Text -- 1 Samuel 20:1-3 (NET)

Jonathan Seeks to Protect David

20:1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my offense? How have I sinned before your father? For he is seeking my life!” 20:2 Jonathan said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing large or small without making me aware of it. Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!” 20:3 Taking an oath, David again said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: 1Sa 20:2

For Jonathan gave credit to his father's oath, 1Sa 19:6.

Wesley: 1Sa 20:3

The matter being of great moment, and Jonathan doubting the truth of it, he confirms his word with an oath, which follows in the end of the verse. Only he interposeth a reason why Saul concealed it from Jonathan.

JFB: 1Sa 20:1-3

He could not remain in Naioth, for he had strong reason to fear that when the religious fit, if we may so call it, was over, Saul would relapse into his usual fell and sanguinary temper. It may be thought that David acted imprudently in directing his flight to Gibeah. But he was evidently prompted to go thither by the most generous feelings--to inform his friend of what had recently occurred, and to obtain that friend's sanction to the course he was compelled to adopt. Jonathan could not be persuaded there was any real danger after the oath his father had taken; at all events, he felt assured his father would do nothing without telling him. Filial attachment naturally blinded the prince to defects in the parental character and made him reluctant to believe his father capable of such atrocity. David repeated his unshaken convictions of Saul's murderous purpose, but in terms delicately chosen (1Sa 20:3), not to wound the filial feelings of his friend; while Jonathan, clinging, it would seem, to a hope that the extraordinary scene enacted at Naioth might have wrought a sanctified improvement on Saul's temper and feelings, undertook to inform David of the result of his observations at home.

Clarke: 1Sa 20:1

David fled from Naioth - On hearing that Saul had come to that place, knowing that he was no longer in safety, he fled for his life.

Clarke: 1Sa 20:2

My father will do nothing - Jonathan thought that his father could have no evil design against David, because of the oath which he had sworn to himself 1Sa 19:6; and at any rate, that he would do nothing against David without informing him.

Clarke: 1Sa 20:3

There is but a step between me and death - My life is in the most imminent danger. Your father has, most assuredly, determined to destroy me

The same figure used here, there is but a step between me and death, may be found in Juvenal, who, satirizing those who risk their lives for the sake of gain in perilous voyages, speaks thus: -

I nune et ventis animam committe, dolat

Confisus ligno, digitis a morte remotu

Quatuor aut septem, si sit latissima teda

Sat. xii., ver. 57

"Go now, and commit thy life to the winds

trusting to a hewn plank, four or seven fingers thick

if the beam out of which it has been cut have been large enough."

TSK: 1Sa 20:1

fled : 1Sa 19:19-24, 1Sa 23:26-28; Psa 124:6-8; 2Pe 2:9

What have : 1Sa 12:3, 1Sa 24:11, 1Sa 24:17; Psa 7:3-5, Psa 18:20-24; 2Co 1:12; 1Jo 3:21

TSK: 1Sa 20:2

God forbid : 1Sa 14:45; Gen 44:7; Jos 22:29, Jos 24:16; Luk 20:16

show it me : Heb. uncover mine ear, 1Sa 20:12, 1Sa 9:15 *marg. Psa 40:6; Isa 50:5; Joh 15:15, Joh 17:8

TSK: 1Sa 20:3

sware : Deu 6:13; Jer 4:2; Heb 6:16

but truly : 1Sa 25:26, 1Sa 27:1; 2Sa 15:21; 2Ki 2:2, 2Ki 2:4, 2Ki 2:6

as thy soul : 1Sa 1:26, 1Sa 17:55; Jer 38:16

but a step : 1Sa 27:1; Deu 28:66; Psa 116:3; 1Co 15:30, 1Co 15:31; 2Co 1:9, 2Co 1:10

Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: 1Sa 20:1

While Saul was under the constraining influence of the spirit of prophecy, David escaped from Naioth, and, probably by Samuel’ s advice, returned to Saul’ s court to commune with Jonathan. Nothing could be a better evidence of his innocence than thus putting himself in Jonathan’ s power. Perhaps something passed between Samuel and Saul on the subject, since it appears from 1Sa 20:5, 1Sa 20:25, 1Sa 20:27, that Saul expected David at the feast of the new moon.

Barnes: 1Sa 20:2

It is not so - Jonathan’ s unwillingness to believe evil of his father is one of the many admirable traits in his character.

