1 Samuel20

David, fearing King Saul's murderous intent, seeks counsel from Jonathan. They establish a solemn covenant of friendship, and Jonathan agrees to ascertain his father's true disposition towards David during the New Moon feast. Upon discovering Saul's unwavering desire to kill David, Jonathan secretly signals David to flee, leading to their tearful farewell.

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David Seeks Confirmation of Saul's Intent

Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”

“Far from it!” Jonathan replied. “You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!”

But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”

Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”

So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now.

If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.’

If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.

Therefore deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?”

“Never!” Jonathan replied. “If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?”

Then David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

“Come,” he replied, “let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out into the field,

The Covenant Renewed and the Test Planned

and Jonathan said, “By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?

But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father.

And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,

and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed if your seat is empty.

When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel.

I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.

Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.

But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.

And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever.”

Saul’s Fury at the New Moon Feast

So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat.

He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David’s place was empty.

Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”

But on the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?”

Jonathan answered, “David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem,

saying, ‘Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he did not come to the king’s table.”

Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore you?

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingship shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”

“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”

Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father’s shameful treatment of David.

Jonathan Confirms the Danger and They Part

In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him.

He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”

Then Jonathan cried out, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!” So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”

When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.

And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.

Study Notes for 1 Samuel 20

Verse 1

David appeals to Jonathan based on justice and innocence, highlighting the extreme danger of remaining near Saul. Naioth in Ramah was where David had sought refuge with Samuel (19:18).

Verse 2

Jonathan, still loyal to his father, initially struggles to accept the depth of Saul’s relentless paranoia. He believes Saul would not conceal such a major plan from his own son and heir.

Verse 3

David’s oath, 'as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth,' emphasizes the seriousness of the peril. The phrase 'but a step between me and death' vividly portrays the imminent threat posed by the king.

Verse 5

The New Moon was a major monthly religious festival (Numbers 28:11-15) requiring the king and high officials to attend a ceremonial meal, making David’s absence immediately noticeable.

Verse 6

David proposes a fabricated excuse (a family gathering/sacrifice in Bethlehem), demonstrating the need for careful deception to navigate Saul's dangerous court.

Verse 8

David reminds Jonathan of their sacred 'covenant of the LORD' (see 18:3). By grounding their friendship in a divine oath, David elevates their bond above personal politics or family loyalty.

Verse 12

Jonathan invokes the LORD God of Israel, turning their private conversation into a formal, binding oath regarding David’s immediate future and the longevity of their relationship.

Verse 13

Jonathan implicitly acknowledges David’s destiny by praying that the Lord be with David 'as he hath been with my father,' recognizing David’s divine election over his own claim to the throne.

Verse 14

Jonathan asks David to show him the 'kindness of the LORD' (Hebrew: *hesed*—loyal love/covenant faithfulness), a request that is extended to his descendants in the following verse.

Verse 15

This request secures the safety of Jonathan’s lineage when David eventually establishes his kingdom, demonstrating Jonathan’s foresight and commitment to his family's survival.

Verse 16

The covenant is specifically made with 'the house of David,' confirming that Jonathan understood David was destined to found a dynasty and sought protection for his own family under David's future rule.

Verse 17

The narrator emphasizes the extraordinary depth of Jonathan’s love for David, comparing it to self-love. This intense affection drives Jonathan to prioritize David's safety over his own royal prospects.

Verse 19

The 'stone Ezel' (possibly meaning 'stone of the departure' or 'way') serves as the prearranged, secret meeting point, illustrating the necessity of caution in their communication.

Verse 22

The signal ('the arrows are beyond thee') is the clear, coded message confirming that Saul intends to kill David, indicating David must flee immediately and permanently.

Verse 24

David’s immediate hiding indicates his full trust in Jonathan’s plan and his acceptance of the status of an outcast, confirming he has completely broken with the court.

Verse 26

Saul’s initial silence is based on ritual purity laws (Leviticus 15); he assumes David is absent because he has become temporarily unclean due to some physical occurrence.

Verse 27

When David is absent on the second day, Saul realizes the absence is intentional and political, not ritual, leading to his furious confrontation with Jonathan.

Verse 30

Saul's vicious verbal attack—insulting Jonathan's mother and calling him a traitor—shows his uncontrolled rage and paranoia, demonstrating a complete breakdown of royal composure.

Verse 31

Saul explicitly links David’s survival to the destruction of Jonathan's dynastic prospects. This reveals that Saul’s persecution is rooted in a clear political calculation regarding succession.

Verse 32

Jonathan courageously defends David based on justice ('what hath he done?'), directly challenging his father’s arbitrary tyranny and injustice.

Verse 33

Saul’s attempt to kill his own son confirms that his murderous rage extends beyond David to anyone who supports him. This act irrevocably severs the father-son relationship.

Verse 34

Jonathan’s intense anger stems from grief for David’s plight and deep shame that his father acted so dishonorably and violently against his own family.

Verse 37

By shouting, 'Is not the arrow beyond thee?' Jonathan publicly delivers the coded message of danger, while maintaining the appearance of a normal archery exercise to the unsuspecting lad.

Verse 41

David’s three deep bows show profound respect and gratitude. Their intense weeping reflects the sorrow of their necessary separation, knowing their friendship—and David’s life—was forcing a permanent break.

Verse 42

This final farewell confirms the eternal nature of the covenant sworn 'in the name of the LORD.' This promise ensures future peace between their two houses, later fulfilled when David provided for Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9).

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1 Samuel20

David Seeks Confirmation of Saul's Intent

The Covenant Renewed and the Test Planned

Saul’s Fury at the New Moon Feast

Jonathan Confirms the Danger and They Part

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