Chapter 10 of Shmuel A is the transitional chapter: from the private anointing of Shaul with the flask of oil, through the three signs that Shmuel gives him, and up to the public coronation at Mitzpah, chosen by lot before all of Israel. Hidden within the chapter is also the beginning of Shaul's downfall: the first command he receives, the very command in which he will fail and because of which he will lose the kingship. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim, primarily in the light of the Malbim.
וַיִּקַּ֨ח שְׁמוּאֵ֜ל אֶת־פַּ֥ךְ הַשֶּׁ֛מֶן וַיִּצֹ֥ק עַל־רֹאשׁ֖וֹ וַיִּשָּׁקֵ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הֲל֗וֹא כִּֽי־מְשָׁחֲךָ֧ יְהֹוָ֛ה עַל־נַחֲלָת֖וֹ לְנָגִֽיד׃ - And Shmuel took the flask of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him, and said: Is it not that Hashem has anointed you as ruler over His inheritance?
Chazal teach that this was not the anointing oil, for with the anointing oil one anoints only kings, the kings of the house of David. Here it was persimmon oil, a fragrant oil with a special scent, but not the anointing oil. And the kingship itself did not endure either. The hint to this lies in the vessel: Shaul, who was anointed with a flask, did not have his kingship endure, while David, who was anointed with a horn, did have his kingship endure. A flask is earthenware, and earthenware breaks. A horn is made from the horn of an ox, which is the hardest of things, and moreover the horn by its very nature continues and grows longer. Chana already hinted at this in her prayer: "רָמָה קַרְנִי בַּה' - My horn is exalted in Hashem" - Chazal say: my horn is exalted, and not my flask. The kingship was exalted through the one anointed with a horn, not through the one anointed with a flask.
What is the effect of the anointing? The Malbim says: through the anointing Shmuel draws upon Shaul a spirit of might and strength, and therefore we see further on "וַתִּצְלַח עָלָיו רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים - and the spirit of God came upon him." Through the anointing he brings upon him an immense power and inner fortitude to lead the nation. For after all, this is a simple man, so from where would he acquire the strength and mighty resolve to lead an entire people? And why did he kiss him? "וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּ - and he kissed him" - this is a matter of the joining of spirit to spirit. In Kabbalah too there is discussion of the joining of spirit to spirit that is accomplished through a kiss, and from here comes "יִשָּׁקֵנִי מִנְּשִׁיקוֹת פִּיהוּ - Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth" - and specifically "his mouth," as explained in the Zohar. Shmuel wanted the spirit of Shaul to cleave to his own spirit, and thus he would merit prophecy. Prophecy is from the language of the utterance of the lips, and through the kiss he grants him the power of speech, the power of prophecy.
And why does Shmuel not anoint him in public, for Shaul becomes king over all of Israel? The answer is simple: further on Shmuel is going to cast a lot, and thus prove to the people whom Hashem has chosen. Had he anointed him publicly, the people would have said that the game was rigged: first he shot the arrow and afterward drew the target around it. Therefore he informed no one, and only between himself and Shaul did he inform and prepare him: you are the ruler, I am anointing you, know this and prepare yourself.
And note the wording: not "as king" but "as ruler (nagid)." A king is one who passes his kingship down to the generations that come after him, whereas here it speaks of one who will be a ruler, and a temporary ruler is defined as a nagid. Since Shmuel knew that his kingship was not destined to endure, he did not describe him as a king but as a nagid.
בְּלֶכְתְּךָ֤ הַיּוֹם֙ מֵֽעִמָּדִ֔י וּמָצָ֩אתָ֩ שְׁנֵ֨י אֲנָשִׁ֜ים עִם־קְבֻרַ֥ת רָחֵ֛ל בִּגְב֥וּל בִּנְיָמִ֖ן בְּצֶלְצַ֑ח וְאָמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֗יךָ נִמְצְא֤וּ הָאֲתֹנוֹת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָלַ֣כְתָּ לְבַקֵּ֔שׁ וְהִנֵּ֨ה נָטַ֤שׁ אָבִ֙יךָ֙ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֣י הָאֲתֹנ֔וֹת וְדָאַ֤ג לָכֶם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מָ֥ה אֶעֱשֶׂ֖ה לִבְנִֽי׃ - When you leave me today, you will find two men near the burial place of Rachel in the territory of Binyamin at Tzeltzach, and they will say to you: The donkeys that you went to seek have been found, and behold, your father has set aside the matter of the donkeys and is worried about you, saying: What shall I do about my son?