Barnes: 1Sa 20:3

And David sware moreover - Rather, "yet again."He met Jonathan’ s denial by repeating his statement and confirming it with an oath.

Poole: 1Sa 20:1

David fled whilst Saul lay in an ecstasy,

from Naioth in Ramah to Gibeah where Jonathan was, taking the opportunity of Saul’ s absence.

What is my sin before thy father? what is it which thus incenseth thy father against me? what crime doth he charge me with?

That he seeketh my life to wit, to destroy it, as this phrase is oft used, as 1Sa 22:23 Psa 38:12 54:3 63:9 .

Poole: 1Sa 20:2

Thou shalt not die I will secure thee by my interest with my father; nor doth he design to destroy thee; for what he doth in his frantic fits is not to be imputed to him; and when he comes to himself, I doubt not to reconcile thee to him. For Jonathan gave credit to his father’ s oath, 1Sa 19:6 ; and the worthiest minds are least suspicious and most charitable in their opinions of others.

Poole: 1Sa 20:3

The matter being of great moment, and Jonathan doubting the truth of it, David confirms his word with an oath, which follows in the end of the verse; only he interposeth a reason why Saul concealed it from Jonathan.

Haydock: 1Sa 20:1

Field, on the third day, having gone in the mean time to Bethlehem, ver. 6.

Haydock: 1Sa 20:1

To Jonathan, at Gabaa. He thought it no longer safe to remain at Najoth.

Haydock: 1Sa 20:2

Be. The recent machinations and orders of Saul had been concealed from his son, with whom he used to consult on all important matters. (Calmet) ---

Perceiving, however, that Jonathan was unwilling to come into his measures, Saul, in his phrenzy, tried to destroy David. (Haydock) ---

But Jonathan, forming his judgment of others by his own upright heart, relied on the oath of his father, (Calmet) and on the information he had lately communicated to him, when he desired David to be slain. (Menochius) ---

Abulensis believes that the particulars of a preceding reconciliation have been lost, which Salien supplies, the year of the world 2973.

Haydock: 1Sa 20:3

As I may say, is not in Hebrew. Septuagint, "the space between me and thy father is filled up, unto death." We can never more have any union, nor dwell together in safety. (Haydock)

Gill: 1Sa 20:1

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah,.... While Saul was prophesying, or lay in a trance there:

and came; to Gibeah, where Saul dwelt, and had his palace, and kept his court:

and said before Jonathan; whom he found there, and for whose sake he thither fled to have his advice, and to use his interest with his father, and be his friend at court:

what have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? surely, as if he should say, I must have been guilty of some very great crime, and yet I am not sensible of it; canst thou tell me what it is that has so provoked thy father, that nothing will satisfy him but the taking away of my life, which he seeks to do?

Gill: 1Sa 20:2

And he said unto him, God forbid, thou shalt not die,.... He could not believe his father had any such intention; and that if he discovered anything of that kind, it was only when he was in a frenzy, and a melancholy disorder had seized him; and that David had nothing to fear on that head, and that he would secure him from all danger in that respect; the thing was too gross and detestable to be credited:

behold, my father will do nothing, either great or small, but that he will show it me; such an interest had he in him, and in his favour, being his son and heir to his crown, and having done many warlike exploits, which had the more endeared him to him, that he made him privy to all his secret designs, and took his opinion in all matters of moment and importance:

and why should my father hide this thing from me? his design of taking away the life of David, if he had really formed one:

it is not so; Jonathan concluded, from his ignorance of it, there was nothing in it, and that it was only a surmise of David's; and yet it is strange that Jonathan should know nothing of the messengers being sent to David's house to take him, and of others sent to Naioth after him, and of Saul's going there himself with such a design; and if he did know anything of the matter, he made the best of it to David, partly to allay his fears, and partly that his father might not appear so black and vile as he really was.

Gill: 1Sa 20:3

And David sware moreover, and said,.... To assure Jonathan of the truth of it, that he did most certainly seek after his life, of which, as he had no doubt himself, by an oath he endeavoured to remove any that might be in Jonathan, who was not willing to believe his father could be guilty of so foul a crime:

thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes: that he was high in his favour, that he had a great value for him, and he had a large share in his love and friendship, and that was the reason why he hid from him his base intentions:

and he saith, let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; as he would be, both for the evil his father would be guilty of, and the danger David, his beloved friend, would be in:

but truly, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death; as appeared by his casting a javelin at him, 1Sa 18:11, sending messengers to his own house to slay him, 1Sa 19:11, and others to Naioth to seize him, 1Sa 19:20, and coming himself thither with an intention to kill him, 1Sa 19:22, and in each of these instances he had a narrow escape for his life; and this he declared in the most solemn manner by an oath, for the confirmation of the truth of it to Jonathan.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: 1Sa 20:1

¹ tn Heb “and he came and said before Jonathan.”

