And David girded his sword over his garments and tried to walk, for he had not tested them — David's attempt to *tzad*, to stride, in Saul's armor reveals the fundamental problem: he is encumbered by equipment designed for a different kind of warrior. The *vayinahas*, he had not tested them, suggests both literal inexperience with heavy armor and a deeper spiritual truth—that David's proven tools are not swords and spears but faith and stones. The armor becomes an obstacle, a weight that separates David from the intimate connection with the natural world, the vulnerability and alertness that characterized his pastoral existence.

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