Shmuel gives Shaul signs regarding the course of events that will unfold from the moment of the anointing until the actual receiving of the kingship. And indeed the entire description is a tremendous wonder. On a simple reading it would seem that one could delete this whole passage, for what does it matter to us to know that two men will tell him that the donkeys have been found and that his father is already worried about them rather than about the donkeys? And why are signs needed at all? Is Shmuel standing for a test? After all, already in his youth Shmuel was established as a prophet over all of Israel, and there was no man who doubted his prophecy. And why the detail: three men, one carrying young goats, one loaves, one a skin of wine, and even the warning "וְלָקַחְתָּ מִיָּדָם - and you shall take from their hand"? This is truly a wonder.
The Malbim says a wondrous thing: Shmuel is informing Shaul that there will be within the nation three groups with regard to the acceptance of his kingship, and each group will receive him in a different way. He prepares him in advance so that he will not be surprised by the people's attitude and by the manner in which his kingship is accepted.
The first group - "שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים - two men." These are the most simple men, the common masses in the language of the Malbim, who live an animalistic life, do not serve Hashem, and are not enlightened in His truth. They are the most physical, called "amei ha'aretz," whose entire concern is with earthly matters. And since they are the majority - "behold, the amei ha'aretz are now many," while the Torah scholars are the minority - it is them you will encounter first. And they are divided into two, and therefore "two men": there are those drawn after the desires of eating, drinking, and pleasure, and there are those drawn after the desire for money, who are willing even to forgo pleasures so long as they profit financially.
"עִם קְבֻרַת רָחֵל" - "By Rachel's tomb": according to Kabbalah, the divine soul is hinted at in Rachel, and Rachel and Leah are spiritual concepts. Their soul, which is on the level of Rachel, is buried within them: they do not give it life, and it is like dead in its grave, for they are subject to the rule of the flesh, the material, and desire. "בִּגְבוּל בִּנְיָמִן" - "at the border of Binyamin": Shaul is from the tribe of Binyamin, and they stand at the border and do not enter inside. They will not be drawn after him and will not be part of him. Notice that they give him nothing: no gift, no bread, no wine, for they do not see themselves as part of him. But they also do no harm, and on the contrary they tell him that his father is worried about him, that is, from these people no evil will come to you.
וְחָלַפְתָּ֨ מִשָּׁ֜ם וָהָ֗לְאָה וּבָ֙אתָ֙ עַד־אֵל֣וֹן תָּב֔וֹר וּמְצָא֤וּךָ שָּׁם֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים עֹלִ֥ים אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל אֶחָ֞ד נֹשֵׂ֣א ׀ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה גְדָיִ֗ים וְאֶחָד֙ נֹשֵׂ֗א שְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ כִּכְּר֣וֹת לֶ֔חֶם וְאֶחָ֖ד נֹשֵׂ֥א נֵבֶל־יָֽיִן׃ - Then you shall pass on from there and beyond, and you shall come to the plain of Tavor, and there three men going up to God at Beit El shall meet you: one carrying three kids, and one carrying three loaves of bread, and one carrying a jug of wine.
The second group is finer and more praiseworthy: people who are already engaged in spirituality. How do we know? "עֹלִים אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים בֵּית אֵל" - "going up to God at Beit El": people who seek the service of Hashem. They too divide into three types. The first carries three kids: his entire aim is to offer sacrifice, and the three kids allude to the three parts of the soul, Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah, which he offers to Hashem. This is the highest level, one who does everything for the sake of Heaven. The second, on a lower level, carries three loaves of bread: he too serves Hashem, but his aim is bread, that is, livelihood, blessing, success, a fitting match. Blessed is Hashem that he serves Him, but his goal is material. The third carries a jug of wine: this is one who serves Hashem in order to attain pleasures and luxuries, not merely livelihood but beyond it. For with bread a person is satisfied, that is the minimum, whereas wine symbolizes pleasure.
