Literal Commentary on Samuel

Again, the literal commentary on Samuel the prophet. Samuel was not from the priestly families and their lineages; rather, he was from the lineage of Korah and from the tribe of Levi. Holy were Moses and Aaron in their priesthood, and Samuel in his name. Ramath of the district, concerning which there are other Ramaths. It was Mount Ephraim. Hannah and Peninnah: Hannah is the spiritual one, and Peninnah is the worldly one. A type of the Church and the Synagogue: and Hannah was the Church from the beginning, and Peninnah was like the Synagogue. And Hannah was the Church from the beginning, rich in children. Yet the children of Hannah the Church were many, more than those of Peninnah. The reason for Hannah’s barrenness was not that she was impure, but rather from the Lord, like Sarah and Rebecca. And this is the reason: that through prayer she would conceive, and Samuel would be born; and when he was born, he would be perfect in the service of God, because the sons of Eli and the entire people sinned, and there was no man worthy to stand over him for the sake of the priesthood of the house of Eli, through the mediation of Hannah. The prophet chose him for the beginning of the order and the upbringing in the temple and his offering to the Lord from his childhood, even though he lived with his brothers. He learned from their customs. And because of the goodness of Hannah, he learned from their customs. And because of the goodness of Hannah, through whom he was nurtured, God gave the priesthood through her prayer and through the praise that she praised. The heart is strengthened in the Lord: Hannah and the Church are said. Hannah the barren one gave birth: Hannah and the Church. And many of her children were persecuted: Peninnah and the Synagogue. Again, many of the children were persecuted because whenever Hannah gave birth, Peninnah buried her children and was persecuted with her children. The Lord passed over the Hebrews of the land for the Jews.

and he placed the yoke of the kingdom upon the Messiah, and he raised up the horn of the anointed one of the Messiah, who was anointed in the people. His face did not turn away from him, that again there was no path for him to go to life. The Lord called to Eli through the man of the Lord, who is an angel, and he was not reminded of his name. Eli did not judge rightly in his sons, but weakly and leniently. Again, because his sons and Eli were in the cuttings of the [...] and he covered like a veil over the head of the priests, and like a fire that does not go out in the wind, and he decreed a judgment for the people. Concerning them he said, "I said the saying, that in your house and in your father's house you served before me." And God knew that which was destined, but if they had repented, he would have released the decree of judgment, like that which is said concerning a people or a kingdom. Eli was established as priest and over the people, and because they did not bring out their sons against Eli according to the law and stone them, a judgment was decreed because of their sins. Samuel was not established when they sinned in his sons, because he was pure from deceit and sin. The ark was delivered to the Philistines, because the unclean priests defiled it, and a judgment was decreed of killing and striking, without being justified, and it fell before the gods of the Philistines. And the Lord called Samuel in the likeness of the voice that called Eli, because he went to Eli and perceived that Samuel had drunk from iniquity, and afterwards he revealed to Eli what the Lord said to him, because Samuel was hidden, that he might reveal what he heard, and also that it might be revealed to Samuel through Eli to the people, for he was a prophet.

the sons of Eli, the sons of Hophni, their sins: lust, idolatry, error, ignorance of God, fornication, the negligence that caused the people to stumble, and the disobedience to their father; and these were the reason that the nations were prevented from serving God, and because of them the Lord was angry. Again, they did not distinguish between the service of the Lord and the service of the people; and they thought that the righteousness that was theirs was a small thing, and they were satisfied with it; and because of them they were swallowed up. And when the sons of Eli sinned, Israel for its part worshipped idols, and because of this the priests and the people were broken, and the ark was broken, because there was no one in Israel who was worthy to serve before it. And the Philistines taught that the God of Israel is the true God, and not the other gods of the nations. The sons of Israel asked for a king, because they wanted to be like the nations around them; and another reason was that it was easy for them to worship idols like the nations, and because they were distressed by enemies, and because of the evil things that they suffered with the sons of Eli; and their leaders asked for this at every one of their gatherings, thinking that he who was chosen would reign. Not to you did they turn their face, nor to me, because they did not ask their teacher the prophet. And because the kings of the nations were sinful, for this reason they gave them a sinful king, because there was not one righteous man among the people.