² tn Heb “What is my guilt?”

NET Notes: 1Sa 20:2

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading “he will not do,” rather than the Kethib of the MT (“do to him”).

³ tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.”

NET Notes: 1Sa 20:3

¹ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”

² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

³ tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 20:1

And David ^{( a )} 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?

^{( a )} For Saul was detained, and prophesied a day and a night by God's providence, that David might have time to escape.

Geneva Bible: 1Sa 20:3

And 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 ^{( b )} step between me and death.

^{( b )} I am in great danger of death.

Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: 1Sa 20:1-42

1 David consults with Jonathan for his safety.

11 Jonathan and David renew their covenant by oath.

18 Jonathan's token to David.

24 Saul, missing David, seeks to kill Jonathan.

35 Jonathan affectionately takes his leave of David.

Maclaren: 1Sa 20:1-13

1 Samuel 20:1-13

The friendship of Jonathan for David comes like a breath of pure air in the midst of the heavy-laden atmosphere of hate and mad fury, or like some clear fountain sparkling up among the sulphurous slag and barren scoriae of a volcano. There is no more beautiful page in history or poetry than the story of the passionate love of the heir to the throne for the young champion, whom he had so much cause to regard as a rival. What a proof of the victory of love over self is his saying, Thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee'! (1 Samuel 23:17). Truly did David sing in his elegy, Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women'; for in that old world, in which the relations between the sexes had not yet received the hallowing and refinement of Christian times, much of what is now chiefly found in these was manifested in friendship, such as that of these two young men. Jonathan is the foremost figure in it, and the nobility and self-oblivion of his love are beautifully brought out, while David's part is rather that of the loved than of the lover. The scene is laid in Gibeah, where Saul kept his court, and to which all the persons of the story seem to have come back from Samuel's house at Ramah. Saul's strange subjugation to the hallowing influences of the prophet's presence had been but momentary and superficial; and it had been followed by a renewed outburst of the old hate, obvious to David's sharpened sight, though not to Jonathan. In the interview between them, David is pardonably but obviously absorbed in self, while Jonathan bends all his soul to cheer and reassure his friend.

There are four turns in the conversation, in each of which David speaks and Jonathan answers. David's first question presupposes that his friend knows that his death is determined, and is privy to Saul's thoughts. If he had been less harassed, he would have done Jonathan more justice than to suppose him capable of knowing everything without telling him anything; but fear is suspicious. He should have remembered that, when Saul first harbored murderous purposes, Jonathan had not waited to he asked, but had disclosed the plot to him, and periled his own life by his remonstrance's with his father. He should have trusted his friend. His question breathes consciousness of innocence of any hostility to Saul, but unconsciously betrays some defect in his confidence in Jonathan. The answer is magnanimous in its silence as to that aspect of the question, though the subsequent story seems to imply that Jonathan felt it. He tries to hearten David by strong assurances that his life is safe. He does not directly contradict David's implication that he knew more than he had told, but, without asserting his ignorance, takes it for granted, and quietly argues from it the incorrectness of David's suspicions. Incidentally he gives us, in the picture of the perfect confidence between Saul and himself, an inkling of how much he had to sacrifice to his friendship. Wild as was Saul's fury when aroused, and narrow as had been his escape from it at an earlier time (1 Samuel 14:44), there was yet love between them, and the king made a confidant of his gallant eldest son. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives.' However gloomy and savage in his paroxysms Saul was, the relations between them were sweet. The most self-introverted and solitary soul needs some heart to pour itself out to, and this poor king found one in Jonathan. All the harder, then, was the trial of friendship when the trusted son had to take the part of the friend whom his father deemed an enemy, and had the pain of breaking such close ties. How his heart must have been torn asunder! On the one side was the lonely father who clung to him: on the other, the hunted friend to whom he clung. It is a sore wrench when kindred are on one side, and congeniality and the voice of the heart on the other. But there are ties more sacred than those of flesh and blood; and the putting of them second, which is sometimes needful in obedience to earthly love or duty, is always needful if we would rightly entertain our heavenly Friend.

