שמואל א, פרק י״ט, פסוק י״ג

Facing the imminent threat of her father's assassins, Michal orchestrates a brilliant deception to save her husband's life. By crafting a convincing dummy in his bed, she buys crucial time for David to flee into the night before his absence is discovered.

To create the illusion of a sleeping body, she uses sculpted figures. While there is general agreement that these were human-shaped objects perfectly suited for a decoy, their exact nature is a matter of discussion. Some suggest they were objects of idol worship, but this idea is strongly rejected, as it is unthinkable that such items would be found in David's home [רד״ק]. Instead, they may have been mystical objects crafted at specific hours to channel higher powers and predict the future [רלב״ג, רד״ק]. A simpler, more personal explanation is that women of the time would craft figures in the likeness of their husbands, keeping them close to look at out of deep affection [מצודת ציון].

To make the dummy more realistic, Michal places an item made of goat hair at the head of the bed. This was either a woven pillow of goat hair [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ] or a pouch made from a complete, flayed goat skin [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Because the human-shaped figures lacked hair, the goat hair served as a perfect substitute, closely mimicking both the look and feel of a human head [רש״י]. Anticipating that the guards might try to feel the figure in the dark, Michal strategically placed the hair to ensure the deception would hold up even to physical touch [מצודת דוד].

Finally, she covers the entire arrangement with a garment. This completes the disguise, creating the exact appearance of a sick man huddled under his blankets, covering his head to stay warm against the cold [רלב״ג, מצודת דוד]. This carefully constructed scene allows Michal to confidently tell the arriving guards that her husband is ill. The resulting delay works exactly as planned, giving David the precious time he needs to escape to safety [מלבי״ם, רש״י, מצודת דוד, רלב״ג].