20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 20:2And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 20:3But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 20:4Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 20:5David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 20:6If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 20:7If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 20:8Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 20:9And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 20:10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 20:11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
12 20:12And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 20:13But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 20:14If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; 15 20:15and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 20:16And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 20:17And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18 20:18Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 20:19On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.
20 20:20And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 20:21And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 20:22But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 20:23And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 20:24So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 20:25The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
26 20:26Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 20:27But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 20:28Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 20:29He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 20:30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 20:31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 20:32Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 20:33But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 20:34And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
35 20:35In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 20:36And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 20:37And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 20:38And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 20:39But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 20:40And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 20:41And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 20:42Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Events take another twist as David returns to Gibeah to get to the bottom of the situation. He is already convinced that his departure from Saul’s court was inevitable, but he still desires to know why Saul is persecuting him and, anxious to retain Jonathan’s support, wishes to convince him of Saul’s hostility. So David persuades Jonathan to take steps to reveal the king’s attitude (1 Sam. 20:1–9). Between them they concoct a scheme that will force Saul to respond to David’s absence, and at the same time they enter into a solemn covenant concerning how David will treat Jonathan and his descendants in the future (vv. 10–23).
When David fails to turn up at a state banquet, Saul becomes so incensed that he attempts to kill Jonathan (vv. 24–34). Jonathan then informs David of what has transpired. Neither man has any remaining doubts that the ever-present threat to David’s life means he cannot remain in Saul’s service, and both sorrowfully recognize that there must be a parting of the ways (vv. 35–42).
Most of this chapter consists of dialogue between David and Jonathan, and their language is forceful and emotionally fraught. It is not only David who must make a key decision concerning his future. Jonathan too must assess his own situation and choose between conflicting loyalties—between his father and his friend; indeed, between Jonathan’s personal future as heir to the throne and his commitment to the purposes of God, which he realizes are to be advanced through David, not his father, Saul.
By relating how Jonathan, against his natural inclination, becomes convinced of the depth of Saul’s opposition to David, the narrator furthers his purpose of explaining that David does not act treacherously in leaving Saul’s court; rather, Saul’s own conduct leaves him with no other option, as even his own son admits. It is important for David’s image—and for the continuing reputation of his dynasty—that the record be set straight on these issues.
20:2 Jonathan feels the force of David’s questions, but he does not answer them. Instead his reaction, “Far from it!” (cf. comment on 2 Sam. 20:20), is the first of many emotionally charged expressions in this dialogue. Perhaps up to this point Jonathan has been unaware of Saul’s recent attacks, and he utterly rejects the idea that David might be put to death. He is not prepared to accept that such is his father’s intention, for he is sure that his father is quite open with him regarding affairs of state, doing nothing “without disclosing it to me” (lit., “without uncovering my ears”; cf. comment on 1 Sam. 9:15). Though “Why should my father hide this from me?” is intended as a strong affirmation that no exception has been made, it in fact reveals Jonathan’s ingenuousness. By saying “It is not so,” he utterly disparages the thought that Saul would go back on his oath (19:6).
20:3 David knows otherwise. “Vowed again” emphasizes the solemn nature of David’s initial questions (v. 1) as well as of his explanation of the situation. The intensity of David’s speech is also reflected in the idiom “knows well.” Indeed, “know” (also in vv. 7, 9, 30, 33) reflects the element of court intrigue standing behind recent events. Ever since Jonathan interceded for David (19:4–6), Saul has been aware of his friendship and has deliberately kept Jonathan in the dark regarding his intentions, though “lest he be grieved” is probably a polite softening of Saul’s real intention.
In the face of Jonathan’s reluctance to admit the obvious, David solemnly asserts that his life is under dire threat (with “from your father” implied). “As the Lord lives” invokes the Lord’s name in an oath in order to underline his peril.
20:4 Out of loyalty to his friend (“for you”), Jonathan undertakes to do whatever David might suggest. Perhaps he is half convinced by David’s negative reading of the situation.