the fathers of the sons of Saul (that is, his ancestors), as when he went out in his request, he was anointed before the election of Samuel, as Saul knew that the Lord had anointed him, and he trembled and feared him and did not think that the lot had come to him, and this was by chance and the will of the soul, and not from the Lord. He did not reveal it to Israel, but concealed it and cast the lot, because if he had revealed it, they would not have accepted him, and they would not have believed that God had chosen him, and they would have been divided over Samuel, that he had appointed him with partiality, and over them he would have angered the people and they would have given consent to the lot, that if there was a man who did not accept the one who was chosen, he would fear the people and what that one who was appointed would do. Saul swore to the people that they would not taste anything until evening, that by fasting he would overcome the enemies. A slanderer spread the report that he had released the oaths through Jonathan, because at the time of the oaths he was not there, and he himself caused the one who, at the head of the staff, tasted the honey as a new sign, it reached his eyes; this the enemy did at the beginning of the oaths, as he cast between the king and the people and the king's son, because he perceived that the Philistines were being justified. Remember what Amalek did to Israel, that God, without keeping the covenant, commanded that Saul should destroy the Amalekites and said that those who did not follow the sins of their fathers, he would not hold them accountable for the sins of their fathers; those who followed in the footsteps of their fathers and worshipped idols, he would oppress them, as sin is hateful, because the Amalekites were destined to sin and do evil to the people if they were left; he commanded that they be destroyed.

And Saul sinned against Agag and against his people, because he did not keep the commandment of God. He said to Samuel, "I repent that I made Saul king," not as if he did not know that this was what God had said concerning this, but because he did not obey his voice. God, in his anger, brings low with repentance. And this he said, "I repent," because when Saul heard, he repented and was afraid. Finally, because this disobedience produces repentance among the righteous concerning their actions, and because of this, it was said of God in a figurative manner, because Saul did not hear it. "Go, anoint one of the sons of Jesse," but he did not reveal David, so that you would not think that the choice was from Samuel and not from the Lord, and so that he would not be hated and despised by his brothers because of this. And the people were eating upon the blood, because it was not with its fat and with its blood, and upon the altar. And Saul asked for bread, and by the Urim and by the Thummim, and the Lord did not answer him, neither by dreams nor by the Urim. With the Thummim, they were known in the time of Israel, that the spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they would be filled and would ask and inquire from him, just as by means of prayer they would seek from God that he reveal to them what was hidden. And when he saw Eliab, he said, "Like the Lord," because when he anointed Saul, he saw that he stood out from all the people. He thought that also Eliab, because of his beauty and stature, was also fit for kingship. And concerning her, the Lord concealed her.

And an evil spirit was afflicting Saul; demons had gained power over him, tormenting him and especially oppressing him. Because he transgressed against the Urim and Thummim, as when he, the king, turned from the way of God and hastened to transgress, all Israel went astray. And because of this, due to the negligence of God, David came with his sling and went forth from his distress, and he would enter and go out before the king, until he reached full stature and took hold of the kingdom, that for which and because of which he was anointed. They set before him loaves of bread from the Sabbath, until they dismissed him to other bread for another Sabbath. Saul sent messengers after David, and they brought him, while a spirit of folly was prevailing over them, nullifying evil thoughts, and at that time a place was being made for David to flee. Thus, when Saul went, he was confounded and knew that his plan had not succeeded, but rather the plan that Saul had intended was thwarted. So he was astonished at the petition for David's death. The redemption approached me; he put on a priestly garment, a pure and peaceful one, and spoke the knowledge of truth and reality. Saul inquired of God, and he did not answer him; and of the prophets and of the Urim, he did not answer him. Because it was fitting that he offer repentance and supplicate God, but he was not answered, for he was not one who would repent, for he was reckless. And not by the Urim, in the flames of the sacrifice, in the manner of Balaam, as in the former arrogance, did he offer a sacrifice when he was not authorized.

And Saul separated from his companions and went to the woman, the mistress of Endor, a woman who was a diviner, because she knew who Saul was, and she performed a trick to cast amazement upon him and to confuse his vision, and to make him err through her. Saul asked about Samuel, and she showed him gods rising up from the earth. For then one of the demons put on the form of Samuel's death, because a demon cannot bring up a man, nor can it bring a soul from its abode. So then the necromancers show things through demons, as the magicians do in Egypt. On the next day, you and your sons and the rest of that demonic deception will be known, because it was not after that day that Saul and his sons were killed, according to his word. And from this it is known that they do not know future things. For if Saul was going to be killed, the demons would have known from the prophecy of Samuel that was decreed against Saul, that the Lord had turned away from him and was with David, and from the fact that they saw that the Philistines had gathered and that David did not come with them because the Lord prevented him, so that he would not help Saul. And they also knew from the fact that the Lord did not answer Saul by the prophets, when he saw that it was a deception. For the text does not say that the text was revealed to the woman, but rather that it was written about Samuel, and it is said that the text was not something that was vainly interpreted for him, but that it was written according to the events as they happened. If it were the truth of the matters that were written, then all those things that ought to be interpreted would have been interpreted. During Samuel's lifetime, Saul caused the priests to pass through, so that he might be reproached by him. From before, knowledge, whether from experience or from nature, is like that which the Lord said: the face of heaven and earth knows you, according to the matter that was changed from experience.

