when He said to him, "Go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite," etc., and he saw Eliab — the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Did you not say "I am the seer"? "Look not on his appearance."
"And all that is in your heart I will tell you." This refers to the matter of the donkeys and other things that are in his heart to ask about.
Metzudat David
"And all that is in your heart." Whatever you desire to know, I will tell you.
Metzudat Zion
And I will send you. Since it is not customary to go without taking leave, he said 'and I will send you'.
Malbim
And all that is in your heart, meditations and contemplations, whether in Torah or in wisdom:
And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father’s house?’
verse value 5825
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. Notable word values: "and·to·whom" (וּלְמִי֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֗, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·the·she-asses" (וְלָאֲתֹנ֞וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: and·to·whom, and·to·them·of. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·to·the·she-asses" (וְלָאֲתֹנ֞וֹת), "perish" (הָאֹבְד֣וֹת), "do·not·set" (אַל־תָּ֧שֶׂם). The root לך appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·not·set" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "for" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel); "day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'were·found', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
And who is all the desire of Israel? Here he comes to hint to him the matter of the kingship.
Radak
"Three days." He did not say "three days" with regard to the loss of the donkeys, but rather with regard to their search. And so did Jonathan render it: "And concerning the business of the donkeys that were lost to you, and you came to seek them, today is the third day."
And to whom is all the desire of Israel? With this matter He alluded to him regarding the matter of kingship.
Metzudat David
"Do not set your heart" – to worry about them.
“And to whom belongs all the desire of Israel?” This is as if saying: “Furthermore, what more do you have to worry about the donkeys? Do you not know that to whom belongs all the desire of Israel, etc.?” And through this, he hinted to him about the kingship.
Malbim
"And to the donkeys, etc." Do not set your heart upon this for two reasons: a) because they were found; b) even if they had been lost, to whom belongs all the desire of Israel?
And Saul answered and said: ‘Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speak you to me after this manner?’
verse value 5678
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 90 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·all·clans·of" (מִכׇּֽל־מִשְׁפְּח֖וֹת, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 321: tribes·of, tribes·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "a·Benjamite" (בֶן־יְמִינִ֤י), "from·small·of" (מִקְּטַנֵּי֙), "and·my·clan" (וּמִשְׁפַּחְתִּי֙). The root שבט appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "you·spoke" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Benjamin', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Ralbag
And behold, Saul thought this remote, in that his tribe was the smallest of the tribes and his family the least of all the families of Benjamin.
Metzudat David
“Of the little ones.” From the smallest among the tribes, and my family is indeed the youngest, etc.
"And why did you speak, etc."—As if to say, "I am not worthy of kingship."
Metzudat Zion
The son of Benjamin. From Benjamin.
The youngest. The smallest, similarly (Daniel 8:9): 'one horn from the smallest'.
Malbim
Am I not a Benjamite? And the tribe of Benjamin was then small and despised due to the War of Gibeah, and my family is the youngest in this tribe.
And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, who were about thirty persons.
verse value 5445
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·servant" (וְאֶֽת־נַעֲר֔וֹ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "and·his·servant" (וְאֶֽת־נַעֲר֔וֹ), "and·he·brought·them" (וַיְבִיאֵ֖ם), "room" (לִשְׁכָּ֑תָה). The root הם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 201x in I Samuel); "and·he·brought·them" (root בוא, 161x in I Samuel); "Samuel" (root שמואל, 103x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'room', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֤ח [and·took] (124) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + אֶת־שָׁא֣וּל [Saul] (738) + וְאֶֽת־נַעֲר֔וֹ [and·his·servant] (733) + וַיְבִיאֵ֖ם [and·he·brought·them] (69) + לִשְׁכָּ֑תָה [room] (755) + וַיִּתֵּ֨ן [and·gave] (466) + לָהֶ֤ם [to·them] (75) + מָקוֹם֙ [place] (186) + בְּרֹ֣אשׁ [in·head·of] (503) + הַקְּרוּאִ֔ים [the·invited] (362) + וְהֵ֖מָּה [and·they] (56) + כִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ם [about·thirty] (690) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 5445.
