Chapter 20 of Shmuel A is one of the most moving chapters in the book: David has already fled from Shaul, and he comes to Yonatan to clarify once and for all whether this is a chance persecution stemming from the evil spirit, or an absolute verdict. Out of this clarification comes the plan of the signs with the arrows, an eternal covenant is forged between Yonatan and David, and Shaul's jealousy is revealed in its full force. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim, mainly in light of the explanations of the Malbim.
וַיִּבְרַח דָּוִד מִנָּיוֹת בָּרָמָה וַיָּבֹא וַיֹּאמֶר לִפְנֵי יְהוֹנָתָן מֶה עָשִׂיתִי מֶה־עֲוֺנִי וּמֶה־חַטָּאתִי לִפְנֵי אָבִיךָ כִּי מְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־נַפְשִׁי׃ - David fled from Nayot in Ramah, and he came and said before Yonatan: What have I done, what is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?
We saw at the end of the previous chapter that Shaul prophesies, and during his prophecy David seizes the opportunity and flees. Now he arrives at Yonatan and asks: "What have I done" - what sin have I committed in and of itself. "And what is my iniquity and what is my sin before your father" - and perhaps there is something that is not a sin in itself, but toward your father it is considered a sin, such as some infringement on the kingship. Tell me what I have done, perhaps there is some iniquity in me toward your father.
וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ חָלִילָה לֹא תָמוּת הִנֵּה לֹא־יַעֲשֶׂה אָבִי דָּבָר גָּדוֹל אוֹ דָּבָר קָטֹן וְלֹא יִגְלֶה אֶת־אׇזְנִי וּמַדּוּעַ יַסְתִּיר אָבִי מִמֶּנִּי אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֵין זֹאת׃ - And he said to him: Far be it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing great or small without revealing it to me, and why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.
This is an enormous wonder. After all, in the previous chapter we saw that Yonatan himself tried to clarify, and told his father that David had risked his life for you, and Shaul swore to him "As Hashem lives, he shall not be put to death" - and immediately afterward he sought to strike David with the spear. So how does he now assure David that he has nothing to worry about, that his father will do nothing small or great without revealing it to him?
The Radak explains that Yonatan was certain that all of Shaul's actions stemmed solely from the evil spirit that terrified him. Therefore he thought that the moment the evil spirit was not upon him, David could once again stand before him and serve him as in former days without fearing for his life. But in truth, as we have seen, with Shaul the matter was composed of two factors: on the one hand the evil spirit that terrified him, and on the other hand his jealousy of David that had been aroused. Shaul feared that if David were to reign, he would pursue him and his family and kill all the descendants of the previous king in order to establish his kingship, and thus David carries the status of a pursuer (rodef), and by the principle of "one who comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first," he must be killed preemptively. Yonatan argues: it is impossible that my father would hide from me a real intention to kill you, and if so, all the persecution stems only from the evil spirit. And during the times when the evil spirit rests upon him - which are few times - you can take care not to be before him.
The Malbim adds: Yonatan told David that when his father sent men to seize him, it was not in order to kill him, but only so that he would not flee. For if not so - is it possible that my father would seek to kill you without revealing it to me?
וַיִּשָּׁבַע עוֹד דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר יָדֹעַ יָדַע אָבִיךָ כִּי־מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וַיֹּאמֶר אַל־יֵדַע־זֹאת יְהוֹנָתָן פֶּן־יֵעָצֵב וְאוּלָם חַי־ה' וְחֵי נַפְשֶׁךָ כִּי כְפֶשַׂע בֵּינִי וּבֵין הַמָּוֶת׃ - And David swore again and said: Your father surely knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he said: Let not Yonatan know this, lest he be grieved. But as Hashem lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.
David does not agree with his words, and explains to him why his father does not reveal his moves to him: your father knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he does not want to grieve you. And one may add that David meant to say by this also that your father fears that if you know his moves, you will reveal them to me. And then he swears by the life of Hashem and by your soul: know that I am in constant danger, and there is but a step - a single stride - between me and death. For he cast the spear at me to kill me, and one cannot say that he merely seeks to keep me and not to kill me.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן אֶל־דָּוִד מַה־תֹּאמַר נַפְשְׁךָ וְאֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּךְ׃ - And Yehonatan said to David: What does your soul say, and I will do it for you.
