ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף שמואל א 16:1

Behold, [when] the Holy One, blessed be He, [directed Samuel to anoint David as king],²⁶See I Sam. 16:1–13. He did not direct Samuel from the outset, “Take a calf with you” [to conceal his task from Saul], until Samuel asked Him [what to do, as he feared that Saul might kill him if he were to discover the purpose of his mission]. For certain, Samuel was at an extremely high spiritual level, but it was only in this instance [that he could not reach that level] since he was pained [to be involved in the termination] of Saul’s reign. He could not be confident in this dangerous situation, as he could not find the joy of heart that he required in order to achieve a powerful love and connection to God. It was because of this that Samuel properly asked [God how he could perform this task, since it involved danger], and God’s response [to Samuel] was that he was not to endanger himself, [and to conceal from Saul the fact that he had anointed David as king].²⁷The Netziv is explaining that God directs human beings according to their current state, not their potential state. Before Samuel became distressed over this command, he was in his usual high spiritual state and was therefore commanded to perform this act in a manner that transcended nature. Once Samuel received God’s order and realized, to his disappointment, that he was unable to carry it out at this high spiritual level, he protested. God then told him to take the calf.

Yet I have set My king: – He says: They, forsooth, are purposing to root out the kingdom from the house of David, though I have made him king and set him up! And the word נסכתי connotes chieftainship and greatness, as (in the verse) “the princes (נסיכי) of Sihon” (Josh. 13:21); and also “their gods with their princes” (נסכיהס) (Dan. 11:8). My king – he means to say, The king that is Mine in that I have made him king; just as it is said (1 Sam. 16:1) “For I have provided among his sons a king for Myself.” He means by for Myself, for My worship, and so he says My king. And conversely it is said (Ps. 74:12): “And God is my King from of old,” where the meaning is, who rules over me. Thus is the usage of the pronominal suffixes. And so (in the verse) “Remove Thy stroke from me” (Ps. 39:11); “Aloof from My plague do they stand” (Ps. 38:12); “and I will make them joyful in My house of prayer” (Is. 56:7); “I have heard thy prayer” (1 Kings 9:3; 2 Kings 20:5; Is. 38:5; 2 Chron. 7:12), and other similar (examples), as we have explained in the book Miklol in the grammatical section of it. And he says:

The Lord said unto me, Thou art My son: – and the kingdom has come to me from Him, and therefore let no man stir up strife against it, for the Lord hath chosen me for a son, as He said to Samuel (1 Sam. 16:1): “For I have provided among his sons a king for Myself.” It is as though to say, “This king is Mine and he is My son and servant and obeys Me” – for everyone who is obedient in the service of God He calls His son, just as a son obeys his father and is ready for his service. And so (in the verse) “ye are sons of the Lord your God” (Deut. 14:1), and “I will be his Father and he shall be My son” (2 Sam. 7:14); and it says (Hos. 2:1), “the sons of the living God.”

קרית הארבע KIRIATH-ARBA— the name of the city.

ממרא קרית הארבע therefore means “to the plain of Kiriath-arba”. If you say that it should have written ממרא הקרית ארבע (that Kirjath-arba being one name the definite article should be placed in front of it) then I reply that this is the rule in Biblical Hebrew: in every case of a name compounded of two words, such as this, and such as בית לחם and אבי עזר and בית אל, when it is necessary to prefix the definite article (in order to determine the name) it is prefixed to the second element of the name — thus (1 Samuel 16:1)בית הלחמי the Bethlehemite; (Judges 6:24) “in Ophrah (אבי העזרי) of the Abiezrites”; (1 Kings 16:34) “did Hiel the Bethelite (בית האלי) build”.

Chieil of Beis Eil. [I.e.,] Chieil who was from Beis Eil, similar to, “Yishay of Beis Lechem [בית הלחמי],”⁷I Shmuel 16:1. and it does not state הבית לחמי, and similarly, “Yehoshua of Beis Shemesh [בית השמשי],”⁸I Shmuel 6:14. in the Book of Shmuel, and [it does] not [state] הבית שמשי, and similarly, “In Ofrah [that belonged to Yoash] of the Avi Ezri [אבי העזרי],”⁹Shoftim 6:11. and it does not state האבי עזרי. Some interpret בית האלי [is from the word אלה or curse], since he accepted upon himself Yehoshua’s curses, “Cursed [before Adonoy] be the man who rises up and rebuilds, etc.”¹⁰Yehoshua 6:26. Also, see Maseches Sanhedrin 113a. Our Rabbis stated that Chieil was of [the tribe of] Binyomin, and Yericho belonged to Yehoshofot¹¹Who was of the tribe of Binyomin. [King of Yehudah]. Why does [Scripture] relate him to Achov [King of Yisroel], because a curse is related to a corrupt person.¹²Talmud Yerushalmi Maseches Sanhedrin 10:2. Alternatively, even though Achov witnessed Divine retribution visited upon Chieil, Achov nonetheless did not repent.—Metzudas Dovid. (Other texts: To a cursed person.)