וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שָׁאוּל וְדָוִד שָׁב מֵהַכּוֹת אֶת הָעֲמָלֵק וַיֵּשֶׁב דָּוִד בְּצִקְלָג יָמִים שְׁנָיִם

It was after the death of Saul, and David had returned from smiting the Amalekites and from restoring the plunder and captives that the Amalekites had taken, and David had stayed in Tziklag two days.

וַיְהִי בַּיוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וְהִנֵּה אִישׁ בָּא מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה מֵעִם שָׁאוּל וּבְגָדָיו קְרֻעִים וַאֲדָמָה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וַיְהִי בְּבֹאוֹ אֶל דָּוִד וַיִּפֹּל אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ

It was on the third day, and behold, a man came from the camp, from Saul, and his garments were torn, and earth was on his head, signs of mourning. It was when he came to David that he fell to the ground before David, the ruler, and prostrated himself.

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ דָּוִד אֵי מִזֶּה תָּבוֹא וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו מִמַּחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל נִמְלָטְתִּי

David said to him: Where are you coming from? He said to him: I escaped from the camp of Israel.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד מֶה הָיָה הַדָּבָר הַגֶּד נָא לִי וַיֹּאמֶר אֲשֶׁר נָס הָעָם מִן הַמִּלְחָמָה וְגַם הַרְבֵּה נָפַל מִן הָעָם וַיָּמֻתוּ וְגַם שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ מֵתוּ

David said to him: What happened there? Please tell me the details of the war. He said that the people had fled from the fighting, and also many of the people had fallen and died, and Saul and Yehonatan his son also had died.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ אֵיךְ יָדַעְתָּ כִּי מֵת שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ

David said to the lad who was telling him the events of the war: How do you know that Saul and Yehonatan his son have died, since according to your account, everyone scattered and fled, and there was no organized retreat?

וַיֹּאמֶר הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ נִקְרֹא נִקְרֵיתִי בְּהַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ וְהִנֵּה שָׁאוּל נִשְׁעָן עַל חֲנִיתוֹ וְהִנֵּה הָרֶכֶב וּבַעֲלֵי הַפָּרָשִׁים הִדְבִּקֻהוּ

The lad who was telling him said: I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, not as a soldier, and behold, Saul, who could barely stand, was leaning upon his spear, which he always kept at his side; and behold, the Philistine chariots and the horsemen overtook him. As this occurred on Mount Gilboa, the chariots could not have ascended very far up the slope. In any event, Saul saw the chariots and horsemen approaching him.

וַיִּפֶן אַחֲרָיו וַיִּרְאֵנִי וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָי וָאֹמַר הִנֵּנִי

He, Saul, turned around and looked behind him and saw me and called to me. I answered: Here I am.

וַיֹּאמֶר לִי מִי אָתָּה וָאֹמַר אֵלָיו עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹכִי

He said to me: Who are you? I said to him: I am an Amalekite. I am not one of your men; I just happen to be here. Although Saul had earlier fought against the Amalekites and had weakened them greatly, he had not entirely destroyed them. The Amalekites are mentioned as a formidable entity several times after Saul’s victory over them, including when they raided Tziklag.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי עֲמָד נָא עָלַי וּמֹתְתֵנִי כִּי אֲחָזַנִי הַשָּׁבָץ כִּי כָל עוֹד נַפְשִׁי בִּי

He said to me: Please stand over me and put me finally to death, so that I need not suffer further as I die, for I am seized with paralysis but my life is still within me. Saul was very badly wounded as, in addition to the battle wounds and injuries from the arrows of the Philistines, he had also tried unsuccessfully to kill himself.

וָאֶעֱמֹד עָלָיו וַאֲמֹתְתֵהוּ כִּי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי לֹא יִחְיֶה אַחֲרֵי נִפְלוֹ וָאֶקַּח הַנֵּזֶר אֲשֶׁר עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וְאֶצְעָדָה אֲשֶׁר עַל זְרֹעוֹ וָאֲבִיאֵם אֶל אֲדֹנִי הֵנָּה

I stood over him, and put him to death, as he had requested, as I knew that he would not live after his fall. The Amalekite attempted to justify his action by claiming that Saul was about to die in any case and that he had asked to be killed to reduce his suffering. I took the golden crown that was on his head, and a precious bracelet that was on his arm, and I brought them here to my lord. Since Saul had pursued David, the Amalekite thought that it would be in his own interest to tell the story to him specifically. He assumed, incorrectly, that David would reward him for bringing Saul’s crown and bracelet to him (see 4:10).

