Cytowanie Komentarza do Samuela I 12:19

ויאמרו חטאנו כי דברנו בה' ובך, “they said: ‘we have sinned in that we spoke out against G’d and against you.’” They asked forgiveness from Moses and admitted their guilt. Moses then prayed on their behalf as it says: “Moses prayed on behalf of the people” (verse 7). This episode teaches that if someone asks a person’s forgiveness for insults committed against him the injured party should not be cruel and refuse to accept the apology (compare Tanchuma Chukat 19). We find, for instance that Avraham prayed on behalf of Avimelech who had wronged both him and Sarah (Genesis 20,17); also Job had prayed on behalf of his friends (Job 42,10). If someone refuses to pray on behalf of his fellow when called upon to do so he is called “a sinner.” Samuel explained this to the people when he explained to them why he was prepared to pray on their behalf (Samuel I 12,23).

התהלך HE WALKED — This word is in the past tense. The following is the usage of this verbal form: in the “heavy” (כבד) conjugation one grammatical form is used both as future (i. e. the imperative, since the imperative calls for on action to be done in the future relative to the time when the command is given) and as past tense e. g., (13:17) קום התהלך “arise walk” is future (i. e. imperative); התהלך נח “Noah walked” (in this passage) is past; (1 Samuel 12:19) התפלל בעד עבדיך “Pray for thy servants” is future (i. e. imperative) and (1 Kings 8:42) ובא והתפלל אל הבית הזה “When he shall come and shall pray toward this house” is past, only that the ו at the beginning of the word changes the tense into the future (it is Vav conversive).

But in the days of Samuel, they did not speak properly, for they said Give us a king (1 Samuel 8:6). They did not say “a king over us” but rather for us, because they did not want to accept authority that would instill fear “over us,” but rather wanted one that would be for us, handed over to us, so that we could establish kings and remove kings. The outcome of this would be that the king would be forced to flatter us. Therefore they said to judge us like all the nations (1 Samuel 8:5), because the main need for flattery is in judgments, similar to the custom in these countries where they appoint a rabbi for a specific time period so that they will not fear him; on the contrary, he fears them. Thus, he is compelled to flatter them so they will not dismiss him.
And the thing displeased Samuel when they said Give us a king, because the main fault was in the words for us to judge us — if he is for us and not “over us,” how can he be “our judge”? And God said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, etc., for they have not rejected you (1 Samuel 8:7). On the contrary, this is your praise, because they consider you steadfast in not flattering them, therefore they requested a king in your place who would necessarily flatter them. In this, they have rejected Me and did not ask according to the Torah, because all they wanted was a king who would nullify My will before their own will.
And this is what is meant by from reigning over them, meaning in this they rejected Me, in that they did not want the king to reign over them. Now, listen to their voice, but you shall warn them, and tell them the manner of the king who will reign over them (1 Samuel 8:9) — specifically over them and not “for them,” because “these are what I desire,” says the Lord. And he said, This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you (1 Samuel 8:11), for even if you only choose him to be “for you,” in the end, with poured out wrath, he will reign over you and take your sons, etc. This is your punishment for not asking properly, and you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves (1 Samuel 8:18) — meaning, and not over yourselves, and you will confess that the opposite of what you requested has happened to you.
But the people refused, etc., and they said, “No, but a king shall be over us” (1 Samuel 8:19). When they said No, it was a form of confession, saying, “We no longer desire a king in the manner we first asked when we said ‘Give us a king.’ Rather, a king shall be over us as God has spoken.” And so it was later said, For we have added to all our sins to ask for ourselves a king (1 Samuel 12:19), meaning at the beginning, before we heard the punishment. This explanation is precious. And the change in language between “over us” and “for us” is understood, and [also] from the precision of our Sages who said that “his fear should be upon you” (Ketubot 17a), for the main commandment depends on this.

ויסגור ה' בעדו AND THE LORD SHUT HIM IN — He protected him so that they could not smash up the Ark (cf. 5:13): He surrounded the Ark (thus enclosing it סגר) with bears and lions which killed some of them (Genesis Rabbah 32:8). But the literal meaning of the text is: He shut the door in front of him against the waters. Similarly, wherever בעד occurs in the Scriptures it means כנגד in front of. E. g., (20:18) “The lord had made a closure in front of (בעד) every womb”; (2 Kings 4:4) “Close the door in front of thyself (בעדך) and in front of (ובעד) thy sons”; (Job 2:4) ‘‘skin in front of (as a protection for) (בעד) skin”; (Psalms 3:4) “a shield in front of me ובעדי”: (1 Samuel 12:19) “Pray (בעד) thy servants” which means כנגד in front of (i. e. on behalf of, as a protection for) thy servants.