Rashi
At the head of the invited. At the place of the gathering of the great ones — for in their gathering it was known which place the great one reclined.
Radak
"And he brought them into the chamber." [That is,] to the chamber; and its meaning is a room. And this chamber was the house of the high place, where the invited guests ate. And so the Targum renders: and he brought them into the house of feasting.
“Like thirty men.” The letter kaf is a kaf of approximation, meaning thirty minus a little or plus a little.
Ralbag
And behold, Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the chamber. And in honor of Saul, he treated him and his servant with equal respect, and he gave them a place at the head of those who were invited.
Metzudat David
Her chamber. To the chamber, the place where they would eat there, and he gave them a place to sit at the head of all, in the superior location.
And they. The ones called:
Metzudat Zion
Her chamber. A matter of some room.
Malbim
"And he took" — He began to honor him, because he seated him (and also his servant, since he was the king's servant) at the head of the invited guests. Even though there were only thirty men, this indicates that those who were invited were not just any attendees, but distinguished guests of the occasion, men of renown.
And Samuel said to the cook: ‘Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you: Set it by you.’
verse value 5149
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֑ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·portion" (אֶת־הַמָּנָ֔ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: the·portion, which, which. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "to·the·cook" (לַטַּבָּ֔ח), "the·portion" (אֶת־הַמָּנָ֔ה), "I·gave" (נָתַ֖תִּי). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "which" (root אשר, 229x in I Samuel); "with" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root טבח ("to·the·cook") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שְׁמוּאֵל֙ [Samuel] (377) + לַטַּבָּ֔ח [to·the·cook] (49) + תְּנָה֙ [give] (455) + אֶת־הַמָּנָ֔ה [the·portion] (501) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + נָתַ֖תִּי [I·gave] (860) + לָ֑ךְ [to·you] (50) + אֲשֶׁר֙ [which] (501) + אָמַ֣רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + אֵלֶ֔יךָ [to·you] (61) + שִׂ֥ים [put] (350) + אֹתָ֖הּ [it] (406) + עִמָּֽךְ [with] (130) = 5149.
Rashi
That which I said to you. Because Samuel knew that Sha'ul would come, he commanded that a fine portion be given to him for his need.
Ralbag
And Samuel set apart a choice portion for Saul, to indicate greatness and kingship; and therefore he placed before him the leg and all that was upon it.
Metzudat David
That which I said. Then I said to you: Keep it secret.
Metzudat Zion
To the butcher. The cook, the one who slaughters what he cooks.
The portion. A matter of offering and share, similarly (Exodus 29:26): 'and it shall be to you for a portion'.
Place. From the word 'placing'.
Malbim
“Give the portion,” for when the butcher was dividing the portions according to the number of those invited, Shmuel set aside this portion and said to him, “Conceal it, specifically for so-and-so,” thereby informing him that he had known of his coming beforehand.
And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And [Samuel] said: ‘Behold that which has been reserved! set it before you and eat; because to the appointed time has it been kept for you, for I said: I have invited the people.’ So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
verse value 6384
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֧י, 2 letters) and the longest is "put·before·you" (שִׂים־לְפָנֶ֣יךָֽ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 337: Saul, Saul. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "executioner" (הַ֠טַּבָּ֠ח), "the·thigh" (אֶת־הַשּׁ֨וֹק), "and·that·upon·it" (וְהֶעָלֶ֜יהָ). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel); "and·because" (root כי, 161x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·called', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Rashi
The thigh and the part above it. The thigh and the haunch that is above it.
Behold, what remains. From the portions of the invited — and it was placed alone for your need.
