1 Samuel 20:5-15

5 And David said to Jonathan, Lo! calends be tomorrow, that is the feast of the new moon, and by custom I am wont to sit by the king to eat; therefore suffer thou me, that I be hid in the field till to [the] eventide of the third day (but instead, allow me to hide in the field until the evening of the third day).
6 And if thy father beholdeth, and asketh after me, thou shalt answer to him, David prayed me, that he might go at once into Bethlehem, his city, for solemn sacrifices be now there to all [the] men of his lineage (for now is the time of the annual sacrifice there for all the men of his family).
7 If he saith, Well, peace shall be to thy servant; forsooth if he is wroth, know thou, that his malice is filled. (And if he saith, Fine, then peace shall be to thy servant; but if he is angry, then know thou, that he is determined to harm me.)
8 Therefore do thou mercy into thy servant, for thou hast made me thy servant to make with thee (a) bond of peace of the Lord; but if any wickedness is in me, slay thou me, and bring thou not in me to thy father. (And so do thou mercy with me, thy servant, for thou hast made a covenant with me before the Lord; but if there is any wickedness in me, then thou kill me, and do not bring me in to thy father.)
9 And Jonathan said, Far be this from me, for it may not be done, that I tell (it) not to thee, if I know certainly, that the malice of my father is filled against thee. (And Jonathan said, Far be this from me, for it will not be done, that I do not tell it to thee, if I know with certainty, that my father is determined to harm thee.)
10 And David answered to Jonathan, Who shall tell me, if in case thy father answereth hard [to thee] anything of me? (And David asked Jonathan, Who shall tell me, if thy father saith anything hard to thee about me?)
11 And Jonathan said to David, Come thou, and go we forth into the field. And when they both had gone into the field,
12 Jonathan said (out loud) to David, Thou Lord God of Israel, if I inquire the sentence of my father tomorrow, either in the next day after (O Lord God of Israel, if I inquire about my father's thoughts tomorrow, or the next day), and any good thing be said of thee, (David,) and I send not at once to thee, and make it known to thee,
13 God do these things to Jonathan, and add these (other) things. And if the malice of my father continue against thee, I shall show it to thine ear (I shall tell it to thee), and I shall deliver thee, (so) that thou go in peace; and the Lord be with thee, as he was with my father.
14 And if I live, do thou the mercies of the Lord to me; forsooth if I am dead, (And while I live, do thou the Lord's mercies to me; but if I should die,)
15 take thou not away thy mercy from mine house unto without end; and if I do it not, when the Lord shall draw out by the root the enemies of David, each man from the land, take he away Jonathan from his house, and seek the Lord of the hand of the enemies of David. (take thou not away thy mercy from my family forevermore; and even when the Lord shall draw out David's enemies by the root, yea, each man from the land, let the Lord call David to account, if he and his household, or his family, no longer be my friends.)

1 Samuel 20:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 20

David fleeing from Naioth came to Jonathan, and acquainted him with his circumstances, and entreated his favour, 1Sa 20:1-8; which Jonathan promised, and renewed the covenant with him, 1Sa 20:9-17; a scheme was formed between them, by which David might know whether Saul was reconciled to him, and he might come to court, 1Sa 20:18-23; which being tried, Jonathan found it was not safe for him to appear, 1Sa 20:24-34; of which he gave notice by the signals agreed on, 1Sa 20:35-40; and they took their leave of one another with strong expressions of affection and attachment to each other, 1Sa 20:41,42.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.