עמלק שובים את נשות צקלג
(א) וַיְהִ֞י בְּבֹ֨א דָוִ֧ד וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יו צִֽקְלַ֖ג בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י וַעֲמָלֵקִ֣י פָֽשְׁט֗וּ אֶל־נֶ֙גֶב֙ וְאֶל־צִ֣קְלַ֔ג וַיַּכּוּ֙ אֶת־צִ֣קְלַ֔ג וַיִּשְׂרְפ֥וּ אֹתָ֖הּ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃ (ב) וַיִּשְׁבּ֨וּ אֶת־הַנָּשִׁ֤ים אֲשֶׁר־בָּהּ֙ מִקָּטֹ֣ן וְעַד־גָּד֔וֹל לֹ֥א הֵמִ֖יתוּ אִ֑ישׁ וַיִּֽנְהֲג֔וּ וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ לְדַרְכָּֽם׃
מה המשמעות של לקיחת דוקא נשים בשבי?
דוד ואנשיו מתאבלים
(ג) וַיָּבֹ֨א דָוִ֤ד וַֽאֲנָשָׁיו֙ אֶל־הָעִ֔יר וְהִנֵּ֥ה שְׂרוּפָ֖ה בָּאֵ֑שׁ וּנְשֵׁיהֶ֛ם וּבְנֵיהֶ֥ם וּבְנֹתֵיהֶ֖ם נִשְׁבּֽוּ׃ (ד) וַיִּשָּׂ֨א דָוִ֜ד וְהָעָ֧ם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֛וֹ אֶת־קוֹלָ֖ם וַיִּבְכּ֑וּ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֵין־בָּהֶ֛ם כֹּ֖חַ לִבְכּֽוֹת׃ (ה) וּשְׁתֵּ֥י נְשֵׁי־דָוִ֖ד נִשְׁבּ֑וּ אֲחִינֹ֙עַם֙ הַיִּזְרְעֵלִ֔ית וַֽאֲבִיגַ֕יִל אֵ֖שֶׁת נָבָ֥ל הַֽכַּרְמְלִֽי׃ (ו) וַתֵּ֨צֶר לְדָוִ֜ד מְאֹ֗ד כִּֽי־אָמְר֤וּ הָעָם֙ לְסׇקְל֔וֹ כִּי־מָ֙רָה֙ נֶ֣פֶשׁ כׇּל־הָעָ֔ם אִ֖ישׁ עַל־בָּנָ֣ו וְעַל־בְּנֹתָ֑יו וַיִּתְחַזֵּ֣ק דָּוִ֔ד בַּיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהָֽיו׃ {ס}
בסיפורים הקודמים ראינו שהתגובה היתה מיידית, מה המשמעות של תקופת האבל פה? הרי הכתוב מציין בפירוש שלא היו הרוגים.
דוד נערך למלחמה
(ז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֗ד אֶל־אֶבְיָתָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ בֶּן־אֲחִימֶ֔לֶךְ הַגִּֽישָׁה־נָּ֥א לִ֖י הָאֵפ֑וֹד וַיַּגֵּ֧שׁ אֶבְיָתָ֛ר אֶת־הָאֵפ֖וֹד אֶל־דָּוִֽד׃ (ח) וַיִּשְׁאַ֨ל דָּוִ֤ד בַּֽיהֹוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר אֶרְדֹּ֛ף אַחֲרֵ֥י הַגְּדוּד־הַזֶּ֖ה הַאַשִּׂגֶ֑נּוּ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ רְדֹ֔ף כִּֽי־הַשֵּׂ֥ג תַּשִּׂ֖יג וְהַצֵּ֥ל תַּצִּֽיל׃ (ט) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ דָּוִ֗ד ה֚וּא וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ עַד־נַ֣חַל הַבְּשׂ֑וֹר וְהַנּוֹתָרִ֖ים עָמָֽדוּ׃
מלחמת דוד
(י) וַיִּרְדֹּ֣ף דָּוִ֔ד ה֖וּא וְאַרְבַּע־מֵא֣וֹת אִ֑ישׁ וַיַּֽעַמְדוּ֙ מָאתַ֣יִם אִ֔ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר פִּגְּר֔וּ מֵעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־נַ֥חַל הַבְּשֽׂוֹר׃ ... (יז) וַיַּכֵּ֥ם דָּוִ֛ד מֵהַנֶּ֥שֶׁף וְעַד־הָעֶ֖רֶב לְמׇחֳרָתָ֑ם וְלֹא־נִמְלַ֤ט מֵהֶם֙ אִ֔ישׁ כִּי֩ אִם־אַרְבַּ֨ע מֵא֧וֹת אִֽישׁ־נַ֛עַר אֲשֶׁר־רָכְב֥וּ עַל־הַגְּמַלִּ֖ים וַיָּנֻֽסוּ׃ (יח) וַיַּצֵּ֣ל דָּוִ֔ד אֵ֛ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָֽקְח֖וּ עֲמָלֵ֑ק וְאֶת־שְׁתֵּ֥י נָשָׁ֖יו הִצִּ֥יל דָּוִֽד׃ (יט) וְלֹ֣א נֶעְדַּר־לָ֠הֶ֠ם מִן־הַקָּטֹ֨ן וְעַד־הַגָּד֜וֹל וְעַד־בָּנִ֤ים וּבָנוֹת֙ וּמִשָּׁלָ֔ל וְעַ֛ד כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָקְח֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הַכֹּ֖ל הֵשִׁ֥יב דָּוִֽד׃
But David sought strength in the LORD his God. (7) David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring the ephod up to me.” When Abiathar brought up the ephodaSee note at 2.28. to David, (8) David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue those raiders? Will I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall overtake and you shall rescue.” (9) So David and the six hundred men with him set out, and they came to the Wadi Besor, where a halt was made by those who were to be left behind. (10) David continued the pursuit with four hundred men; two hundred men had halted, too faint