וְשָׁאֲל֥וּ לְךָ֖ לְשָׁל֑וֹם וְנָתְנ֤וּ לְךָ֙ שְׁתֵּי־לֶ֔חֶם וְלָקַחְתָּ֖ מִיָּדָֽם׃ - And they shall greet you in peace and give you two loaves of bread, and you shall take from their hand.
These three types will join you: they will greet you in peace, inquire about your needs, and give you "two loaves of bread", that is, they will help you economically to establish the kingdom and meet your bodily needs. Therefore "וְלָקַחְתָּ מִיָּדָם" - "and you shall take from their hand": do not refuse them, for you need their help.
אַ֣חַר כֵּ֗ן תָּבוֹא֙ גִּבְעַ֣ת הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֖ם נְצִבֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים וִיהִי֩ כְבֹאֲךָ֨ שָׁ֜ם הָעִ֗יר וּפָגַעְתָּ֞ חֶ֤בֶל נְבִאִים֙ יֹרְדִ֣ים מֵהַבָּמָ֔ה וְלִפְנֵיהֶ֞ם נֵ֤בֶל וְתֹף֙ וְחָלִ֣יל וְכִנּ֔וֹר וְהֵ֖מָּה מִֽתְנַבְּאִֽים׃ - After that you shall come to the Hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it shall be, when you come there to the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place, and before them a harp, a drum, a flute, and a lyre, and they shall be prophesying.
And what is the meaning of this orchestra? We already find it with Elisha: "וְהָיָה כְּנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן וַתְּהִי עָלָיו רוּחַ ה'" - "And it was, when the musician played, that the spirit of Hashem came upon him." Music causes the soul to cling to spirituality, and when the soul clings to spirituality it merits the resting of the Shechinah. Of course, this speaks of one who is on a level; someone who is not on a level can play all day and get nothing out of it but tunes. And we must be realistic: a young couple came to Rav Chaim Kanievsky and told him that when they returned home on their wedding night they found a dove standing on the table, and they asked what this hinted at. The Rav replied to them: it means you left the window open.
The Malbim says: here the third layer of the nation is alluded to, the finest and most spiritual. This group is no longer in the category of "men" but in the category of the divine, people who have detached themselves from all matters of physicality and engage only in spirituality, and focus on drawing down prophecy. And in their merit, "אֲשֶׁר שָׁם נְצִבֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים" - "where the garrison of the Philistines is", you will defeat the Philistines; through their power your salvation in war will come to you.
וְצָלְחָ֤ה עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ ר֣וּחַ יְהֹוָ֔ה וְהִתְנַבִּ֖יתָ עִמָּ֑ם וְנֶהְפַּכְתָּ֖ לְאִ֥ישׁ אַחֵֽר׃ - And the spirit of Hashem shall come mightily upon you, and you shall prophesy with them, and you shall be turned into another man.
The second group helped him materially to establish the kingdom, and the third group helps him spiritually. "וְצָלְחָה עָלֶיךָ רוּחַ ה'" - "the spirit of Hashem shall come mightily upon you" is one of the levels of ruach hakodesh. The Malbim says: without the spirit of Hashem coming upon him, there is no natural way that a man could be taken from the sheepfolds and suddenly have within him a spirit of might to fight the Philistines and Amalek. From where does this come to him? From the spirit of Hashem that came mightily upon him. And another point regarding the soul: a spiritual abundance will rest upon him, prophecy will rest upon him, and he will be turned into another man.
וְהָיָ֗ה כִּ֥י תָבֹ֛אנָה הָאֹת֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה לָ֑ךְ עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּמְצָ֣א יָדֶ֔ךָ כִּ֥י הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים עִמָּֽךְ׃ - And it shall be, when these signs come to you, do for yourself whatever your hand finds, for God is with you.
The signs hint that he will have help from all the layers of the nation: from the material and animalistic, that they will do him no harm; from the more spiritual, that they will help him with loaves of bread and economic establishment; and from the divine, that they will help him spiritually. And from this he will know that divine assistance is with him.