20:5 The “new moon” on the first day of a lunar month was marked by a religious festival (Num. 10:10; 28:11–15; Ps. 81:3) at which sacrifices were offered and by a sacred meal that took place at the palace, which, as the king’s son-in-law and a commander in his army, David would be expected to attend. However, he will instead absent himself that evening (“tomorrow” starts at dusk) and with Jonathan’s permission hide “in the field” (cf. 19:3) until the evening of the third day (by inclusive counting). If the new moon could not be seen, the festival would be extended over two days.
20:6 “If your father misses me at all” is a further instance of the verb paqad (cf. 15:2) used in the sense of a superior supervising a subordinate, with “at all” added for emphasis (so also “earnestly”; cf. footnote to comment on 20:3). When Saul with his penchant for formality and etiquette inquires about David’s absence, Jonathan is to explain he has given David permission to return to Bethlehem for an important annual family celebration. Since this interview between David and Jonathan is to have occurred before Saul returned from Ramah, it would have been natural for David to seek permission from Jonathan rather than from the king himself.
20:7 Saul’s reaction to this story would reveal his disposition toward David. If Saul agrees Jonathan had been right to grant David permission, it would signify that David’s relationship with him had indeed been restored (“be well” = shalom, “peace,” “well-being”). “If he is angry” has an intensified verb: “if he is furiously angry”; such a reaction would make it obvious to Jonathan that his father still nursed ill will toward David and intended to murder him.
20:8 David then reminds Jonathan of their earlier covenant Jonathan had instigated (18:3), and on this basis he requests Jonathan to “deal kindly” (lit., “do/act with covenant fidelity [hesed; 2 Sam. 9:1]”). It was a “covenant of the Lord” because it had been ratified by a solemn oath taken in God’s name. Forcing Jonathan to choose, David repeats his earlier protestation (1 Sam. 20:1). If David is guilty, he would rather be killed by his friend Jonathan (“yourself” is emphatic) than be delivered over to Saul and inevitable execution.
20:9 Jonathan strongly rejects the thought that he would hand David over to die (cf. v. 2), again insisting he would not conceal from David his knowledge (lit., “knew at all”; cf. footnote to comment on 20:3) of any plan to kill him.
20:10 David then proceeds to think through how to implement the plan. If Saul is well disposed, then informing David will pose no particular problem. But if Jonathan is rebuffed, he might not be free to inform David—or worse, Jonathan may not survive the encounter!
20:11 From this point on Jonathan takes the initiative. It dawns on him that it might not be easy to keep David informed. Indeed, they might already be under observation, and so he suggests they both move “into the field” (cf. v. 5), where they would not be overheard.
20:12 Though “the Lord, the God of Israel” resembles an invocation in prayer, translations treat it as an abbreviated oath formula—with “be witness” added, as in the Septuagint—as Jonathan calls on God to witness his commitment. If, when Jonathan ascertains Saul’s views, the king displays a friendly attitude toward David, Jonathan will send a messenger to David to “disclose” (as in v. 2) the news.
20:13 On the other hand, if Saul is intent on harming David, it will be too dangerous to send a messenger, and Jonathan solemnly commits himself to contacting David personally and enabling him to escape. “The Lord do so . . . and more also” is a self-maledictory formula calling for divine punishment should the speaker violate the terms of his oath (cf. comment on 3:17; Ruth 1:17).
“May the Lord be with you [cf. comment on 1 Sam. 16:18], as he has been with my father” reveals Jonathan’s acceptance of David’s destiny. He acknowledges David will become king and generously and genuinely prays that David’s reign would be divinely blessed, probably thinking of the start of his father’s reign.
20:14 Jonathan continues to reflect on what the future might hold for himself. Probably as a result of his strong feelings, the Hebrew is abrupt and grammatically loose, with five uses of “and not” in verses 14–15, which are difficult to bring across into English. Indeed, the last clause of verse 14 may be taken with what follows (cf. ESV mg.).