וַיַּחֲזֵק דָּוִד בִּבְגָדָיו וַיִּקְרָעֵם וְגַם כָּל הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ

David grasped his garments and rent them, as a sign of mourning for the death of the king and for the military defeat; and also all the men who were with him did so. They likewise tore their garments.

וַיִּסְפְּדוּ וַיִּבְכּוּ וַיָּצֻמוּ עַד הָעָרֶב עַל שָׁאוּל וְעַל יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ וְעַל עַם ה'וְעַל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי נָפְלוּ בֶּחָרֶב

They lamented, wept, and fasted until the evening, for Saul, for Yehonatan his son, for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. The word “and” in the phrase “and for the house of Israel” is superfluous, as the designation “house of Israel” is synonymous with “the people of the Lord.” There are other examples of this linguistic style in the Bible.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל הַנַּעַר הַמַּגִּיד לוֹ אֵי מִזֶּה אָתָּה וַיֹּאמֶר בֶּן אִישׁ גֵּר עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹכִי

David said to the lad who was telling him: From where, what nation, are you? Although the young man had already answered this question by relating his conversation with Saul (verse 8), perhaps David had paid attention only to the main facts of the story and had not taken in all the details. He said: I am the son of an Amalekite proselyte [ger]. The term ger can mean that he was a convert who had joined the congregation of Israel, or it could mean that he was a stranger in a foreign land. In general, the Sages question the halakhic status of Amalekite converts.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד אֵיךְ לֹא יָרֵאתָ לִשְׁלֹחַ יָדְךָ לְשַׁחֵת אֶת מְשִׁיחַ ה'

David said to him: How did you not fear to extend your hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord? How did you dare to kill him? David maintained that it was forbidden to harm someone who had been anointed king at God’s command.

וַיִּקְרָא דָוִד לְאַחַד מֵהַנְּעָרִים וַיֹּאמֶר גַּשׁ פְּגַע בּוֹ וַיַּכֵּהוּ וַיָּמֹת

David called one of the lads, and said: Approach and strike him. He smote him, and he died. Not only was the Amalekite not rewarded for his deed, but he was executed for it.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו דָּוִד דָּמְךָ עַל רֹאשֶׁךָ כִּי פִיךָ עָנָה בְךָ לֵאמֹר אָנֹכִי מֹתַתִּי אֶת מְשִׁיחַ ה'

David said to him: Your blood is on your head; you are responsible for your own death, as your mouth testified against you, saying: I put the anointed of the Lord to death. Since you admitted to killing Saul, you are liable to be put to death. Although a court is not permitted to execute someone or even to administer lashes based on his confession, this conviction was either a provisional edict issued by David due to exigent circumstances or a ruling based on the right of a king to impose justice as he sees fit.

וַיְקֹנֵן דָּוִד אֶת הַקִּינָה הַזֹּאת עַל שָׁאוּל וְעַל יְהוֹנָתָן בְּנוֹ

David lamented with this elegy for Saul and for Yehonatan his son.

וַיֹּאמֶר לְלַמֵּד בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה קָשֶׁת הִנֵּה כְתוּבָה עַל סֵפֶר הַיָּשָׁר

He said, by way of introduction: This lamentation, which repeatedly invokes the valor of fallen warriors, is a song of war dealing with victories and defeats, whose purpose is to teach the sons of Judah the use of the bow, to encourage and prepare fighters for battle. There are short songs in the Bible that are associated with war, e.g., the songs concerning the first war against Amalek and the war against Moav, as well as longer compositions such as the Song at the Red Sea. Behold, it is written in the book of Yashar. This book was perhaps a collection of national songs.

הַצְּבִי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים

The lamentation itself opens with its primary theme: The fall of Israel’s heroes in war. The magnificent [hatzevi] of Israel, the most beautiful and best of the nation. Tzevi literally means a deer. It is employed here as a symbol of beauty. On your heights, the mountains, is the slain, the soldiers of Israel lie dead. How the mighty have fallen.

