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1 Samuel 20

KJV · Chapter 20/31

1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

2And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

3And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

5And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

6If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth–lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

7If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

8Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

9And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

11And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

12And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;

13The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

14And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not:

15But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.

16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.

19And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

20And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

21And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.

22But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.

23And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.

24So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

25And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.

26Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

27And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?

28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth–lehem:

29And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king’s table.

30Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?

31For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

32And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

33And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

35And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

36And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.

41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David and Jonathan devise a secret plan to test Saul's true intentions. Confirming that Saul is determined to kill David, the two friends part in an emotional farewell, renewing their covenant of eternal loyalty between their families.

Explanation

The plan involving arrow signals, worked out between David and Jonathan to discreetly test Saul's disposition without exposing David to direct risk, shows careful, realistic planning in the face of a genuine life-threatening situation. Saul's violent reaction against his own son Jonathan, calling him 'son of the perverse rebellious woman' and even hurling a spear at him for defending David, reveals how Saul's obsession had by now completely corrupted his judgment and his closest family relationships. The farewell between the two friends, where 'David wept more,' and the renewal of a covenant that would extend to future generations of their families, lays the groundwork for the kindness David would later show to Jonathan's surviving son, Mephibosheth, in 2 Samuel 9.

Fun facts

  • The new moon feast mentioned in this chapter (v.5) was a regular monthly celebration on Israel's religious calendar, an ordinary social and religious occasion that becomes the setting for a deep political and personal crisis.
  • The covenant renewed between David and Jonathan 'for ever,' including their future generations (v.42), would be fulfilled literally decades later when David, now king, actively seeks out Jonathan's descendants to show them kindness.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 20:1After narrowly escaping at Naioth, David goes straight to Jonathan for an explanation — he still does not fully understand why the king’s pursuit has become so personal and final.
  2. 1 Samuel 20:2Jonathan’s confidence in his own closeness to his father shows he had not yet realized how much Saul had already decided to act alone, hiding his plans even from his own son.
  3. 1 Samuel 20:3David understands the situation better than Jonathan does: Saul knew his son would protect his friend, so he deliberately hid his most recent plans against David from him.
  4. 1 Samuel 20:4Jonathan’s unconditional readiness to do “whatsoever thy soul desireth” shows just how far his loyalty went — ready to act even against his own father’s will if necessary.
  5. 1 Samuel 20:5The new moon marked the start of the month on the Israelite calendar and was celebrated with a religious feast at court — missing that meal, as David plans to do, would be strange enough to require an explanation, which Jonathan already anticipates.
  6. 1 Samuel 20:6The agreed-upon excuse uses a real, verifiable family religious event, a yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, making it more credible than a simple unexplained absence.
  7. 1 Samuel 20:7David and Jonathan turn Saul’s reaction to hearing the excuse into a safe, indirect test to discover his true intentions, without having to confront him directly.
  8. 1 Samuel 20:8David asks Jonathan to be the one to kill him himself, if there is any real guilt — preferring to die by his loyal friend’s hand rather than be handed over and killed by Saul’s hostile hands.
  9. 1 Samuel 20:9Jonathan reaffirms his loyalty with a categorical promise: he would never hide from David a real threat coming from his own father.
  10. 1 Samuel 20:10David’s practical question — how to learn the outcome without being present — is the trigger that leads to the elaborate system of arrow signals the two work out next.
  11. 1 Samuel 20:11Going out to the field, far from the palace’s ears, guaranteed the privacy needed to plan a scheme as delicate as this one.
