1 Samuel 20:42

42 Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be [a witness] between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever."^[a][b] Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 20:42 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 20:42

And Jonathan said to David, go in peace
In peace of mind, committing himself, his family, and affairs, to the providence of God, who would take care of him, and keep him in safety from the evil designs of Saul; and particularly he would have him be easy with respect to what had passed between them two, not doubting but it would be faithfully observed on both sides:

forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord:
had made a covenant with each other by an oath, in the name and presence of God as a witness to it:

saying, the Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy
seed for ever;
as a witness of the agreement between them, including them and their offspring, and as a revenger of such that should break it. The Targum is,

``the Word of the Lord be between thee and me''

and he arose and departed;
that is, David arose from the ground, and took his leave of Jonathan, and departed into the country for the safety of his person and life:

and Jonathan went into the city;
into the city of Gibeah, where Saul dwelt and had his court.

1 Samuel 20:42 In-Context

40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, "Go, take it back to the city."

41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.

42 Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be [a witness] between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever." Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Sm 20:15-23
• [b]. The last sentence of v. 42 is 1 Sm 21:1 in Hb.