Place it before you, eat. In the last chapter of Zevachim (120a): It is established for us: the breast and the thigh on a great high place, and there is no breast and thigh on a small high place. Therefore it was permitted for Sha'ul to eat.
For it was kept for the feast. For the appointed time of eating, this thigh was kept for your need.
Saying, I have invited the people. My statement was to the cook: the people I have invited to the meal, and I know their number, so be careful with their portions — and I gave him the portions according to their number, and this one is kept for your need.
Radak
“the thigh and the upper part.” Explanation: And that which is above it, namely the thigh; and so too the Targum [renders it] “her thighs.” And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: What is meant by “and the upper part”? Rabbi Yochanan says: the thigh and the fat tail; Rabbi Eliezer says: the thigh and the breast; Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says: the thigh and the shofei [the upper part of the thigh]. And what is meant by “and the upper part” of the shofei? That the shofei is above the thigh.
And he said, “Behold, what is left.” Explanation: Samuel said to Saul, “Behold, this is the portion that remains by itself, distinct from the other portions that I arranged for the guests. And regarding this portion, I instructed the cook to set it aside privately for you to eat, for this specific portion is reserved for you. When I told the cook, ‘I have invited the people; prepare the portions,’ I said to him, ‘Keep this portion for you,’ because I knew you would come.”
Ralbag
And he said to him that what remains, which he cannot eat, he should set before him to eat for his servant; after this, or for those who are before him from those who were called. And this is more correct, for at such a time in the coming year thou shalt wait and hope for the kingship, that thou shalt reign over Israel, and you will say, “I have called the people.”
Metzudat David
“And the cook lifted up.” He brought it by raising his hands, as is the custom to bring things before important persons.
Behold, what remains. He meant to say: Do not think that this is my portion of the remainder for my food. And in speaking with him, he showed him what remained for his food and said, "Behold, this is what remains for his food."
Set before you. To this, set that portion before you and eat:
"For a set time." For that measure is kept for you as a set time for your coming.
"To say": This refers to the fact that the one who invited the guests said it, namely Samuel.
"I called the people." Did I not call the people to the sacrifice, and is it not incumbent upon me to give each person his proper portion? Therefore, preserve that portion for Saul, for it is fitting for him.
Metzudat Zion
And the upper part. He means 'and that which is above it,' and it is the thigh which is above the leg.
For a set time. For an appointed time.
Malbim
"And he lifted up the leg" — for in the peace-offerings they would lift up the thigh and the breast, with the fats upon them, and wave them, and the breast and the thigh were given to the priests, and they were called by the name of "leftovers" because they were the remnants of the fire-offerings. And in the altar of an individual, where there was neither waving nor breast and thigh, nevertheless this portion was esteemed by them, and it belonged to the one who blessed the sacrifice, who was Samuel. And the butcher would lift it up before him as a mark of honor, just as it was required to be lifted up before the Lord at the public altar. And they were called by the name of "leftovers" because they were the remnants of the fire-offerings at the public altar. And this is what is written: "And the butcher lifted up the leg and that which was upon it" — meaning the breast that was upon it — "and said, Behold the leftover" — meaning this portion called "leftover," for it is the remnant of the fire-offering of the Lord. "Set it before you, eat" — for this belongs to the head of the invited guests. "For the appointed time" — the measure of the verse, for "the appointed time" means: "I called the people, keep for yourself." It means to say: when I said before Samuel, "the people whom I called to sacrifice" — meaning at the time when I recounted before him the number of the invited guests and allotted the portions before them — from then on, keep this portion for yourself, for Samuel knew that you would come here. "And he ate, etc., on that day" — meaning that the feast was prolonged throughout the entire day.