Wisdom resides in the intellectual soul, and so "what does your soul say" means: what does your wisdom propose that we do. I am ready to look into it with you, to save you and to help you: give counsel.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־יְהוֹנָתָן הִנֵּה־חֹדֶשׁ מָחָר וְאָנֹכִי יָשֹׁב־אֵשֵׁב עִם־הַמֶּלֶךְ לֶאֱכוֹל וְשִׁלַּחְתַּנִי וְנִסְתַּרְתִּי בַשָּׂדֶה עַד הָעֶרֶב הַשְּׁלִשִׁית׃ - And David said to Yehonatan: Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I usually sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
Tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh, and I am accustomed to sit with the king to eat. The moment I am not there, the king will ask about me and try to understand what happened, and I will be considered a rebel against the crown. Therefore "let me go": give me permission to leave, and I will hide in the field until the third evening. If he does not ask on the first day, he will ask on the second, and until the third evening I will wait there.
אִם־פָּקֹד יִפְקְדֵנִי אָבִיךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ נִשְׁאֹל נִשְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי דָוִד לָרוּץ בֵּית־לֶחֶם עִירוֹ כִּי זֶבַח הַיָּמִים שָׁם לְכׇל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה׃ - If your father misses me at all, then say: David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beit Lechem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.
"Pakod" is a term of being missing, meaning: if my father asks why I am absent. "He earnestly asked leave of me" - he requested permission through others and not in person, and this is also an answer to the question of why he did not come himself to the king to ask permission: he could not, because he had to hurry off, and even of me he asked only through others. "The yearly sacrifice" is a sacrifice made each year, for "yamim" means a year, as in "let the young woman stay with us a year or ten months." The whole family has an annual sacrificial meal, and because of this he could not come. From this his apology will be understood.
אִם־כֹּה יֹאמַר טוֹב שָׁלוֹם לְעַבְדֶּךָ וְאִם־חָרֹה יֶחֱרֶה לוֹ דַּע כִּי־כָלְתָה הָרָעָה מֵעִמּוֹ׃ - If he says thus: Good, then it is well with your servant. But if he is very angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
If he says "good," meaning it is acceptable to me and I agree, you shall know that he does not hold it against me and is not pursuing me. But if he becomes angry that I did not come, know that the matter is settled: I am a marked man in his eyes and he wants to kill me in any case.
The Malbim illuminates an interesting point here: seemingly there are two possibilities, but in truth there are four. One possibility is that he will say "good," a second that he will become angry, a third that he will not ask at all, and a fourth that he will ask but react neither well nor badly: they will tell him "a family sacrifice" and he will neither become angry nor say good. The Malbim says: the two middle cases, which David did not mention, remain in doubt, and nothing at all can be decided from them. Only if he says "good" will we know that he is well disposed toward you, and only if he becomes angry will we know that he is ill disposed toward you.
וְעָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עַל־עַבְדֶּךָ כִּי בִּבְרִית ה' הֵבֵאתָ אֶת־עַבְדְּךָ עִמָּךְ וְאִם־יֶשׁ־בִּי עָוֺן הֲמִיתֵנִי אַתָּה וְעַד־אָבִיךָ לָמָּה־זֶּה תְבִיאֵנִי׃ - And you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Hashem with you; but if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?
In case your father would grow angry, David asks Yehonatan to reveal the matter to him for three reasons: out of kindness, out of the covenant that we made, and out of justice, for there is no guilt in me. And if you nonetheless think there is something in me, and for that reason you will not reveal it to me, why should you bring me to your father? Kill me yourself, strike me yourself.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן חָלִילָה לָּךְ כִּי אִם־יָדֹעַ אֵדַע כִּי־כָלְתָה הָרָעָה מֵעִם אָבִי לָבוֹא עָלֶיךָ וְלֹא אֹתָהּ אַגִּיד לָךְ׃ - And Yehonatan said, Far be it from you; for if I should indeed learn that evil has been determined by my father to come upon you, would I not tell you of it?
Far be it from you to bear any guilt, there is no guilt in you at all. And if you fear that I might hand you over to my father, could it possibly be that if evil were looming against you from my father I would not reveal it to you in full detail? Heaven forbid, I will tell you everything.
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־יְהוֹנָתָן מִי יַגִּיד לִי אוֹ מַה־יַּעַנְךָ אָבִיךָ קָשָׁה׃ - And David said to Yehonatan, Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you harshly?
There are two concerns here. The first: it will be difficult for you to inform me through a messenger, for the matter would be exposed and it would become known that you sent a messenger to make contact with David and to pass him information from the mouth of the king. The second: "what if your father answers you harshly" - perhaps you will not be able to correctly interpret your father's reactions, and you will not know what counts as a harsh reaction for him. It could be that you will tell me, "I do not think it troubles him that much," while inwardly a hurricane was raging, and then you will reassure me, and heaven forbid I will be greatly harmed by that.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן אֶל־דָּוִד לְכָה וְנֵצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם הַשָּׂדֶה׃ - And Yehonatan said to David, Come, let us go out into the field. And the two of them went out into the field.
