Shemuel Alef Chapter 24

The Reading

The Summary

Shemuel Alef Chapter 24

David and his men are hiding out in the mountains of Ein Gedi. Shaul is informed of this and arrives at Ein Gedi in another attempt to apprehend David. Shaul enters a random cave alone in order to relieve himself; it turns out that David and his troops are hiding inside that very cave! They urge David to take advantage of this opportunity to kill the enemy that is relentlessly seeking his life. David sneaks up close to Shaul undetected and cuts off the corner of his cloak (an action that the text tells us he immediately regrets).

David then upbraids his men harshly, castigating them for even suggesting that he harm the “anointed one of Hashem”. When Shaul exits the cave, David follows him and calls out to him, addressing him as “my master, the king” and “my father”, and bowing to the ground before him.

David gives an impassioned speech to Shaul, chiding him for listening to those who claim that David is his enemy and showing him that he had the chance to kill Shaul in the cave but refused to lay a hand on Hashem’s anointed. David emphasizes that ultimately Hashem will judge between them and avenge the suffering he has endured at Shaul’s hand, but that he himself will never attack Shaul. He also takes Shaul to task for chasing after such an insignificant target when he surely has more important concerns to attend to.

Shaul is moved by David’s words, and answers “is that your voice, my son, David?” He acknowledges David’s righteousness and praises his kindness and consideration even for a man who has been seeking his life. Shaul blesses David, promising that Hashem will reward him for his noble conduct. He admits that David will one day be king and asks for David’s assurance that the house of Shaul will not be exterminated when he takes power. David takes an oath to this effect and he and his men recede back into the strongholds of Ein Gedi.

One question that may be asked on this story is why David feels so bad about cutting the corner of Shaul’s cloak. In view of the fact that he had the opportunity to kill Shaul and abstained from doing so, one would think that he could be excused for slicing off a piece of fabric. I believe we can understand why David was unhappy with his own conduct on this score if we take a closer look at the verses that describe his action. Immediately after his men encourage him to assassinate Shaul, the text informs us that he secretly approached the king and cut off the corner of his robe. In the next verse, we are told that David instantly regretted this behavior and harshly criticized his troops for their proposal that Shaul be killed.

I would suggest that we can infer from this that David saw the cutting of the cloak of Shaul as a subdued form of aggression against him. David could have conveyed the message of his benign intentions to Shaul without the additional “prop” of the piece of cloth. David realized that in allowing himself to commit a trespass, however small, against the King, he was giving expression to his feelings of anger and resentment toward the Shaul, emotions that he needed to keep in check. David’s action was “giving in” to the pressure from his troops to harm Shaul, albeit in a very minimal way. This explains why it is presented in the same verse as their goading him on, and why it is followed by his castigating them for their suggestion.

This chapter provides us with yet another example of the principled leadership of David. Even when he momentarily falters, he is self-aware and self-critical enough to recognize and correct his mistakes. He enshrines the inviolable principle of demonstrating respect for the divinely established office of the anointed king and he lives by that principle even when it runs counter to his own personal interests.

Moreover, realizing that Shaul is ruled by his emotions and specifically by his need for approval and love from others, David attempts to present himself as one who cares for and honors the king and to suggest that the advisers of Shaul are misleading him because they don’t truly respect him. This tactic shows us the deep insight of David into his adversaries and his willingness to utilize wisdom, humility and strategy in dealing with others. We observed this talent of David for the first time in his confrontation with Goliath and it is another outstanding quality he will bring with him to the throne of Israel.