Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! — Saul's *va'yichar af Shaul b'Yehonatan* (Saul's anger kindled against Jonathan) transfers his wrath to his own son, the proximate cause of his frustration. The insult *ben naauat margua* (son of a perverse, rebellious woman) is a stunning attack on Jonathan's mother, Ahinoam, suggesting that Saul views Jonathan's very nature as corrupt. The escalation from mere anger to this crude verbal assault reveals Saul's emotional instability.

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