David mourns Saul and Jonathan (Part 2)

(יט) הַצְּבִי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים. (כ) אַל תַּגִּידוּ בְגַת אַל תְּבַשְּׂרוּ בְּחוּצֹת אַשְׁקְלוֹן פֶּן תִּשְׂמַחְנָה בְּנוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים פֶּן תַּעֲלֹזְנָה בְּנוֹת הָעֲרֵלִים. (כא) הָרֵי בַגִּלְבֹּעַ אַל טַל וְאַל מָטָר עֲלֵיכֶם וּשְׂדֵי תְרוּמֹת כִּי שָׁם נִגְעַל מָגֵן גִּבּוֹרִים מָגֵן שָׁאוּל בְּלִי מָשִׁיחַ בַּשָּׁמֶן. (כב) מִדַּם חֲלָלִים מֵחֵלֶב גִּבּוֹרִים קֶשֶׁת יְהוֹנָתָן לֹא נָשׂוֹג אָחוֹר וְחֶרֶב שָׁאוּל לֹא תָשׁוּב רֵיקָם. (כג) שָׁאוּל וִיהוֹנָתָן הַנֶּאֱהָבִים וְהַנְּעִימִם בְּחַיֵּיהֶם וּבְמוֹתָם לֹא נִפְרָדוּ מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ מֵאֲרָיוֹת גָּבֵרוּ. (כד) בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל שָׁאוּל בְּכֶינָה הַמַּלְבִּשְׁכֶם שָׁנִי עִם עֲדָנִים הַמַּעֲלֶה עֲדִי זָהָב עַל לְבוּשְׁכֶן. (כה) אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבֹּרִים בְּתוֹךְ הַמִּלְחָמָה יְהוֹנָתָן עַל בָּמוֹתֶיךָ חָלָל. (כו) צַר לִי עָלֶיךָ אָחִי יְהוֹנָתָן נָעַמְתָּ לִּי מְאֹד נִפְלְאַתָה אַהֲבָתְךָ לִי מֵאַהֲבַת נָשִׁים. (כז) אֵיךְ נָפְלוּ גִבּוֹרִים וַיֹּאבְדוּ כְּלֵי מִלְחָמָה.

II Samuel 1:19-27

(19) Thy beauty, O Israel, upon thy high places is slain! How are the mighty fallen! (20) Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. (21) Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Neither fields of choice fruits; For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. (22) From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. (23) Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant In their lives, even in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. (24) Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. (25) How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan upon thy high places is slain! (26) I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; Very pleasant hast thou been unto me; Wonderful was thy love to me, Passing the love of women. (27) How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!

1) What is the theme of the poem? (Hint: the phrase is repeated 3 times)

2) How does the theme inform us of David's attitude towards Saul?

3) "Tell it not in Gath" is an English and Hebrew proverb. From the context, can you decipher its meaning? Explain in simple English giving an example.

4) Look in the second part of verse 20. Where in the Torah, and in the every day Shacharit service, do we have a victory over our enemies celebrated in song and dance by women?

5) Is there a connected between the two (mentioned in question 4) and if so, why?

6) In verse 21, what is conveyed by the image of a shield "no longer rubbed with oil"?

7) What does the phrase describing David's love for Jonathan in verse 26 mean by "beyond the love of women"?

(Adapted from Shmuel Bet Booklet, Moriah College)