There is a further strengthening here. There is a principle that anything placed in the hands of one who has free choice can be prevented from coming to pass by that person's choice. In truth there is a dispute about this: the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh and other Rishonim hold that one with free choice can cause harm even to someone upon whom no harm was decreed, while the Vilna Gaon holds that one with free choice cannot at all harm someone upon whom no harm was decreed from Heaven, and his choice is limited. Here the matter depends on the people's choice: whether they will want to accept him or not. Indeed, at the end of the chapter some said "how will this one save us?" One could have argued: Shmuel, perhaps you are a true prophet and I believe you, but who says the people will agree? Therefore a promise is given here, and "for God is with you" means that it will come to pass no matter what, for the Holy One who promised a good promise does not retract it, even though the matter depends on the free choice of others.
We already saw that it is said of Shaul that there was none better than him among all the people. Imagine: the Creator of the world testifies that in all of Israel there is none better than him. Therefore Chazal expounded "Shaul was one year old when he became king" - like a one year old infant who had never tasted the taste of sin. And Chazal said that the Holy One said to David: is this how you speak of Shaul? Know that had you been Shaul and he been David, I would have removed a hundred like you before Shaul. On the other hand, the Arizal says that David was the beginning of his soul's emergence from the kelipot, and therefore his intentional sins were reckoned to him as unwitting ones, whereas Shaul, who was exceedingly refined, had his unwitting acts reckoned to him as intentional sins.
וְיָרַדְתָּ֣ לְפָנַי֮ הַגִּלְגָּל֒ וְהִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ יֹרֵ֣ד אֵלֶ֔יךָ לְהַעֲל֣וֹת עֹל֔וֹת לִזְבֹּ֖חַ זִבְחֵ֣י שְׁלָמִ֑ים שִׁבְעַ֨ת יָמִ֤ים תּוֹחֵל֙ עַד־בּוֹאִ֣י אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְהוֹדַעְתִּ֣י לְךָ֔ אֵ֖ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶֽׂה׃ - And you shall go down before me to the Gilgal, and behold, I will come down to you to offer up burnt offerings, to sacrifice peace offerings; seven days you shall wait until I come to you, and I will make known to you what you shall do.
Here begins Shaul's first pitfall. There are missiles fitted with a self destruct mechanism, so that if they miss their target they destroy themselves; here Shaul's self destruct mechanism was implanted in him. This is the first command he receives, and in it he will fail, and this failure will drag another failure after it, and in the end he will lose the kingship.
The Gilgal was a gathering place, to which people would assemble to hear the word of the prophet. There Shmuel tells him: wait for me seven days, and afterward I will come and give you the instructions on how to lead the kingship - "and I will make known to you what you shall do." That is, what will be conveyed to him depends on this waiting. In fact Shaul did not wait, and received a severe rebuke for it and lost the kingship, and afterward he lost it definitively in the matter of Agag; there were two stages here, a partial loss followed by a complete loss. The command seemingly is not complicated: wait seven days, we will offer peace offerings and go out to war against the Philistines. But when we reach that point we will see that the test was very difficult. And we also learned here: although he told him "do for yourself whatever your hand finds," verse 8 is the reservation - at the Gilgal you are limited, there you must wait for me.
וְהָיָ֗ה כְּהַפְנֹת֤וֹ שִׁכְמוֹ֙ לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ מֵעִ֣ם שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וַיַּהֲפׇךְ־ל֥וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵ֣ב אַחֵ֑ר וַיָּבֹ֛אוּ כׇּל־הָאֹת֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃ - And it was, as he turned his shoulder to go from Shmuel, that God turned for him another heart, and all these signs came about on that day.
"Another heart" - Rashi says: a spirit of kingly might. And the Malbim adds: every person's heart leads and directs only the powers of his own body, but "the heart of a king is like streams of water" - he directs the heart of the people who are led by him, and "the heart of a king is in the hand of Hashem." From now on he will not have the heart of a private individual but the heart of a general person, the heart of a king, whom the Holy One directs. The heart of a private person is in his own hand, but the king decides by his decisions the fate of thousands and tens of thousands, and therefore he cannot make personal decisions; it appears to him that he is the one deciding, but in fact the decisions are from Heaven.