  12. 1 Samuel 20:12Jonathan invokes God’s own name as witness to the commitment, turning the plan into a solemn oath, not just an informal arrangement between friends.
  13. 1 Samuel 20:13Jonathan openly acknowledges that God’s favor is shifting from Saul to David — a remarkable admission coming from the king’s own son, with no apparent jealousy.
  14. 1 Samuel 20:14Jonathan is already thinking ahead, asking for future protection for himself in case David becomes king — openly recognizing that this is his friend’s likely destiny.
  15. 1 Samuel 20:15The request extends beyond Jonathan’s own life, covering all his future descendants — it will be remembered and fulfilled later by David regarding Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son.
  16. 1 Samuel 20:16Extending the covenant from David the person to his whole future “house” turns the two friends’ personal pact into a promise with lasting dynastic weight.
  17. 1 Samuel 20:17Repeating the oath reinforces how serious the commitment was — swearing once was not enough; the covenant needed to be renewed and confirmed before the coming separation.
  18. 1 Samuel 20:18Jonathan precisely describes what will happen at the royal meal, preparing David to understand exactly what to watch for from a distance.
  19. 1 Samuel 20:19The detailed hiding plan, including a specific geographic landmark, shows how much precision the two needed for the signal system to work without error.
  20. 1 Samuel 20:20Using target practice as a cover was perfect: no one at the palace would find it odd to see Jonathan shooting arrows, which hid the real coded message inside the gesture.
  21. 1 Samuel 20:21The agreed-upon code turned the position of the arrows relative to the boy into a simple, safe signal: safe to approach or not.
  22. 1 Samuel 20:22The second signal, indicating danger, gave David a clear instruction to flee without needing direct contact or the risk of being seen returning to the palace.
  23. 1 Samuel 20:23Jonathan closes by reaffirming that the bond between the two does not depend on passing circumstances — it is sealed as something permanent before God.
  24. 1 Samuel 20:24The scene shifts to the royal banquet itself, where David’s planned absence is about to be noticed by Saul.
  25. 1 Samuel 20:25The specific mention of where everyone sat shows how formal and fixed the seating arrangement was — David’s absence would be visually obvious to anyone present.
  26. 1 Samuel 20:26Saul first assumes an innocent, common explanation: temporary ritual impurity, something that would naturally keep someone from taking part in a sacred meal.
  27. 1 Samuel 20:27The absence repeating on the second day rules out the innocent explanation of ritual impurity, which would only last until evening — now Saul demands a direct answer.
  28. 1 Samuel 20:28Jonathan carries out exactly the plan agreed on in the field, using the excuse prepared in advance.
  29. 1 Samuel 20:29Jonathan fleshes out the excuse with convincing details — mentioning a specific brother summoning David makes the story more concrete and harder to question.
  30. 1 Samuel 20:30Cursing Jonathan over the “confusion of thy mother’s nakedness” is an ancient form of insult that questions the legitimacy of his very birth — Saul is, in effect, calling his son a bastard for choosing David’s side.
  31. 1 Samuel 20:31Saul reveals his real, deeper motivation: it is not just personal anger, but the concrete political fear that David threatens Jonathan’s own succession to the throne.
  32. 1 Samuel 20:32Jonathan defends David for the second time in the book with the same direct, reasonable question, demanding his father justify the death sentence with some real crime.
  33. 1 Samuel 20:33This time it is Jonathan himself who takes Saul’s spear attack — the same impulsive violence used before against David now turns against the son who dares to defend him.
  34. 1 Samuel 20:34Jonathan’s refusal to eat, a gesture of protest and grief, shows how shaken he was both by the threat against David and by the direct violence he received from his own father.
  35. 1 Samuel 20:35Jonathan carries out exactly the plan agreed on in the field, including the boy who would serve as the innocent instrument of the secret code.
  36. 1 Samuel 20:36The execution of the signal follows the agreed script exactly — the arrow shot beyond the boy already silently carries the message of danger to David hiding nearby.
  37. 1 Samuel 20:37Jonathan’s shout to the boy literally repeats the code agreed with David — a scene that looks innocent to anyone who does not know the plan, but carries the full warning signal.
  38. 1 Samuel 20:38The urgency in Jonathan’s voice, telling the boy to hurry, adds a note of real tension to the scene, as if the silent farewell could not be drawn out any longer.
  39. 1 Samuel 20:39The boy serves as an unwitting, innocent messenger — his total ignorance of the real meaning protects the secret between the two friends.
  40. 1 Samuel 20:40Sending the boy away with the weapons is the last necessary step before Jonathan and David can finally meet alone, with no witnesses.
  41. 1 Samuel 20:41Bowing three times before Jonathan, even as close friends, shows that David still formally recognized his friend’s royal position — the shared weeping seals the most painful farewell between the two so far.
  42. 1 Samuel 20:42The covenant between the two, repeated and expanded throughout the chapter, is reaffirmed one last time before the final separation — each one following a completely different path from here on.

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