”And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.”
The chapter ends with a dirge that David composed in the aftermath of the Hebrews’ dismal defeat at the hands of the Philistines. All tallied, the terse jeremiad runs for ten verses. The elegy’s refrain, thrice repeated, bewails: “How are the mighty fallen!” Abravanel analyzes David’s dirge. Why the obvious reiteration, he asks? Broadly, David’s refrain captures each of the battle’s three catastrophes.
- Hebrew rank-and-file warriors died on the field – How are the mighty fallen!
- Jonathan, bow in hand, slain – How are the mighty fallen!
- King Saul succumbed after a gallant last stand – How are the mighty fallen!
Context and background hold the key. David and his men had reason to tone down or even ignore Saul’s death. After all, they had been pursued by King Saul for some time. As a result, theirs became a life on the run, incessant scrambling and rummaging. Now that Saul, his sons, and troops lie dead, how should David’s fighters react?
David’s dirge addresses them, imploring his men to properly evaluate and internalize King Saul’s loss, one of monumental significance. David, on the one hand, drove home the sheer magnitude of Hebrew casualties. We speak of Saul’s disciplined forces who maintained their grit, shoulder to shoulder, without breaking formation. Standing their ground, they fought swarming hordes.
Next, David broaches the “touchier” subject of mourning Saul and his sons. Essentially, the men heard from David that they should put the cataclysmic loss in its proper context. They need not direct lamentation toward Saul or his sons. Instead, David brought the loss home, to them. The men must grasp the gravitas of the situation created by Saul’s defeat. That is, Israel’s overall reputation got mauled, immeasurably marred. Hebrew national honor took a hit. That, David stressed, meant they – David’s soldiers – suffered debasement and a loss of respect in the eyes of the Philistines and other adversaries.
Where is Abravanel’s textual support? “And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, and said – to teach the Sons of Judah the bow…” Popular translations have the Hebrew word kashet as “bow.” Yet, Abravanel learns, the Hebrew term affords another tack. It is “hardship.” Using that meaning, we reframe so that the verse reads: “to teach the Sons of Judah hardship.” David conveys a heavy message to his men: Saul’s loss’s repercussions affect them; they suffered a blow to their prestige and reputation.
The next phrase is: “Behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.” This refers to the Five Books of Moses. In it, the prophet commanded his brethren to “love your neighbor.” Here, David schools his warriors in empathy. In our context we’re talking about mourning the fallen Hebrews, soldiers worthy of esteem.
“Your beauty, O Israel, upon your high places is slain! How are the mighty fallen!” How apt to bemoan and eulogize the victims, on two distinct planes. One is particular, the other collective. Let’s explain. Collectively, Hebrew fighters fell “upon your high places.” Geographic advantage hadn’t helped – high ground notwithstanding. As for the slain, David describes them: “Your beauty, O Israel.” Crème de le crème were Saul’s chosen soldiers.
Of course, David also had Saul and Jonathan in mind, both comely men of regal bearing. Here David focused on the particular when he adjured his soldiers to rue the father and son’s death – to join in the jeremiad: “How are the mighty fallen!”