In the event that Jonathan is still alive when David becomes king, he calls on him to display the “steadfast love [hesed; cf. v. 8] of the Lord,” which refers to faithfulness to the covenant they solemnized before the Lord. “That I may not die” probably reflects the common practice by which a new dynasty would eliminate members of, and potential rivals from, the preceding royal family (cf. 1 Kings 15:29; 16:11–12, 22; 2 Kings 10:11; 11:1).
20:15 Jonathan’s thoughts naturally extend to “my house,” his descendants (significantly not Saul’s). He requests David to maintain his covenant commitment to them in perpetuity, even when his enemies are divinely “cut off” (cf. 2 Sam. 9:1–13; 21:7–9). It is unclear whether Jonathan as yet recognizes his father as the leading member of that group, but Jonathan’s certainty regarding his success would encourage David as he faced immediate hardship and danger.
20:16 Jonathan’s “covenant with the house of David” views David as the founder of a dynasty (2 Sam. 7:11) to whom their forebear’s covenant obligations would naturally extend. Jonathan prays that the Lord would call to account all who oppose David.
20:17 Jonathan then requires David to assent to this extension of their earlier covenant (18:3) in terms of “his [David’s] love for him [Jonathan].” It is probable that “he loved him as he loved his own soul” (cf. 18:3) refers to the intensity of Jonathan’s love for David, which has triggered the desire for a formal bond.
20:18–19 Jonathan then outlines his immediate plans to cover a situation in which he could not communicate privately with David. On the second day of the feast (by modern reckoning), David is to hide near a heap of stones (or near a stone marker) in the field in which he has previously hidden (19:1–3).
20:20–22 Jonathan, a skilled archer, will use the stone(s) for target practice. His directions to the lad accompanying him to retrieve his arrows will convey a secret message to David. “On this side of you” would indicate safety; “beyond you,” the need for immediate escape. This elaborate procedure is devised in case others accompany him.
20:23 “The matter of which you and I have spoken” refers to the covenant they have made, to which the Lord is a perpetual witness (cf. Gen. 31:48–49).
20:24–25 It is no great hardship for one who had been a shepherd to hide himself in the field. Meanwhile Saul presides at the banquet, taking his usual place at the table against the wall, on the far side from the door—the safest seat in the room. “Jonathan sat opposite” him, and the other seats, including that of Abner, were occupied according to court protocol. David’s empty place is glaringly obvious.
20:26 The new moon feast was a religious observance, and on the first day Saul accounts for David’s absence by assuming he has accidentally contracted ritual uncleanness (Leviticus 11–15). The repetition of the phrase “he is not clean” conveys Saul’s frustration as he tries to convince himself that David will fall into his hands the following day.
20:27 When David’s place is still empty the following evening, Saul asks Jonathan, possibly affecting a tone of casual indifference, if he knows why David is not present. David’s state of uncleanness would have ended the previous night. Referring to the “son of Jesse” (16:10–13; 17:12) avoids using David’s name and references him in a dismissive fashion instead (cf. 20:30, 31; also 22:7, 8, 13; 25:10; 2 Sam. 20:1). Jonathan, on the other hand, consistently names David directly.
20:28–29 Jonathan presents Saul with the agreed cover story: David has requested permission to attend a sacrifice held by his clan in Bethlehem, to which he has been summoned by his brother (presumably this is supposed to be Eliab, acting on behalf of his elderly father). Jonathan’s addition of “let me get away” (lit., “let me escape”) is probably intended as a lighthearted touch to make David’s request a small matter, but it is too close to the truth for Saul.
20:30 The thought that David has escaped renders Saul apoplectic, and he vents his anger on Jonathan, crudely insulting him (not his mother) by calling him all sorts of names. “Do I not know” discloses that Saul is aware of Jonathan’s friendship with David and, acutely sensitive to any whiff of conspiracy, enraged that Jonathan has chosen to support David.