When Yehonatan came to spell out the matter and to make a covenant with him, he said, let us go out into the field, so that the words would not be heard and would not become public. For if Shaul knew of the plan between Yehonatan and David, it would rouse his fury.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן אֶל־דָּוִד ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי־אֶחְקֹר אֶת־אָבִי כָּעֵת מָחָר הַשְּׁלִשִׁית וְהִנֵּה־טוֹב אֶל־דָּוִד וְלֹא־אָז אֶשְׁלַח אֵלֶיךָ וְגָלִיתִי אֶת־אׇזְנֶךָ׃ - And Yehonatan said to David, By Hashem, the God of Israel, when I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, and behold, if there is good toward David, will I not then send to you and reveal it to you?
Yehonatan swears. On the first day I will not sound him out, I will wait; perhaps my father will not take notice and will not ask. And if by the next day too he does not ask about you, I will find myself in a difficulty, for I have no reaction to go on and I do not know what is passing through his mind, and then I will sound him out on the third day. And if the answer is good, I will send a messenger to you, for when the answer is good there is no obstacle to sending a messenger and nothing bad will happen. And here David's concern is also answered: you fear that I will not know how to interpret my father's intentions correctly? Do not worry, I will investigate him with an inquiry from which his mind will become entirely clear to me, and I will not try to interpret from any immediate answer he gives me.
כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂה ה' לִיהוֹנָתָן וְכֹה יֹסִיף כִּי־יֵיטִב אֶל־אָבִי אֶת־הָרָעָה עָלֶיךָ וְגָלִיתִי אֶת־אׇזְנֶךָ וְשִׁלַּחְתִּיךָ וְהָלַכְתָּ לְשָׁלוֹם וִיהִי ה' עִמָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה עִם־אָבִי׃ - So may Hashem do to Yonatan and even more, if it should please my father to do you harm, that I will reveal it to you and send you off, and you shall go in peace; and may Hashem be with you as He was with my father.
Now he swears about the other side. "If it should please my father to do you harm" - I will speak ill of you before my father in order to probe him, and if I see that he is glad to hear bad things about you: that is the wisdom of the inquiry, to say something bad about you in order to prod him and observe his reactions. And note: here it says "and I will reveal it to you" - no messenger. Only on the good side would the matter be conveyed through a messenger, but on the bad side I will do it myself.
וְלֹא אִם־עוֹדֶנִּי חָי וְלֹא־תַעֲשֶׂה עִמָּדִי חֶסֶד ה' וְלֹא אָמוּת׃ - And will you not, while I am still alive, show me the kindness of Hashem, that I not die?
The verse is difficult, and it contains several negations. The Malbim explains: Yonatan made a covenant with him only for the time when David would reach the kingship. There are two concerns here: what will be with Yonatan until David reaches the kingship, and what will be with him after he reaches the kingship. For in the usual way, when a new king rose to power, he would kill the entire dynasty of the previous king, as in a coup. Why? Because the most dangerous man for seizing the kingship is the son of the previous king: he has standing among the people, he is known, he is familiar with the workings of power, he has royal bearing as a king's son, and he knows the players and how to use them. That is why we saw later that they went and killed Mefiboshet son of Shaul, and came to tell David this joyfully, "We have killed the man who is your enemy," and not only did he not rejoice, he even had them killed. Therefore Yonatan seeks protection in both situations: both now, before you reach the kingship, that there be an agreement between us, and also at the time when you reign, that you show me kindness and not put me to death.
וְלֹא־תַכְרִית אֶת־חַסְדְּךָ מֵעִם בֵּיתִי עַד־עוֹלָם וְלֹא בְּהַכְרִת ה' אֶת־אֹיְבֵי דָוִד אִישׁ מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃ - And you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, not even when Hashem cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth.
"Forever" - even after my death. And even if Hashem cuts off all of David's enemies, including all of the house of Shaul, nevertheless you are bound by oath not to cut off your kindness from my house, and to be a shield for them so that the members of my house not be destroyed together with the house of Shaul. And this we will see later with wondrous precision: Yonatan stated here all that was destined to happen. Hashem cut off the house of Shaul, as we will see in the account of Ritzpah daughter of Ayah and her sons, and David showed kindness to Yonatan's family, because he had sworn to him.
וַיִּכְרֹת יְהוֹנָתָן עִם־בֵּית דָּוִד וּבִקֵּשׁ ה' מִיַּד אֹיְבֵי דָוִד׃ - So Yonatan made a covenant with the house of David, and may Hashem require it at the hand of David's enemies.
