## Rashi on I Samuel Chapter 23

###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:7:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:7:1)

**נִכַּר אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים בְּיָדִי.** הִסְגִּיר, וְכֵן (עובדיה א:יב): ״אַל תֵּרֶא בְיוֹם אָחִיךָ בְּיוֹם נָכְרוֹ״. וּמִמִּשְׁקַל הַחֲזָקִים הוּא, כְּמוֹ ״אִבַּד וְשִׁבַּר בְּרִיחֶיהָ״ (איכה ב:ט). וְאִם בִּקֵּשׁ לְדַבֵּר בְּמִשְׁקֹלֶת הָרָפִים, הָיָה נָקוּד נָכַר:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**s God has given him into my hand.** Meaning, delivered, and similarly, "And do not look on, on the day of your brother, on the day of his being delivered [נכרו]."¹ This is the conjugation of the strong [verbs e.g., Pi'el], as in, "He destroyed and broke her bars."² If he desired to speak in the conjugation of the weak [verbs e.g., Kal], it would have been punctuated thus: נָכַר.

footnotes:
¹ Ovadyoh 1:12.
² Eichah 2:9.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:7:2
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:7:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:7:2)

**נִסְגַּר לָבֹא בְּעִיר דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחַ.** וְיִבְטַח בְּכָךְ, וְלֹא יָחוּשׁ לִבְרֹחַ מִמֶּנּוּ:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**For he has been shut in by entering a city that has doors and a bolt.** He will rely on that, and will not care to flee from it.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:9:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:9:1)

**מַחֲרִישׁ הָרָעָה.** (תרגום:) ״כְּמִין יָת בִּישְׁתָּא״:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Planning evil.** Plotting the evil.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:11:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:11:1)

**הֲיַסְגִּרֻנִי בַעֲלֵי קְעִילָה וְגוֹ׳.** לָמַדְנוּ מִכָּאן, שֶׁהַשּׁוֹאֵל שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים, אֵין מְשִׁיבִין לוֹ אֶלָּא אֶחָד, וְאֵין מְשִׁיבִין לוֹ אֶלָּא רִאשׁוֹן, וְכָאן דָּוִד שָׁאַל שֶׁלֹּא כַּסֵּדֶר, שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ לִשְׁאוֹל תְּחִלָּה הֲיֵרֵד שָׁאוּל, הֲיַסְגִּירֻנִי בְיָדוֹ, וְהֵשִׁיבוּהוּ כַּסֵּדֶר:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Will Keilah's residents hand me over…** This teaches us that one who consults regarding two matters, receives a reply concerning only one, and that reply concerns the first one. And here, Dovid asked in an inverted order,³ because he should have first asked,⁴ "Will Shaul come down? Will [the residents of Keilah] hand me over?" But he was answered according to the [proper] order.

footnotes:
³ Perhaps Dovid asked the questions in an inverted order because he was primarily interested whether Ke’ilah’s residents would hand him over to Shaul. He had assumed that Shaul would pursue him.
⁴ See Maseches Yoma 73a. Dovid should have asked first what were Shaul’s intentions and then whether Ke’ilah’s residents would hand him over to Shaul. He was answered on the question that he should have asked first that “he [Shaul] will go down.”


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:13:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:13:1)

**בַּאֲשֶׁר יִתְהַלָּכוּ.** (תרגום:) בַּאֲתַר דְּכָשַׁר לְהַלְּכָא״, בִּמְקוֹם הַצָּלָתָם״:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Wherever they could go.** In a place where it is proper to go, in a place where they would be saved.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:16:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:16:1)

**וַיְחַזֵּק אֶת יָדוֹ.** חִדֵּשׁ בְּרִית שֶׁבֵּינֵיהֶם:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**And he strengthened his hand.** He renewed the covenant which was between them.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:20:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:20:1)

**וְלָנוּ הַסְגִּירוֹ.** וְעָלֵינוּ לְהַסְגִּירוֹ:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**And it is ours to hand him over.** It is our obligation to deliver him.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:22:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:22:1)

**כִּי אָמַר אֵלַי.** מִי שֶׁאָמַר:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**For [someone] told me.** The one who told.⁵

footnotes:
⁵ It can also be understood literally, that “he told me…” refers to Dovid. During the period that Dovid served before Shaul, he would describe to Shaul the cunning ways in which he outsmarted the Philistines.—Radak


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:22:2
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:22:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:22:2)

**עָרוֹם יַעְרִם הוּא.** מִתְנַהֵג הוּא בְּעָרְמָה, הַיּוֹם כָּאן, וּלְמָחָר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִוָּדַע מְקוֹמוֹ:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**He is very cunning.** He is accustomed to behave cunningly, by being in one place today and tomorrow somewhere else, so that his place not be known.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:23:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:23:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:23:1)

**אֶל נָכוֹן.** עַל דָּבָר מְכֻוָּן וֶאֱמֶת:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Well prepared.** With an accurate and true statement.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:24:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:24:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:24:1)

**לִפְנֵי שָׁאוּל.** שֶׁהָיָה שָׁאוּל עָתִיד לֵילֵךְ אַחֲרֵיהֶם, וְהֵם הָלְכוּ לְפָנָיו לְחַפֵּשׂ אֶל נָכוֹן:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Ahead of Shaul.** For Shaul was destined to go after them, and they went before him, to search exactly [where Dovid was].


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:26:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:26:1)

**עֹטְרִים.** מַקִּיפִים וְסוֹבְבִים מִצַּד אֶל צַד, כַּעֲטָרָה הַמַּקֶּפֶת אֶת הָרֹאשׁ:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**Were surrounding.** Encircling and surrounding from side to side, like a crown which encircles the head.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:27:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:27:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:27:1)

**וּמַלְאָךְ בָּא אֶל שָׁאוּל.** מַלְאָךְ מַמָּשׁ, כְּדֵי לְהַצִּיל אֶת דָּוִד:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**A messenger came.** A real angel [in the guise of a messenger], in order to save Dovid.


###### Rashi on I Samuel 23:28:1
[Rashi on I Samuel 23:28:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashi%20on%20I%20Samuel/r/23:28:1)

**סֶלַע הַמַּחְלְקוֹת.** שֶׁהָיָה לִבּוֹ שֶׁל שָׁאוּל חָלוּק לִשְׁתֵּי דֵעוֹת, אִם לָשׁוּב לְהַצִּיל אֶת אַרְצוֹ מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים, אוֹ לִרְדֹּף וְלִתְפֹּשׂ אֶת דָּוִד, כֵּן תִּרְגְּמוֹ יוֹנָתָן:

**The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J:**
**The "Rock of Divisions."** Shaul's heart was divided by two thoughts,⁶ whether to return to save his country from the Philistines, or to pursue and catch Dovid; thus renders Targum Yonoson.

footnotes:
⁶ Or it may refer to the division among Shaul’s troops as to whether to pursue Dovid or to battle the Philistines.—Radak