Based on this, the commentators offer a wonderful explanation of Chazal's statement "whoever oppresses Israel is made a head." Seemingly this is a reward: one who causes trouble for Israel is made a head? Rather the meaning is: as long as he is a private person, he can oppress Israel without limit; but from the moment he becomes a head, "the heart of princes and rulers is in the hand of Hashem," and the dog's chain is in the hand of the master. As it were, the Holy One takes control over him: you became a king, you entered my hands, and I control your heart. For a king can by a single decision cause the killing of half his people, and it is impossible for such a thing to be left to his free choice alone. And this is besides the well known plain meaning, that he is made a head so that they will not say we were handed over into the hand of a lowly nation.
וַיָּבֹ֤אוּ שָׁם֙ הַגִּבְעָ֔תָה וְהִנֵּ֥ה חֶבֶל־נְבִאִ֖ים לִקְרָאת֑וֹ וַתִּצְלַ֤ח עָלָיו֙ ר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיִּתְנַבֵּ֖א בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ - And they came there to the Giva, and behold, a band of prophets came toward him, and the spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
Two things came upon him: a spirit of divine might and a spirit of prophecy, as was explained above.
וַיְהִ֗י כׇּל־יֽוֹדְעוֹ֙ מֵאִתְּמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם וַיִּרְא֕וּ וְהִנֵּ֥ה עִם־נְבִאִ֖ים נִבָּ֑א וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָעָ֜ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֗הוּ מַה־זֶּה֙ הָיָ֣ה לְבֶן־קִ֔ישׁ הֲגַ֥ם שָׁא֖וּל בַּנְּבִיאִֽים׃ - And it came to pass, that when all who knew him from before saw that he prophesied among the prophets, the people said one to another: What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Shaul also among the prophets?
The Malbim says: for prophetic attainment two qualities are needed, an inborn quality and a chosen quality. The inborn quality is the inheritance from the father, as our Sages said that a father bequeaths to his son wisdom, strength, and many other things; and the chosen quality depends on a person's own choice, when he resolves to do the will of Hashem and to draw close to Him. They wondered from both angles: "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish" - after all, Kish his father was no prophet, so he has no inborn preparation. And if you would say it is from the aspect of the chosen preparation, that he chose the good and merited it, to this they said "Is Shaul also among the prophets?": was he up until now among the disciples of the prophets? For this was how they would merit prophecy, joining the prophets and training themselves in the ways of purification, seclusion, and immersion in spirituality, and Shaul had never been seen in that company. It turns out that both aspects were lacking in him.
וַיַּ֨עַן אִ֥ישׁ מִשָּׁ֛ם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר וּמִ֣י אֲבִיהֶ֑ם עַל־כֵּן֙ הָיְתָ֣ה לְמָשָׁ֔ל הֲגַ֥ם שָׁא֖וּל בַּנְּבִאִֽים׃ - And a man from there answered and said: And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb: Is Shaul also among the prophets?
There was a man there who refuted their words: does one have to have a father who was a prophet in order to be a prophet? "And who is their father" - who are the fathers of all these prophets, were they prophets? In the generation before Shmuel there was no prophecy, "and the word of Hashem was precious... there was no vision breaking forth," and suddenly prophecy goes and bursts forth, and their parents were not prophets. And from then on the expression "Is Shaul also among the prophets?" became a proverb commonly used by the people, as we will see explicitly further on.
וַיְכַל֙ מֵֽהִתְנַבּ֔וֹת וַיָּבֹ֖א הַבָּמָֽה׃ וַיֹּאמֶר֩ דּ֨וֹד שָׁא֥וּל אֵלָ֛יו וְאֶֽל־נַעֲר֖וֹ אָ֣ן הֲלַכְתֶּ֑ם וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֲתֹנ֔וֹת וַנִּרְאֶ֣ה כִי־אַ֔יִן וַנָּב֖וֹא אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵֽל׃ - And when he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. And Shaul's uncle said to him and to his servant: Where did you go? And he said: To seek the donkeys, and when we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we came to Shmuel.