Yonatan made a covenant not only with David himself but with the entire house of David: Michal his wife, Yishai his father and his sons, all were included in the covenant to save them from the hand of David's enemies. For whoever is pursued by the king, woe to his family as well. And this covenant, as is the way of covenants, is a mutual covenant: I too commit myself to you, and you too commit yourself to me. And what is the meaning of "and may Hashem require"? It is an addition: Yonatan prays and asks of Hashem that He assist him in fulfilling this. It turns out that the verse divides thus: "So Yonatan made a covenant with the house of David... at the hand of David's enemies," and in the middle "and may Hashem require" - he asked of Hashem that He help him with this.
וַיּוֹסֶף יְהוֹנָתָן לְהַשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת־דָּוִד בְּאַהֲבָתוֹ אֹתוֹ כִּי־אַהֲבַת נַפְשׁוֹ אֲהֵבוֹ׃ - And Yonatan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
He did not make him swear again because he feared that he might not fulfill it. The Metzudat David explains that he took delight in it: once the matter was sealed that David would reign, he had great joy and delight in it, and therefore he continued to make him swear. And the Malbim explains: he made him swear "by his love for him" - by the love between them. Since he loved him with the love of the soul, he made him swear by the greatest thing that existed between them, namely the love and closeness between the two of them, than which there is nothing greater to him.
וַיֹּאמֶר־לוֹ יְהוֹנָתָן מָחָר חֹדֶשׁ וְנִפְקַדְתָּ כִּי יִפָּקֵד מוֹשָׁבֶךָ׃ - And Yehonatan said to him: Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be found empty.
Rashi explains: it was the practice of all who ate at the king's table to come on the festival day to the table. "And you will be missed" - my father will take note of you and ask where you are. "For your seat will be found empty" - he will see the seat vacant.
וְשִׁלַּשְׁתָּ תֵּרֵד מְאֹד וּבָאתָ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־נִסְתַּרְתָּ שָּׁם בְּיוֹם הַמַּעֲשֶׂה וְיָשַׁבְתָּ אֵצֶל הָאֶבֶן הָאָזֶל׃ - And on the third day you shall go down far, and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day of the deed, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.
"And on the third day you shall go down far" - divide the field into three parts, and each day go deeper and farther in. On the first day the danger is not yet great. On the second day it is greater, for yesterday the king already took note that you are not present, and there is a chance he will send to search for you, so enter a further third inward. And on the third day, which is the second day of Rosh Chodesh, this is already the second day that you are missing, and it is quite possible that the king will grow even angrier and understand that something planned is going on here. On the first day one can still attribute it to chance, but on the second day one no longer can. Therefore "go down far" - go deep into the field and distance yourself, so that my father cannot reach you even if he hears rumors of where you are.
"On the day of the deed" - a day on which work is done, for on Rosh Chodesh they were accustomed not to do work; that is, hide in the place where you would hide on weekdays. And some explain "on the day of the deed" - on that very day when we spoke together and agreed. "The stone Ezel" - a marker stone, by which travelers would mark the spot, the way intersections are marked today. And why is it called "Ezel"? From the term for going, "azal ve'ata" - goes and comes; the stone that serves as a marker for travelers. There you shall hide.
וַאֲנִי שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַחִצִּים צִדָּה אוֹרֶה לְשַׁלַּח־לִי לְמַטָּרָה׃ - And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I were shooting at a target.
I will shoot three arrows: the first, and after it the second farther off, and I will cast them to the side of the stone as if I were aiming at a target. And why specifically arrows? The arrow symbolizes lashon hara, as it says "their tongue is a sharpened arrow." And the Sages say that the tongue is called "lishna telita'ei," the third tongue, because it kills three: the one who speaks, the one who listens, and the one about whom they speak. Therefore three arrows: through them you will understand what lashon hara has accomplished here. For if it was the lashon hara that people spoke to Shaul - those men whom we will see later were provoking him, Doeg the Edomite and Achitophel, who stirred his wrath against David - that caused this, I will know whether the matter is in the category of arrows that took effect and led Shaul to want to kill you.
וְהִנֵּה אֶשְׁלַח אֶת־הַנַּעַר לֵךְ מְצָא אֶת־הַחִצִּים אִם־אָמֹר אֹמַר לַנַּעַר הִנֵּה הַחִצִּים מִמְּךָ וָהֵנָּה קָחֶנּוּ וָבֹאָה כִּי־שָׁלוֹם לְךָ וְאֵין דָּבָר חַי־ה'׃ - And behold, I will send the lad, saying: Go, find the arrows. If I clearly say to the lad: Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them and come, for it is well with you and there is nothing amiss, as Hashem lives.
וְאִם־כֹּה אֹמַר לָעֶלֶם הִנֵּה הַחִצִּים מִמְּךָ וָהָלְאָה לֵךְ כִּי שִׁלַּחֲךָ ה'׃ - But if I say thus to the youth: Behold, the arrows are beyond you, then go, for Hashem has sent you away.
"Take them and come" - Rashi explains: come out yourself from your hiding place, take them and come to me, for you have nothing to fear, for the Holy One, blessed be He, desires that you be here and not be afraid. And the Malbim points out an interesting change: in the first verse "the lad" (na'ar) and in the second "the youth" (elem). There are two signs here. The first is simple and stated explicitly in the language of the verse: "on this side" - a sign that you should come here; "beyond" - a sign that you should flee away. And the additional sign is in the difference between "na'ar" and "elem": "elem" indicates more agility and strength than the term "na'ar." Therefore if the arrow is in a nearby place, and he says "on this side," he will call him "na'ar" - for there is no need for agility to search for nearby arrows, and likewise you need not hurry and flee but may reveal yourself before me. But if he shoots to a far place, he will call "to the youth," that he should hurry to find them quickly - and this is a sign that you must hurry and flee. Thus the place where the arrows fall indicates whether to flee or to remain, and the word "na'ar" or "elem" indicates with what speed and with what agility you must act. And if you hear "to the youth... beyond you" - not only must you flee, but it is best that you flee as fast as possible, for the danger is near and great.
And why was there a need for such detailed signs? Because, as we explained above, there are four possibilities to be in doubt about: entirely for your benefit, entirely to your detriment, and two intermediate possibilities. Therefore he needed to give additional signs that would address also the situations that are not entirely clear. And why did he choose signs of arrows at all, rather than come and speak with him privately? Some explain that he feared they would be discovered while speaking privately, and some explain that he feared lashon hara.
וְהַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְנוּ אֲנִי וָאָתָּה הִנֵּה ה' בֵּינִי וּבֵינְךָ עַד־עוֹלָם׃ - And as for the matter of which we have spoken, you and I, behold, Hashem is between me and you forever.
Should David be forced to flee, this would be their final meeting, and what they spoke of would remain between them forever. There is also a homiletic reading: "Behold Hashem is between me and you" - know what is above you, an eye that sees and an ear that hears. Do not think that what was spoken in secret stays secret; even what is done in hiding, the Holy One is present there and the Holy One hears it.
וַיִּסָּתֵר דָּוִד בַּשָּׂדֶה וַיְהִי הַחֹדֶשׁ וַיֵּשֶׁב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־הַלֶּחֶם לֶאֱכוֹל׃ - And David hid in the field, and when the new moon came, the king sat down to the meal to eat.
וַיֵּשֶׁב הַמֶּלֶךְ עַל־מוֹשָׁבוֹ כְּפַעַם בְּפַעַם אֶל־מוֹשַׁב הַקִּיר וַיָּקׇם יְהוֹנָתָן וַיֵּשֶׁב אַבְנֵר מִצַּד שָׁאוּל וַיִּפָּקֵד מְקוֹם דָּוִד׃ - And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, upon the seat by the wall, and Yonatan rose, and Avner sat by Shaul's side, and David's place was empty.
This verse is very difficult: what is the meaning of Yonatan rising? And what is Avner's role here? It would have been enough to write that David was absent and his place was empty. The Malbim explains: Yonatan did not sit next to the king, for the Sages taught that a son does not recline beside his father. To recline at a meal, where a person sits on his left side in a half reclining posture, is not a respectful manner for a son beside his father, all the more so when the father is a king. Therefore someone would separate between them, and who was that? David. Now Yonatan sat in his usual place, and when the king arrived there remained an empty spot between them. Yonatan, who wanted his father to take careful notice, immediately rose, since there was no one to interpose between him and the king, and it was not respectful to recline next to his father. Once he rose, Avner ben Ner immediately understood that he should place himself between them and separate between Shaul and Yonatan, so he came and sat in David's usual place. Thus "and Yonatan rose" means he did not leave his place but only rose; "and Avner sat by Shaul's side" because he saw that there was no one to interpose; "and David's place was empty" means the seat beside Yonatan on the other side, where Avner had previously sat, remained empty. All of this Yonatan did so that his father would feel David's absence and not fail to notice it.
וְלֹא־דִבֶּר שָׁאוּל מְאוּמָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי אָמַר מִקְרֶה הוּא בִּלְתִּי טָהוֹר הוּא כִּי־לֹא טָהוֹר׃ - And Shaul did not say anything that day, for he thought, it is an accident, he is not clean, surely he is not clean.
Shaul said nothing, because he thought that some impurity had befallen David and prevented him from coming. But what is the meaning of the double "surely he is not clean"? The Malbim says something wonderful: "it is an accident, he is not clean" means an impure accident befell him, such as a seminal emission. And why would such a thing happen to him? "Surely he is not clean" - because David himself is not clean, since he dwells on thoughts of sin or engages in matters of sin, and therefore it is no wonder that he came to an impure accident. Already here Shaul's hatred of David is audible: to whom does an impure accident happen? To one who is not clean.