Jonathan's soothing assurances did not satisfy David, and he sware' in the earnestness of his conviction. David gives a very good reason for his friend's ignorance, which he has at once believed, in the suggestion that Saul had not taken him into his confidence, out of tenderness to his feelings. Their friendship, then, was notorious, and, indeed, was an element in Saul's dread of David, who seemed to have some charm to steal hearts, and had bewitched both Saul's son and his daughter, thus making a painful rift in the family unity. It does not appear how David came to be so sure of Saul's designs. The incident at Ramah might have seemed to augur some improvement in his mood; and certainly there could have been no overt acts, or Jonathan could not have disputed the suspicions. Possibly some whispers may have reached David through his wife Michal, Saul's daughter, or in the course of his attendance on the king, which he had now resumed, his quick eye may have noticed ominous signs. At all events, he is so sure, that he makes solemn attestation to his friend, and convinces him that, in the picturesque phrase which has become so familiar, There is but a step between me and death.' Such temper was scarcely in accordance with the prophecies which went before on' him. If he had been walking by faith, he would have called Samuel's anointing to mind, and have drawn arguments from the victory over Goliath, for trust in victory over Saul, as he had done for the former from that over the lion and the bear. But faith does not always keep high-water mark, and we can only too easily sympathize with this momentary ebb of its waters.

None the less is it true that David's terror was unworthy, and showed that the strain of his anxious position was telling on his spirit, and making him not only suspect his earthly friend, but half forget his heavenly One. There was but a step between him and death; but, if he had been living in the serenity of trust, he would have known that the narrow space was as good as a thousand miles, and that Saul could not force him across it, for all his hatred and power.

Jonathan does not attempt to alter his conviction and probably is obliged to admit the justice of the explanation of his own ignorance and the truth of the impression of Saul's purposes. But he does what is more to the purpose; he pledges himself to do whatever David desires. It is an unconditional desertion of his father and alliance with David; it is the true voice of friendship or love, which ever has its delight in knowing and doing the will of the beloved. It answers David's thoughts rather than his words. He will not discuss any more whether he or David is right; but, in any event, he is his friend's.

The touchstone of friendship is practical help and readiness to do what the friend wishes. It is so in our friendships here, which are best cemented so. It is so in the highest degree in our friendship with the true Friend and Lover of us all, the sweetness and power of our friendship with whom we do not know until we say, Whatsoever thou desirest, I will do it,' and so lose the burden of self-will, and find that He does for us what we desire when we make His desires our law of conduct.

Secure of Jonathan's help, David proposed the stratagem for finding out Saul's disposition, which had probably been in his mind all along. It says more for his subtlety than for his truthfulness. With all his nobility, he had a streak of true Oriental craft. and stood on the moral level of his times and country, in his readiness to eke out the lion's skin with the fox's tail. It was a shrewd idea to make Saul betray himself by the way in which he took David's absence; but a lie is a lie, and cannot be justified, though it may be palliated, by the straits of the liar. At the same time it is fair to remember the extremity of David's danger and the morality of his age, in estimating, not the nature of his action, but the extent of his guilt in doing it. The same relaxation of the vigor of his faith which left him a prey to fear, led him to walk in crooked paths, and the impartial narrative tells of them without a word of comment. We have to form our own estimate of the fitness of a lie to form the Armour of a saint. The proposal informs us of two facts,--the custom of having a feast for three days at the new moon, and that of having an annual family feast and sacrifice, neither of which is prescribed in the law. I do not here deal with the grave question as to the date of the ceremonial law, as affected by these and similar phenomena; but I may be allowed the passing remark that the irregularities do not prove the non-existence of the law, but may be accounted for by supposing that, in such unsettled times, it had been loosely observed, and that many accretions and omissions, some of them inevitable in the absence of a recognized center of worship, had crept in. That is a much less brilliant and much more old-fashioned explanation than the new one, but perhaps it is none the worse for that. This generation is fond of making originality' and brilliancy' the tests of truth.