The uncle wonders: he knows that Shaul was not a prophet, and suddenly he sees him prophesying with the prophets, and he understands that something happened here during the days he was absent. He asks where they had disappeared to, and Shaul answers that they had gone to look for his father's donkeys that were lost, and when they did not find them they came to Shmuel. Now the uncle already senses something, for Shmuel was the father of the prophets in that period.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶר דּ֣וֹד שָׁא֑וּל הַגִּֽידָה־נָּ֣א לִ֔י מָה־אָמַ֥ר לָכֶ֖ם שְׁמוּאֵֽל׃ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שָׁאוּל֙ אֶל־דּוֹד֔וֹ הַגֵּ֤ד הִגִּיד֙ לָ֔נוּ כִּ֥י נִמְצְא֖וּ הָאֲתֹנ֑וֹת וְאֶת־דְּבַ֤ר הַמְּלוּכָה֙ לֹא־הִגִּ֣יד ל֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֖ר אָמַ֥ר שְׁמוּאֵֽל׃ - And Shaul's uncle said: Tell me, please, what did Shmuel say to you? And Shaul said to his uncle: He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found. But the matter of the kingship, of which Shmuel had spoken, he did not tell him.
The uncle asks to hear the content of the conversation, in order to understand from where the prophecy came upon him, and Shaul keeps everything secret. Our Sages say: there was a trait of modesty in Shaul. He could have said: Shmuel anointed me as king, soon I will be king over Israel and all the turmoil will end, and yet he said nothing of it. He told him only that the donkeys had been found, and concealed the matter. And beyond the trait of modesty, it was also in Shmuel's interest that the matter not become known until the lottery, for if people knew that Shaul had already been chosen they would say that the game was fixed and the target marked in advance; therefore it was done by lottery, and when the people saw the lottery they accepted him with consent.
וַיַּצְעֵ֤ק שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה הַמִּצְפָּֽה׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אָנֹכִ֛י הֶעֱלֵ֥יתִי אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָ֑יִם וָאַצִּ֤יל אֶתְכֶם֙ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֔יִם וּמִיַּד֙ כׇּל־הַמַּמְלָכ֔וֹת הַלֹּחֲצִ֖ים אֶתְכֶֽם׃ - And Shmuel summoned the people to Hashem at Mitzpah. And he said to the Children of Israel: Thus said Hashem, the God of Israel: I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I saved you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
Shmuel gathers the entire nation at Mitzpah, which was a gathering point for all of Israel, and tells them: from your standpoint, you had no need for a king at all. As has been explained, the Holy One was displeased with them, "for they have rejected Me from reigning over them." And just as I saved you from the hand of Egypt, I could have continued to save you from the hand of all who rise against you.
וְאַתֶּ֨ם הַיּ֜וֹם מְאַסְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁר־ה֨וּא מוֹשִׁ֣יעַ לָכֶם֮ מִכׇּל־רָעוֹתֵיכֶ֣ם וְצָרֹתֵיכֶם֒ וַתֹּ֣אמְרוּ ל֔וֹ כִּי־מֶ֖לֶךְ תָּשִׂ֣ים עָלֵ֑ינוּ וְעַתָּ֗ה הִֽתְיַצְּבוּ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם וּלְאַלְפֵיכֶֽם׃ - But you have today rejected your God, who saves you from all your evils and your troubles, and you have said to Him: Set a king over us. And now, present yourselves before Hashem by your tribes and by your thousands.
You did not act properly, and there is in this also ingratitude: I saved you, and yet you asked for another king. Nevertheless, present yourselves, for what was promised to you is now being fulfilled.
וַיַּקְרֵ֣ב שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל אֵ֖ת כׇּל־שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּלָּכֵ֖ד שֵׁ֥בֶט בִּנְיָמִֽן׃ וַיַּקְרֵ֞ב אֶת־שֵׁ֤בֶט בִּנְיָמִן֙ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָ֔ו וַתִּלָּכֵ֖ד מִשְׁפַּ֣חַת הַמַּטְרִ֑י וַיִּלָּכֵד֙ שָׁא֣וּל בֶּן־קִ֔ישׁ וַיְבַקְשֻׁ֖הוּ וְלֹ֥א נִמְצָֽא׃ - And Shmuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Binyamin was taken. And he brought near the tribe of Binyamin by its families, and the family of the Matri was taken, and Shaul the son of Kish was taken. And they sought him, but he was not found.