וַיְהִי מִמׇּחֳרַת הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי וַיִּפָּקֵד מְקוֹם דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ מַדּוּעַ לֹא־בָא בֶן־יִשַׁי גַּם־תְּמוֹל גַּם־הַיּוֹם אֶל־הַלָּחֶם׃ - And it came to pass on the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty, and Shaul said to Yonatan his son, why has the son of Yishai not come to the meal, neither yesterday nor today?
On the second day of Rosh Chodesh Shaul asks, and he does not say "why has David not come" but rather "the son of Yishai." This is a manner of contempt, as we said, when a person refers to his fellow by his father's name, as if he is not worthy of being called by his own name but only by his father's name.
There is also a homiletic reading here: "why has the son of Yishai not come, neither yesterday nor today" - you ask yourself why Mashiach ben David tarries. We have been praying for thousands of years for the coming of the Mashiach, so why does he not come? The answer: "to the meal." All our prayers are for the bread - Master of the world, grant a livelihood, that there be something to eat, that there be money, that we win the lottery, that there be a house, a villa, a Volvo. All of a person's demands are for the bread. But who truly prays over the pain of the Shechinah? Who prays because he wants the Shechinah to emerge from exile? The righteous. But most people pray for the bread. The son of Yishai has not come, because we pray for material matters and not for the spiritual ones.
וַיַּעַן יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־שָׁאוּל נִשְׁאֹל נִשְׁאַל דָּוִד מֵעִמָּדִי עַד־בֵּית לָחֶם׃ - And Yonatan answered Shaul: David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beit Lechem.
וַיֹּאמֶר שַׁלְּחֵנִי נָא כִּי זֶבַח מִשְׁפָּחָה לָנוּ בָּעִיר וְהוּא צִוָּה־לִי אָחִי וְעַתָּה אִם־מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ אִמָּלְטָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת־אֶחָי עַל־כֵּן לֹא־בָא אֶל־שֻׁלְחַן הַמֶּלֶךְ׃ - And he said: Let me go, please, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away, please, and see my brothers. That is why he has not come to the king's table.
First Yonatan replies: Know that the matter was with permission - "David earnestly asked leave of me." And why did I grant him permission? Because he said they had a family sacrifice in the city and there was no choice, and his brother commanded him to come. And note the wording: "let me get away and see my brothers" - he did not say "I will go to feast," meaning: do not think he went because the food there is better than yours, rather the entire purpose was to see his brothers. That is why he did not come to the king's table.
וַיִּחַר־אַף שָׁאוּל בִּיהוֹנָתָן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ בֶּן־נַעֲוַת הַמַּרְדּוּת הֲלוֹא יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־בֹחֵר אַתָּה לְבֶן־יִשַׁי לְבׇשְׁתְּךָ וּלְבֹשֶׁת עֶרְוַת אִמֶּךָ׃ - And Shaul's anger burned against Yonatan, and he said to him: Son of a perverse rebelliousness, do I not know that you are choosing the son of Yishai to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
What is "son of a perverse rebelliousness"? Several explanations have been offered. Rashi explains "na'avat" from the language of movement (na va-nad) - a wanderer, that is, you are a son who has strayed from the correct path and deserves subjugation and chastisement, and "mardut" from the language of a lash of chastisement (makat mardut).
Rashi brings a further explanation in the name of Chazal, based on the episode of the sons of Binyamin who seized wives from the daughters of Shiloh who went out to dance in the vineyards. Recall: after the episode of the concubine at Giv'ah, six hundred men of Binyamin remained. Four hundred of them found matches from the daughters of Yavesh Gilad, and the remaining two hundred had no match. They said: let us go and let them seize a wife for themselves from the daughters of Israel who go out to dance in the vineyards, and since we did not give them our daughters as wives, we will not transgress the oath, rather they will come and take for themselves. And so it indeed was. And Chazal say that the seizing was not in the sense we understand, rather each one would see a woman, speak with her, see that she was fitting for him, and marry her. But Chazal say that there was one there who did not seize but was seized - and that was Shaul. For Shaul was taller than all the people and also handsome, yet on the other hand he was self-effacing, of great modesty and great humility, and therefore she came, was brazen and pursued him, and it was she who seized him. And according to this, "na'avat" refers to the vineyards: "na'avat" is the place where the grapes are trodden in the winepress, from the language of "the hills shall drip with sweet wine" (yitfu na'avoth). That is: from the place where the wine was made the rebelliousness began, for your mother behaved without modesty.
And what is "to your shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness"? Those who hear will say: you love a man whom I hate, and is it possible for a son to love the one whom his father hates? Apparently he is not entirely his father. And if so, they will say of your mother that she transgressed the prohibition of forbidden relations and committed adultery with another, and that is why such an ornament was born who goes against his father.