David's words in verse 8 have a touch of suspicion in them, in their very appeal for kind treatment, in their reminder of the covenant' of friendship, as if Jonathan needed either, and still more in the bitter request to slay him himself instead of delivering him to Saul. He almost thinks that Jonathan is in the plot, and means to carry him off a prisoner. Note, too, that he does not say,' We made a covenant,' but Thou hast brought me into it, as if it had been the other's wish rather than his. All this was beneath true friendship, and it hurt Jonathan, who next speaks with unusual emotion, beseeching David to clear all this fog out of his heart, and to believe in the genuineness and depth of his love, and in the frankness of his speech. True love is not easily provoked,' is not soon angry, and his was true in spite of many obstacles which might have made him as jealous as his father, and in the face of misconstruction and suspicion. May we not think of a yet higher love, which bears with our suspicions and faithless doubts, and ever answers our incredulity by its gentle If it were not so, I would have told you'?

David is not yet at the end of his difficulties, and next suggests, how is he to know Saul's mind? Jonathan takes him out into tile privacy of the open country (they had apparently been in Gibeah), and there solemnly calls God to witness that he will disclose his father's purposes, whatever they are. The language is obscure and broken, whether owing to corruption in the text, or to the emotion of the speaker. In half-shaped sentences, which betray how much he felt his friend's doubts, and how sincere he was, he invokes evil on himself if he fails to tell all. He then unfolds his ingenious scheme for conveying the information, on which we do not touch. But note the final words of Jonathan,--that prayer, so pathetic, so unselfish in its recognition of David as the inheritor of the kingdom that had dropped from his own grasp, so sad in its clear-eyed assurance of his father's abandonment, so deeply imbued with faith in the divine word, and so resigned to its behests. Both in the purity of his friendship and in the strength of his faith and submission, Jonathan stands here above David, and is far surer than the latter himself is of his high destiny and final triumph. It was hard for him to believe in the victory which was to displace his own house, harder still to rejoice in it, without one trace of bitterness mingling in the sweetness of his love, hardest of all actively to help it and to take sides against his father; but all these difficulties his unselfish heart overcame, and he stands for all time as the noblest example of human friendship, and as not unworthy to remind us, as from afar off and dimly, of the perfect love of the Firstborn Son of the true King, who has loved us all with a yet deeper, more patient, more self-sacrificing love. If men can love one another as Jonathan loved David, how should they love the Christ who has loved them so much l And what sacrilege it is to pour such treasures of affection at the feet of dear ones here, and to give so grudgingly such miserable doles of heart's love to Him!

MHCC: 1Sa 20:1-10

The trials David met with, prepared him for future advancement. Thus the Lord deals with those whom he prepares unto glory. He does not put them into immediate possession of the kingdom, but leads them to it through much tribulation, which he makes the means of fitting them for it. Let them not murmur at his gracious appointment, nor distrust his care; but let them look forward with joyful expectation to the crown which is laid up for them. Sometimes it appears to us that there is but a step between us and death; at all times it may be so, and we should prepare for the event. But though dangers appear most threatening, we cannot die till the purpose of God concerning us is accomplished; nor till we have served our generation according to his will, if we are believers. Jonathan generously offers David his services. This is true friendship. Thus Christ testifies his love to us, Ask, and it shall be done for you; and we must testify our love to him, by keeping his commandments.

Matthew Henry: 1Sa 20:1-8

Here, I. David makes a representation to Jonathan of his present troubles. While Saul lay bound by his trance at Naioth David escaped to the court, and got to speak with Jonathan. And it was happy for him that he had such a friend at court, when he had such an enemy on the throne. If there be those that hate and despise us, let us not be disturbed at that, for there are those also that love and respect us. God hath set the one over against the other, and so must we. Jonathan was a friend that loved at all times, loved David as well now in his distress, and bade him as welcome into his arms, as he had done when he was in his triumph (1Sa 18:1), and he was a brother that was born for adversity, Pro 17:17. Now, 1. David appeals to Jonathan himself concerning his innocency, and he needed not say much to him for the proof of it, only he desired him that if he knew of any just offence he had given his father he would tell him, that he might humble himself and beg his pardon: What have I done? 1Sa 20:1. 2. He endeavors to convince him that, notwithstanding his innocency, Saul sought his life. Jonathan, from a principal of filial respect to his father, was very loth to believe that he designed or would ever do so wicked a thing, 1Sa 20:2. He the rather hoped so because he knew nothing of any such design, and he had usually been made privy to all his counsels. Jonathan, as became a dutiful son, endeavored to cover his father's shame, as far as was consistent with justice and fidelity to David. Charity is not forward to think evil of any, especially of a parent, 1Co 13:5. David therefore gives him the assurance of an oath concerning his own danger, swears the peace upon Saul, that he was in fear of his life by him: " As the Lord liveth, than which nothing more sure in itself, and as thy soul liveth, than which nothing more certain to thee, whatever thou thinkest, there is but a step between me and death, "1Sa 20:3. And, as for Saul's concealing it from Jonathan, it was easy to account for that; he knew the friendship between him and David, and therefore, though in other things he advised with him, yet not in that. None more fit than Jonathan to serve him in every design that was just and honourable, but he knew him to be a man of more virtue than to be his confidant in so base a design as the murder of David.