And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he spoke with Saul upon the housetop.
verse value 1383
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "the·city" (הָעִ֑יר, 4 letters) and the longest is "with·Saul" (עִם־שָׁא֖וּל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "upon·the·roof" (עַל־הַגָּֽג). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·Saul" (root עם, 128x in I Samuel); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 113x in I Samuel); "upon·the·roof" (root על, 112x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·city', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּרְד֥וּ [and·they·went·down] (226) + מֵהַבָּמָ֖ה [from·the·high·place] (92) + הָעִ֑יר [the·city] (285) + וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר [and·spoke] (222) + עִם־שָׁא֖וּל [with·Saul] (447) + עַל־הַגָּֽג [upon·the·roof] (111) = 1383.
Rashi
And he spoke with Sha'ul on the roof. Rebuking him and teaching him to fear the Holy One, blessed be He.
Metzudat David
“On the roof.” This refers to the roof of his house that is within the city.
Malbim
And they descended at evening time, and he spoke with Saul, revealing to him the hidden secrets of the Torah and divine matters.
And they arose early; and it came to pass about the break of day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying: ‘Up, that I may send you away.’ And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
verse value 4848
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 88 letters. The shortest word is "roof" ((הגג), 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rose·early" (וַיַּשְׁכִּ֗מוּ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "as·the·rising·of" (כַּעֲל֤וֹת), "dawn" (הַשַּׁ֙חַר֙), "roof" ((הגג)). The root שמואל appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "Saul" (root שאול, 226x in I Samuel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·I·will·send·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Radak
"And it came to pass at the rising of the morning." With a kaf:
Metzudat Zion
The dawn. It is the light that shines before the sun comes out.
And I will send you off. I will see you off, similarly (Genesis 18:16): 'and Abraham was walking with them to send them off' — Onkelos translates: 'to see them on their way'.
Malbim
"And he called," etc., "to the roof" — for Samuel's lodging was in the upper chamber; and he called him to his chamber, and from there they went out.
As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul: ‘Bid the servant pass on before us—and he passed on—but stand you still at this time, that I may cause you to hear the word of God.’
verse value 4929
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 83 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֗מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·tell·you" (וְאַשְׁמִיעֲךָ֖, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 288: and·let·it·pass, and·he·passed·on. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Samuel. Unique to this verse in I Samuel (hapax): "going·down" (יֽוֹרְדִים֙), "and·I·will·tell·you" (וְאַשְׁמִיעֲךָ֖). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 418x in I Samuel); "to·Saul" (root איל, 238x in I Samuel); "as·the·day" (root יום, 154x in I Samuel). First appearance of the root קצה ("in·end·of") in I Samuel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·passed·on', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
And let him pass on before us. And let him go at a distance from us, and let him not hear our words.
And he passed. The boy, before them. And to Sha'ul he said: And you, stand with me.
Radak
"And let him pass on before us." So that he should not hear our words.
“Stand today.” And it does not say that he should stand there in the city on that day, for on that very day he departed, as it is stated to him, “And I will send you forth.” Furthermore, it says to him, “When you go forth today from my presence.” Rather, the interpretation of “today” is to affirm the truth, similar to the expression “Swear to me this day.” And the meaning of “Stand” is: “Stand until I speak with you.”
Metzudat David
"And He passed before us." Let him distance himself from us to go before us, so that he will not hear what I will say about you.
And he passed by. When the lad heard Samuel’s words, he passed by of his own accord before them.
"And you, stand." This is the conclusion of Samuel's words, for he said to him: "Say to the lad, 'Pass on,' and you, stand at this time." And since the lad passed before them immediately upon hearing the beginning of his words, he interrupted him.
Metzudat Zion
As on the day. Just now.
Malbim
"Say," etc., "to the lad" — for it is not seemly that he should give orders to another man's servant. "And he passed on": because he was going behind them, and he commanded that he should pass on before them, and pass yet further, far from them. "Stand as of today" — like "sell me as of today thy birthright" (Genesis 25:31), "swear to me as of today" (Genesis 25:33). He also hinted to him that just as it is now day, so shalt thou stand to reign and to prosper — after the manner of "and his throne as the sun before Me," and "the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn," etc.
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim