1 Samuel 20:1-29

David and Jonathan Covenant

1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and ¹said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?"

2 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. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!"

3 Yet David ²vowed again, saying, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But truly ³as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death."

4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

5 So David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is ⁴the new moon, and I ought ⁵to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, ⁶that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.

6 "If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to run to ⁷Bethlehem his city, because it is ⁸the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.'

7 "If he says, 'It is good,' your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, ⁹know that he has decided on evil.

8 "Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for ¹⁰you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But ¹¹if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?"

9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?"

10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if * your father answers you harshly?"

11 Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out to the field.

12 Then 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 there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known * to you?

13 "If it please my father to do you harm, ¹²may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known * to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And ¹³may the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

14 "If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die?

15 "¹⁴You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever *, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth."

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "¹⁵May the LORD require it at the hands of David's enemies."

17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because ¹⁶he loved him as he loved his own life.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, "¹⁷Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty.

19 "When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where * you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel.

20 "I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target.

21 "And behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,' then come; for there is safety for you and no harm, as the LORD lives.

22 "But if I say to the youth, '¹⁸Behold, the arrows are beyond * you,' go, for the LORD has sent you away.

23 "¹⁹As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, ²⁰the LORD is between you and me forever *."

24 So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

25 The king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul's side, but ²¹David's place was empty.

26 Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, "It is an accident, ²²he is not clean, surely he is not clean."

27 It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David's place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

28 Jonathan then answered Saul, "²³David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,

29 for he said, 'Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.' For this reason * he has not come to the king's table."

1 Samuel 20:1-29 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.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 24:9
• 2. Deuteronomy 6:13
• 3. 1 Samuel 25:26; 2 Kings 2:6
• 4. Numbers 10:10; Numbers 28:11-15; Amos 8:5
• 5. 1 Samuel 20:24, 27
• 6. 1 Samuel 19:2
• 7. 1 Samuel 17:58
• 8. Deuteronomy 12:5; 1 Samuel 9:12
• 9. 1 Samuel 25:17
• 10. 1 Samuel 18:3; 1 Samuel 23:18
• 11. 2 Samuel 14:32
• 12. Ruth 1:17; 1 Samuel 3:17
• 13. Joshua 1:5; 1 Samuel 17:37; 1 Samuel 18:12; 1 Chronicles 22:11, 16
• 14. 2 Samuel 9:1, 3
• 15. Deuteronomy 23:21; 1 Samuel 25:22
• 16. 1 Samuel 18:1
• 17. 1 Samuel 20:5, 25
• 18. 1 Samuel 20:37
• 19. 1 Samuel 20:14, 15
• 20. Genesis 31:49, 53; 1 Samuel 20:42
• 21. 1 Samuel 20:18
• 22. Leviticus 7:20, 21; Leviticus 15:5; 1 Samuel 16:5
• 23. 1 Samuel 20:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "before"
• [b]. Lit "and he does not uncover my ear"
• [c]. Lit "and said"
• [d]. Lit "about"
• [e]. Lit "your soul says"
• [f]. Lit "says thus"
• [g]. Lit "or what"
• [h]. Lit "uncover your ear"
• [i]. Lit "uncover your ear"
• [j]. Lit "there is nothing"
• [k]. Lit "say thus"
• [l]. Lit "word"
• [m]. Lit "send me away"