The demons did not know the death of Saul by means of a staff, but by means of a sign. Again, the demon was commanded to kill Saul, as if it were permitted, but God allowed this to happen, as if Saul were to be helped again. Behold, it is written in the book of the Asher, this book is true. The good of Israel hints at insignificance. The crown of Saul was not anointed because he killed a man, his companion, and with his blood he anointed his crown; therefore it was not anointed now at the time of his being killed. He was wearing a linen ephod when David killed Goliath; the numbers of those killed by Saul were in thousands and by David in tens of thousands, and Saul was angry that tens of thousands were given to David, and he began to disturb them with garments, as if his praises were greater than David's. And he stretched out his hand to the grave, and one of those who was not his own approached the grave and committed a sin, and sought the Lord to avenge him, and another was commanded upon the shoulders to carry it, and upon its placing upon the mountains he sought a goat to support it with a jaw. Jacob of Edessa said that the fathers were buried in that field, and the grave was a rock for the Messiah when he came there, desiring to descend and do good to his friends; but the goat, when it did not allow the Lord to descend, the Lord's servants were struck down.

He said to David, "I want a house." And the Lord sent with him, "Do not ask for a house, but bless it," because it was not through the diligence of the house that David left the battle and did not destroy the Philistines. In the book of Bar Yammai it is written: "Because the blood of many was shed, do not ask me for a house. Many were destroyed in battle; it is not right that I add to your trouble." This is the reason. The great ones among the enemies of the Lord, by this that you sent, that they abandoned the Assyrians and fled, and they turned back after him, and by this he gave victory and greatness to the enemies. Or that you were equal with your enemies in your deed. And he killed the child that his wife had borne; the child died, so that David would not be shamed and blasphemed because of him, and so that a king who was with weakness would not arise, and so that David would not bring him into the house of the Lord while he was afflicted with a seven-year-old girl, because the law commanded that a grown man should not enter the sanctuary of the Lord for ten years. Because David had betrothed the seven-year-old daughter of his son, and he ruled over her in her beauty, and he went in to her, and she bore him Solomon, and he called his name Yadida, "beloved." Also, the Lord will pass over your folly so that you do not die, because it is written that murderers and killers will be killed, but you, because you confessed the sin, you will not die; rather, you are destined to live through repentance, because you have not sinned again except in this. It is fitting that you be forgiven, and I will make a clear confession for this through the scriptures, so that when you are shamed, your forgiveness will be found for you, and you will be an example for sinners, so that when they sin, they do not remain but run to repentance. And if he forgives his sin, the woman says to him.

He said to him, "How, through the prophet, did he decree to him that 'Behold, I am establishing evil against you from your house'?" Not because God willed that Absalom should kill his father, but because of his evil intent, and because of her, the concubine. And this that he slept with the concubine was not because the prophet had a will, but because he divided the people from David. But the Lord brought this matter to pass for the sake of the writing of the chronicles, because when he was able to abolish the evil intent of Absalom, the Lord did not urge David to kill him, nor all of them with this. Because it was fitting that the evil people, how many in the days of righteous kings, and how few in the days of evil kings, because it was not easy for the priests to kill. That the Lord urged this, that he made evil, and because the people sinned and he wanted to subdue them, he seized and bound David under folly, so that he would not rise and seek mercy for the people who were not worthy of mercy. Thousands and hundreds of thousands drew the sword, and the tribe of Judah four hundred thousand and seventy, and the priests and the tribe of Benjamin were not counted. In the book of Chronicles it is written thus, and it is known that Doeg was the one who incited Saul to kill the priests; he incited David to kill the people of the city. And that Doeg mingled with the people and was the cause of their death. And before he incited the killing of the people, the wrath of the Lord was added to strengthen against the people, because of the corruption of the commandments and the fear of idols and sorceries that increased among the people, along with deceit and secret use of amulets, which were still being used. Therefore, the cause was that he incited David to kill the people, as if to destroy the evil ones. David, when he was convinced that he should kill the people who were against him, deliberated.

He acknowledged his folly. And he came to the prophet, and he chose for himself one of three punishments, and that which was his own sin deserved that through it, in his father's house, punishment should rule. David chose to be delivered into the hands of God, and not into the hands of the enemy by the sword. And it was a sign concerning those who sinned. And it is known from that which, when the angel stretched out his hand over all Jerusalem, the Lord stood, and by means of another angel and a command, that angel was restrained. And that which, from morning until the third hour, the angel slew seventy thousand men, they said that the men of the city stood still from their work, so that they would not go up and die. The literal commentary of the prophet Samuel is completed.