אַל תַּגִּידוּ בְגַת אַל תְּבַשְּׂרוּ בְּחוּצֹת אַשְׁקְלוֹן פֶּן תִּשְׂמַחְנָה בְּנוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים פֶּן תַּעֲלֹזְנָה בְּנוֹת הָעֲרֵלִים

Do not tell it, this event, in Gat, do not herald it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice in our downfall, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised delight. The outcome of the war was undoubtedly known by then in Gat and Ashkelon, the major Philistine cities. This is merely a poetic way of expressing the terrible nature of the tragedy; in addition to the disaster itself, the Israelites were also suffering from their enemies’ delight in their misfortunes.

הָרֵי בַגִּלְבֹּעַ אַל טַל וְאַל מָטָר עֲלֵיכֶם ושְׂדֵי תְרוּמֹת כִּי שָׁם נִגְעַל מָגֵן גִּבּוֹרִים מָגֵן שָׁאוּל בְּלִי מָשִׁיחַ בַּשָּׁמֶן

Mountains of Gilboa, part of the Samarian mountain range. This is also a rhetorical address, this one to the mountains where the battle was waged: No dew and no rain upon you, or bountiful [terumot] fields which yield crops from which terumot, gifts to the priests, are taken. The battle was not confined to the Yizre’el Valley; rather, it spread to the hills of Gilboa, on the mountainous slopes rising from the southern edge of the valley. For there the shield of the mighty was besmirched, the shield of Saul was cast away, without being anointed with oil, broken and abandoned. It is possible that this shield was made of leather, and anointing those shields with oil was meant to strengthen the material. Furthermore, the image of a shield that has not been anointed with oil may symbolize a shield that did not deflect the arrows but was instead penetrated by them. Another possible interpretation of this phrase is: The king’s shield was left without its owner, Saul, who was anointed with oil.

מִדַּם חֲלָלִים מֵחֵלֶב גִּבּוֹרִים קֶשֶׁת יְהוֹנָתָן לֹא נָשׂוֹג אָחוֹר וְחֶרֶב שָׁאוּל לֹא תָשׁוּב רֵיקָם

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Yehonatan was not withdrawn, it never recoiled; and the sword of Saul would not return empty, ever. They always succeeded in killing and defeating their enemies.

שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן הַנֶּאֱהָבִים וְהַנְּעִימִם בְּחַיֵּיהֶם וּבְמוֹתָם לֹא נִפְרָדוּ מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ מֵאֲרָיוֹת גָּבֵרוּ

This lament was not composed by a distant poet evaluating these men generations later. Rather, it is a lamentation of someone who knew them well. Saul and Yehonatan, who were beloved and appealing in their lives. Although the relationship between the father and son was complex, largely because of David, Yehonatan was not merely the king’s heir, but also his beloved son, who was always at his side and served as the captain of his army. And in their death were not parted, since they were both killed in the same battle. As warriors, they were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.

בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל שָׁאוּל בְּכֶינָה הַמַּלְבִּשְׁכֶם שָׁנִי עִם עֲדָנִים הַמַּעֲלֶה עֲדִי זָהָב עַל לְבוּשְׁכֶן

Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul. The mourning for the war heroes is attributed to women, as was the earlier exultation in victory. Although they did not participate in the battle, they are exhorted: Wail for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, colored garments, with finery, who placed ornaments of gold upon your garments. This lament does not mention Saul’s shortcomings or his complicated mood swings. Rather, he is depicted here as a great king who sought the best for his people, who improved the national economy, and who cared for the welfare of each individual Israelite.

אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבֹּרִים בְּתוֹךְ הַמִּלְחָמָה יְהוֹנָתָן עַל בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל

How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the war! Especially, how did you, Yehonatan, fall? How is he slain upon your heights, the battlefield on the mountain?

צַר לִי עָלֶיךָ אָחִי יְהוֹנָתָן נָעַמְתָּ לִּי מְאֹד נִפְלְאַתָה אַהֲבָתְךָ לִי מֵאַהֲבַת נָשִׁים

I am distressed over you, my brother Yehonatan; you appealed to me greatly; your love for me surpassed the love of women. Your love for me was stronger and more emotionally powerful than that of women.

אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים וַיֹּאבְדוּ כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה

How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war, the heroes of Israel, are lost.