Chazal say that he cast a lot: first he placed in the box the slips of the tribes, and the tribe of Binyamin came up; then the families of the tribe, and the family of the Matri was taken; and finally Shaul the son of Kish came up. They search for him, but he is not there.
וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ־עוֹד֙ בַּֽיהֹוָ֔ה הֲבָ֥א ע֖וֹד הֲלֹ֣ם אִ֑ישׁ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֔ה הִנֵּה־ה֥וּא נֶחְבָּ֖א אֶל־הַכֵּלִֽים׃ - And they inquired again of Hashem: Has the man come here yet? And Hashem said: Behold, he is hidden among the vessels.
They asked: is the man still here, or has he already gone? The Holy One revealed to them and said: "Behold, he is hidden among the vessels." From here comes the familiar expression, and there are two explanations of its meaning. According to the plain sense, there was there a sort of storeroom to which they brought the garments and vessels, and there Shaul concealed himself: a trait of modesty that was in him. And some explain that "the vessels" refers to the Urim VeTumim: Shaul asked that they inquire of the Urim VeTumim so that there would be complete certainty that he was the king, and he was not satisfied with the lot alone; and they inquired of the Urim VeTumim and it came up in his favor.
Incidentally, Shaul lacked the central quality required of a king, and this too was his undoing: he had excessive humility, whereas a king must possess something of firmness and strength. And this is seen throughout. Why did he fail when he offered the burnt offering and did not wait for Shmuel? Because of the people, who pressured him and began to scatter from him. And why did he not destroy Amalek? Again because of the people, who spared the flock. Shaul did not have enough firmness to impose his view, and his modesty and humility caused him to accept the view of others, and this itself is a defect and a flaw in kingship. In David there was the combination: Chazal said that when he sat and occupied himself with Torah he made himself as soft as a worm, and when he went out to battle he made himself as hard as wood, and he would slay eight hundred fallen in battle.
וַיָּרֻ֙צוּ֙ וַיִּקָּחֻ֣הוּ מִשָּׁ֔ם וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֖ב בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעָ֑ם וַיִּגְבַּהּ֙ מִכׇּל־הָעָ֔ם מִשִּׁכְמ֖וֹ וָמָֽעְלָה׃ - And they ran and took him from there, and he stood among the people, and he was taller than all the people from his shoulders upward.
They take him from the place where he had hidden, and it becomes evident that he is taller than all the people from his shoulders upward. This matters, for it makes an impression on the people, "a king in his beauty shall your eyes behold," and through this the awe of the king is greater.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֜ל אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֗ם הַרְּאִיתֶם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּֽחַר־בּ֣וֹ יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין כָּמֹ֖הוּ בְּכׇל־הָעָ֑ם וַיָּרִ֧עוּ כׇל־הָעָ֛ם וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ יְחִ֥י הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ - And Shmuel said to all the people: Do you see the one whom Hashem has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said: Long live the king.
The Radak explains: a man of tall stature and handsome appearance is fitting for kingship, and the people are more in awe of him. Therefore "there is none like him" - even from the standpoint of his outward appearance and stature he is the one fit for kingship. And the people shout and say "Long live the king," which Targum renders: "May the king prosper."
The chapter opens with a secret anointing using a flask of balsam oil - a clay vessel, which does not absorb - and with a kiss that joins Shaul's spirit to Shmuel's spirit to draw prophecy down to him. The three signs are not proof of a prophet, but rather a precise map of the three groups within the people: the materialistic ones who will stand at the border and cause no harm, the servants of Hashem who will assist with material things, and the godly ones who will assist with the spirit, and through their power the Philistines will be defeated. Within the promise a condition is also hidden - "seven days you shall wait" - the first command in which Shaul will fail. Hashem turns him into another heart, the heart of a king who is in Hashem's hand, and the people wonder "Is Shaul too among the prophets?" And finally, at Mitzpah, after Shmuel's rebuke over the request for a king, Shaul is chosen by lot, is found hiding among the vessels out of great modesty, and stands taller than all the people - that very same humility which was his great virtue, and at the same time the flaw that would prove his undoing in his kingship.