'So when Saul departed with the soldiers...' to His saying: 'except for a few of them.' Al-Kalbi said: When Saul marched with them, he traversed a desert region and they became thirsty. Their prophet said to them: 'Indeed, Allah is testing you'—meaning: examining you—'with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it'—meaning: does not drink from it—'is indeed of me, except he who scoops up a handful with his hand. But they drank from it, except a few of them.' They began drinking from it and were not quenched, while as for the few, the handful sufficed them, and those who disobeyed and drank turned back.
﴿فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ … .﴾ إِلَى قَوْله: ﴿إِلَّا قَلِيلا مِنْهُم﴾ قَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ: لما سَار بهم طالوت، اتخذ بهم مفازة من الأَرْض فعطشوا فَقَالَ لَهُم نَبِيّهم ﴿إِن الله مبتليكم﴾ أَي: مختبركم ﴿بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يطعمهُ﴾ يَعْنِي: وَمن لم يشربه ﴿فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلا مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلا قَلِيلا مِنْهُم﴾ جعلُوا يشربون مِنْهُ وَلا يروون، وَأما الْقَلِيل فكفتهم الغرفة، وَرجع الَّذين عصوا وَشَرِبُوا.