20:31 Saul is convinced that as long as David remains alive he constitutes a threat to Jonathan’s succeeding him on the throne, but in obedience to God’s disclosed will Jonathan has already laid aside all that means so much to Saul, who speaks of “your kingdom.” In his paranoid determination to perpetuate his dynasty in the face of divine withdrawal of its legitimacy, Saul directs Jonathan to have David arrested, “for he shall surely die” (lit., “he [is] a son of death”), sentenced by Saul to death (cf. 26:16; 2 Sam. 12:5).
20:32 In a spirit of reasonableness Jonathan again (cf. 19:5) interposes to force his father to modify his attitude. His questions are equivalent to assertions that there is no evidence that David has acted improperly—but Saul is not listening.
20:33 With frustrated fury Saul reacts violently and throws “his spear at him to strike him.” This resembles Saul’s earlier attempts to kill David (18:11; 19:10). Consequently, Jonathan is left with no doubt concerning his father’s intentions. It is a mark of Saul’s mental imbalance that in seeking to perpetuate his dynasty he is prepared to kill his heir.
20:34 Now Jonathan’s place at the royal table becomes empty as he leaves “in fierce anger” and does not eat for the remainder of the day. Two factors play on him: “He was grieved for David,” that is, he is upset because of what Saul’s antipathy means for David. Also, “His father had disgraced him.” The pronoun here is ambiguous. If it refers to Jonathan, it probably alludes to Saul’s attempt on his life. More probably it refers to David, whom Saul has treated disgracefully, though Jonathan knows that David has done all he could to serve Saul.
20:35 The following morning Jonathan ostensibly goes to practice archery and takes along a “little boy,” perhaps no more than ten years old, who will ask no questions and whose presence will divert suspicion.
20:36–37 After the boy is sent forward to collect arrows that will be shot, Jonathan deliberately aims beyond the boy, and even when the boy reaches where an arrow has fallen, Jonathan continues to insist that it lies further on, in accord with his prearranged signal with David, making sure that David hears the message.
20:38 Once this is done, Jonathan urges the boy to gather up the arrows and return quickly. His threefold injunction—“Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!”—is aimed at David as much as it is at the boy.
20:39–40 Throughout, the boy acts in ignorance of what is really being said and done. Jonathan gives him his bow and arrows to take back to Gibeah.
20:41 While some consider verses 41–42 a later addition to this account, they indicate rather that both men feel the need to take leave of one another and can do so since their precautions regarding the signal have proved unnecessary. David “fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times” out of respect for the crown prince—a token of political submission from which David does not deviate while Saul and Jonathan remain alive. “They kissed one another” in a greeting of friendship (unlike in 10:1) and “wept with one another,” not expecting to see each other again, with David not unnaturally “weeping the most” in the circumstances.
20:42 Jonathan gives David permission to depart and invokes divine blessing on him: “Go in peace” (cf. comment on 1:17). He can utter this sincerely because his horizons extend beyond earthly status and power. Jonathan reminds David of the parity covenant they have entered into in a spirit of fraternal equality, with a commitment extending to succeeding generations. David is apparently too overwhelmed with sorrow to say anything, and the parting of their ways is simply and poignantly expressed: “And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.” The one goes off to live as an outcast and renegade, he knows not where; the other stays at his father’s side.
1 Hebrew lacks be witness
2 Or but if I die, do not cut off
3 Septuagint earth, 16let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David. And may
4 Septuagint; Hebrew the stone Ezel
5 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew stood up
6 Septuagint; Hebrew from beside the south
7 This sentence is 21:1 in Hebrew
1 The addition of an infinitive absolute to intensify the verb is found seven times in the forceful dialogue of
20:1–21, rendered “well” (v.
3), “fail” (v.
5), “at all” and “earnestly” (v.
6), and not translated in vv.
7,
9,
21.