שמואל א, פרק כ״ו, פסוק ז׳

David and Abishai slipped into the heart of Saul's encampment under the cover of night, a daring infiltration made possible entirely by the negligence of the king's guards. Saul and his men knew that David's forces were vastly outnumbered. Confident in their superior strength, they never imagined David would dare to launch a covert strike against them [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Upon reaching the center of the area, David and Abishai found the king and his entire force deep in sleep. The suddenness of this discovery highlighted just how profoundly the men were slumbering [חנוכת התורה]. By this point in the night, the soldiers had ceased to function as an organized military unit with active sentries. Stripped of their readiness, they were no longer a formidable camp, but simply a vulnerable group of sleeping people [מלבי״ם].

In the middle of this unprotected gathering lay Saul. His spear was firmly thrust into the earth right next to his head [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון], planted with a forceful downward pressure that crushed into the soil [רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Surrounding the king were Abner, the commander of the army, and the rest of the troops, all completely asleep and leaving their leader without any defense [ביאור שטיינזלץ].