Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa 2 Samuel 21:5

..."And there was a famine": The verses teach in accordance with that which Rabbi Saadiah said, and the Maha"ri later strengthened in Tosefet Devarim, that at the time Shaul killed Nov the city of Kohahim, Giv'onim were also found there and were also killed [together] with them. And the Maha"ri says that Shaul was punished with three punishments: 1) for not having kept the word of Hashem in Gilgal, he was punished such that his kingship would not continue to his sons after him, 2) for having had compassion on Agag, he was punished such that his kingship was torn [from him] during his lifetime and that his days would be cut short such that David would be anointed in his stead, and 3) for having killed the Kohanim of G-d that were in Nov he was punished such that he and his sons would die in battle and not be buried and eulogized as would be befitting. And due to Israel not having protested his actions, many among Israel were also killed with him; and, regarding the killing of the Giv'onim, he did not pay for it with his life because his killing of them was not so severe/excessive, and (this action) was accounted for after his death and through his young sons through the sons of his concubine [...]; And Israel was also punished with a famine because they did not protest, and the fact that the punishment was delayed 22 years is due to it being from [among] the deep judgments of G-d and His thoughts, and just as children are punished for the sin of their fathers because, with respect to the judgments of Heaven, such is conceivable if they hold onto the act of their fathers in their hands; these are his words in summary. And I say: since, after the Giv'onim that were found at that time in the city of Nov were killed, regarding which this [the text] said "that he killed the Giv'onim," Shaul spilled like fire his anger also on the rest of the Giv'onim that were found in the [other] cities of Israel, and commanded to destroy them or to expel them from the land, since he held them in suspicion, because their hands had been with the rebellious Kohanim, because [the Giv'onim] were among those who served the Altar and the Kohanim of G-d; and even though Yehoshua had sworn to them to leave them alive, [Shaul] thought that they had violated the covenant [that Yehoshua and the Giv'onim had entered into] due to the fact they had rebelled against the king since they were remnants of the Emorites and enemies of Israel and were thorns in the vinyard of the Lord of Hosts; and it is on this that [the verse] stated "and Shaul wished to strike them with his zealousness for the Children of Israel and Yehudah"; and even though his wish was not turned to reality, through all this [the Giv'onim] were given over to anarchy [i.e., absence of protection by the law], and each man treated them as was fitting in his own eyes, and they were given over to plunder and there was no rescue, to be exiled and deported, for on this [the verse] stated (II Samuel 21:5): "and planned to exterminate us, so that we should not survive in all the territory of Israel," and also after the death of Shaul when Ishboshet ruled after him, and also the Children of Israel, who embittered [the Giv'onim because of] the enmity of their fathers and there was no pardon or mercy on the unfortunate ones; and also, during the time that David ruled, he did not place it on his heart to repair this distortion because they were contemptible and despicable in their eyes; despite the fact that the Kohanim of G-d had been returned to their [place of] honor and greatness, these converts, who endeavored [merely] through their [i.e., the Kohanim's] endeavors of strength, had no respite to their tears; And therefore G-d's anger flared up on His people in the days of David. And, according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, this was before the actions of Avshalom, near the beginning of his reign, and G-d saw [this] and it was evil in his eyes because there was no justice, and a famine came upon the land [...], just as these miserable ones (i.e., the Giv'onim) were broken and were dying of hunger; and the famine was for three consecutive years because, during the first two years, [King David] and hung the matter (i.e., judged it to be dependent) on other sins, from idol worship, sexual impropriety, and bloodshed, as our Sages of blessed memory had said, and this sin did not arise in anybody's heart (i.e., awareness) to fix it; and in the third year, since he had not found any sin that had been transgressed, David sought the Face of G-D and inquired of the Urim and Tumim [as to what national sin was responsible for the famine].