The Malbim explains in another way: the way of rebellion is that a servant rebels against his master in order to throw off his yoke and reign in his place, like Herod who rebelled against the Chashmonaean kings and killed them in order to reign in their stead. But you will never find a son rebelling against his father the king in order to enthrone someone else in his place and thereby lose the kingship from himself. The matter runs contrary to all logic, and although there is certainly immense greatness in it, if a person does so it is a rebellion of madness and a distortion of the mind. Therefore this is not mere rebelliousness but "na'avat ha-mardut" - a perverse rebelliousness; "na'avat" not from the language of movement but from the language of perversion, a rebelliousness that is not grasped by logic and reason. "Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Yishai" - and therefore you wish to rebel against me, and this is to your shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness, for through this the kingship will be removed from your mother's seed and given to a stranger. Your mother wished to see her son reign, and you are handing the kingship to another man.
כִּי כׇל־הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר בֶּן־יִשַׁי חַי עַל־הָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִכּוֹן אַתָּה וּמַלְכוּתֶךָ וְעַתָּה שְׁלַח וְקַח אֹתוֹ אֵלַי כִּי בֶן־מָוֶת הוּא׃ - For all the days that the son of Yishai lives on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death.
All the days that the son of Yishai lives, even if your kingship begins to take hold, it will not be established - from the language of a base and foundation (ken), it will not endure, for he will rebel against you. And therefore, for your own good, it is worthwhile for you to bring him to me, for he is a son of death, since he has rebelled against the kingship.
וַיַּעַן יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־שָׁאוּל אָבִיו וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לָמָּה יוּמַת מֶה עָשָׂה׃ - And Yonatan answered Shaul his father and said to him: Why should he be put to death? What has he done?
In other words: if Hashem made him king, what is his guilt, and what do you have against him?
וַיָּטֶל שָׁאוּל אֶת־הַחֲנִית עָלָיו לְהַכֹּתוֹ וַיֵּדַע יְהוֹנָתָן כִּי־כָלָה הִיא מֵעִם אָבִיו לְהָמִית אֶת־דָּוִד׃ - And Shaul cast the spear at him to strike him, and Yehonatan knew that it was resolved by his father to put David to death.
"To strike him" - it seems he did not intend to kill him, but to strike with the spear, an expression of a blow and not of killing. And then Yehonatan knew that there were no longer two interpretations and no two conclusions: the conclusion was single and clear, Shaul wants to kill David.
וַיָּקׇם יְהוֹנָתָן מֵעִם הַשֻּׁלְחָן בׇּחֳרִי־אָף וְלֹא־אָכַל בְּיוֹם־הַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי לֶחֶם כִּי נֶעְצַב אֶל־דָּוִד כִּי הִכְלִמוֹ אָבִיו׃ - And Yehonatan rose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had shamed him.
He had two reasons: the first, "he was grieved for David" - great sorrow that he would be forced to part from David and could no longer meet with him, for his father was pursuing him and this was a matter of mortal danger. And the second, "because his father had shamed him" - that he had humiliated him and called him "son of a perverse, rebellious woman," and disgraced him before all the officers. It turns out that Yehonatan comes out hurt by Shaul from both directions: he will no longer meet David, and his father also strikes at him.
וַיְהִי בַבֹּקֶר וַיֵּצֵא יְהוֹנָתָן הַשָּׂדֶה לְמוֹעֵד דָּוִד וְנַעַר קָטֹן עִמּוֹ׃ - And it was in the morning that Yehonatan went out to the field at the appointed time with David, and a young lad was with him.
"In the morning" - on the third day of the month. "At the appointed time with David" - to the time he had set for David, or to the appointed place he had fixed with him. And why did he take a young lad? So that because of his youth he would not notice or understand what was happening.
וַיֹּאמֶר לְנַעֲרוֹ רֻץ מְצָא נָא אֶת־הַחִצִּים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מוֹרֶה הַנַּעַר רָץ וְהוּא־יָרָה הַחֵצִי לְהַעֲבִרוֹ׃ - And he said to his lad: Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot the arrow to make it pass beyond him.
"To make it pass beyond him" - he shot the first one closer and the second one farther, so that it would pass beyond, so that he could say the sign "behold, the arrow is beyond you."
וַיָּבֹא הַנַּעַר עַד־מְקוֹם הַחֵצִי אֲשֶׁר יָרָה יְהוֹנָתָן וַיִּקְרָא יְהוֹנָתָן אַחֲרֵי הַנַּעַר וַיֹּאמֶר הֲלוֹא הַחֵצִי מִמְּךָ וָהָלְאָה׃ - And the lad came to the place of the arrow which Yehonatan had shot, and Yehonatan called after the lad and said: Is not the arrow beyond you?