to cross the Wadi Besor. (11) They came upon an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink; (12) he was also given a piece of pressed fig cake and two cakes of raisins. He ate and regained his strength, for he had eaten no food and drunk no water for three days and three nights. (13) Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian boy,” he answered, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I fell ill three days ago. (14) We had raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, and [the Negeb] of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; we also burned down Ziklag.” (15) And David said to him, “Can you lead me down to that band?” He replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into my master’s hands, and I will lead you down to that band.” (16) So he led him down, and there they were, scattered all over the ground, eating and drinking and making merry because of all the vast spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. (17) David attacked them from bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.before dawn until the evening of the next day;-b none of them escaped, except four hundred young men who mounted camels and got away. (18) David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives. (19) Nothing of theirs was missing—young or old, sons or daughters, spoil or anything else that had been carried off—David recovered everything. (20) David took all the flocks and herds, bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.which [the troops] drove ahead of the other livestock;-b and they declared, “This is David’s spoil.” (21) When David reached the two hundred men who were too faint to follow David and who had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to welcome David and the troops with him; David came forward with the troops and greeted them. (22) But all the mean and churlish fellows among the men who had accompanied David spoke up, “Since they did not accompany us,cSo some mss. and versions; most mss. and editions read “me.” we will not give them any of the spoil that we seized—except that each may take his wife and children and go.” (23) David, however, spoke up, “You must not do that, dMeaning of Heb. uncertain. Septuagint reads “after.”my brothers, in view of-d what the LORD has granted us, guarding us and delivering into our hands the band that attacked us. (24) How could anyone agree with you in this matter? The share of those who remain with the baggage shall be the same as the share of those who go down to battle; they shall share alike.” (25) So from that day on it was made a fixed rule for Israel, continuing to the present day. (26) When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.[and] to his friends,-b saying, “This is a present for you from our spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” (27) [He sent the spoil to the elders] in Bethel,eCalled Bethul in Josh. 19.4. Ramoth-negeb, and Jattir; (28) in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; (29) in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites; (30) in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach; (31) and to those in Hebron—all the places where David and his men had roamed.
בסיפור זה, אנחנו מתוודעים בין השורות לקושי הנפשי בחטיפת אנשים (ובייחוד נשים). מבלי לעיין בפרשנים ניתן לראות דרך הפסוקים על הקושי של חטיפת נשים, שלעיתים קשה מן המוות.