וַיִּקְרָא יְהוֹנָתָן אַחֲרֵי הַנַּעַר מְהֵרָה חוּשָׁה אַל־תַּעֲמֹד וַיְלַקֵּט נַעַר יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־הַחִצִּים וַיָּבֹא אֶל־אֲדֹנָיו׃ - And Yehonatan called after the lad: Quickly, hurry, do not stand still. And Yehonatan's lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
The lad gathers the arrows and returns. The Radak notes: the written text (ketiv) reads "the arrow" (singular) while it is pronounced "the arrows" (plural), because for the distant shot he shot only one arrow and not several arrows as he first said, "the three arrows I will shoot to the side." Therefore the text uses the singular expression "the arrow."
וְהַנַּעַר לֹא־יָדַע מְאוּמָה אַךְ יְהוֹנָתָן וְדָוִד יָדְעוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר׃ - And the lad knew nothing; only Yehonatan and David knew the matter.
The lad does not understand at all what is going on, and thought this was an innocent game of arrows.
וַיִּתֵּן יְהוֹנָתָן אֶת־כֵּלָיו אֶל־הַנַּעַר אֲשֶׁר־לוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ לֵךְ הָבֵיא הָעִיר׃ - And Yehonatan gave his weapons to the lad who was his and said to him, Go, bring them to the city.
He gives him the bow and the arrows and tells him to return them to the city. This is the concept of an "arms bearer" (nosei kelim). And note: although at first he said he would call "to the youth" (elem), here he did not mention an elem but rather "the lad" (naar). That is to say, you must indeed flee, but you do not need to flee in such haste, for Shaul has not yet sent legions to search for you.
הַנַּעַר בָּא וְדָוִד קָם מֵאֵצֶל הַנֶּגֶב וַיִּפֹּל לְאַפָּיו אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים וַיִּשְּׁקוּ אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ עַד־דָּוִד הִגְדִּיל׃ - The lad came, and David arose from beside the south side, and fell on his face to the ground and bowed down three times; and they kissed one another and wept with one another, until David wept greatly.
"The lad came" - the lad went off and moved away. "And David arose from beside the south" - from the southern place where he had hidden. He fell on his face and bowed down three times, and they kissed one another and wept with one another "until David wept greatly" - until David began to weep with a loud voice. Yehonatan became alarmed, lest the noise cause passersby in the vicinity to notice that the king's son and David were here, and the matter reach Shaul's ears. Therefore he immediately said to him:
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹנָתָן לְדָוִד לֵךְ לְשָׁלוֹם אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְנוּ שְׁנֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה' לֵאמֹר ה' יִהְיֶה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּבֵין זַרְעִי וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ עַד־עוֹלָם׃ - And Yehonatan said to David, Go to peace, since we have both sworn in the name of Hashem, saying, Hashem shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.
Remember our oath, that Hashem shall be between us forever. And note that he said to him "go to peace" (lech leshalom) and not "go in peace" (lech beshalom): David said to Avshalom "go in peace" (lech beshalom) - and he went and was killed; whereas Yehonatan said "go to peace" (lech leshalom) - and he remained alive.
The commentators ask: if in the end they met face to face, what need was there for all the signals? The answer is that there really was a concern that he would not be able to meet him at all, lest there be people there, and therefore he prepared the sign; but in practice there were no people there and he was able to meet him face to face. There is another explanation I have seen, that Yehonatan did not want to deliver the news to him all at once lest he be frightened, and therefore he first hinted through the arrows and only afterward came to him. And some say that Yehonatan did not want to be drawn into lashon hara. And indeed note: when Yehonatan said to David "go to peace," they do not speak at all about what happened; he only tells him to flee. Why? Because if he began to speak, he would say "my father said such and such," and David would answer "surely he is such and such," and they would be drawn into lashon hara. Therefore they did it by way of the arrows - and also to hint that lashon hara is compared to an arrow, and it kills three.
In this chapter the fate of the relationship between David and Shaul is sealed. Yehonatan, who at first believed that his father's entire pursuit stemmed only from the evil spirit, goes out with David to the field, forges with him a twofold covenant for himself and for his house for all generations, and sets up a precise system of signs with arrows, signs that also allude to the destructive power of lashon hara, which kills three. At the Rosh Chodesh feast, in Yehonatan's rising and in Avner sitting in David's place, the absence is exposed; and in Shaul's furious reaction, in his curse "ben naavat hamardut" and in hurling the spear at his own son, it becomes finally clear that this is not merely an evil spirit but an absolute desire to kill David. The chapter closes with a parting that is entirely soul love: "Go in peace" - and with an oath that remained in force forever, and was fulfilled when David did kindness with the house of Yehonatan.