II. Jonathan generously offers him his service (1Sa 20:4): Whatsoever thou desirest, he needed not insert the proviso of lawful and honest (for he knew David too well to think he would ask any thing that was otherwise), I will even do it for thee. This is true friendship. Thus Christ testifies his love to us: Ask, and it shall be done for you; and we must testify ours to him by keeping his commandments.

III. David only desires him to satisfy himself, and then to satisfy him whether Saul did really design his death or no. Perhaps David proposed this more for Jonathan's conviction than his own, for he himself was well satisfied. 1. The method of trial he proposed was very natural, and would certainly discover how Saul stood affected to him. The two next days Saul was to dine publicly, upon occasion of the solemnities of the new moon, when extraordinary sacrifices were offered and feasts made upon the sacrifices. Saul was rejected of God, and the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, yet he kept up his observance of the holy feasts. There may be the remains of external devotion where there is nothing but the ruins of real virtue. At these solemn feasts Saul had either all his children to sit with him, and David had a seat as one of them, or all his great officers, and David had a seat as one of them. However it was, David resolved his seat should be empty (and that it never used to be at a sacred feast) those two days (1Sa 20:5), and he would abscond till the solemnity was over, and put it upon this issue: if Saul admitted an excuse for his absence, and dispensed with it, he would conclude he had changed his mind and was reconciled to him; but if he resented it, and was put into a passion by it, it was easy to conclude he designed him a mischief, since it was certain he did not love him so well as to desire his presence for any other end than that he might have an opportunity to do him a mischief, 1Sa 20:7. 2. The excuse he desired Jonathan to make for his absence, we have reason to think, was true, that he was invited by his elder brother to Bethlehem, his own city, to celebrate this new moon with his relations there, because, besides the monthly solemnity in which they held communion with all Israel, they had now a yearly sacrifice, and a holy feast upon it, for all the family, 1Sa 20:6. They kept a day of thanksgiving in their family for the comforts they enjoyed, and of prayer for the continuance of them. By this it appears that the family David was of was a very religious family, a house that had a church in it. 3. The arguments he used with Jonathan to persuade him to do this kindness for him were very pressing, 1Sa 20:8. (1.) That he had entered into a league of friendship with him, and it was Jonathan's own proposal: Thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. (2.) That he would by no means urge him to espouse his cause if he was not sure that it was a righteous cause: " If there be iniquity in me, I am so far from desiring or expecting that the covenant between us should bind thee to be a confederate with me in that iniquity that I freely release thee from it, and wish that my hand may be first upon me: Slay me thyself. "No honest man will urge his friend to do a dishonest thing for his sake.

Keil-Delitzsch: 1Sa 20:1-11

After the occurrence which had taken place at Naioth, David fled thenceand met with Jonathan, to whom he poured out his heart.

(Note: According to Ewald and Thenius, this chapter was not writtenby the author of the previous one, but was borrowed from an earliersource, and 1Sa 20:1 was inserted by the compiler to connect the twotogether. But the principal reason for this conjecture - namely, thatDavid could never have thought of sitting at the royal table againafter what had taken place, and that Saul would still less haveexpected him to come - is overthrown by the simple suggestion, thatall that Saul had hitherto attempted against David, according to 1Sa 19:8., had been done in fits of insanity (cf. 1Sa 19:9.), whichhad passed away again; so that it formed no criterion by which tojudge of Saul's actual feelings towards David when he was in a state ofmental sanity.)

Though he had been delivered for the moment from the death whichthreatened him, through the marvellous influence of the divine inspirationof the prophets upon Saul and his messengers, he could not find in thisany lasting protection from the plots of his mortal enemy. He thereforesought for his friend Jonathan, and complained to him, "What have I done?what is my crime, my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life?"

1Sa 20:2

Jonathan endeavoured to pacify him: " Far be it! thou shalt notdie: behold, my father does nothing great or small (i.e., not the smallestthing; cf. 1Sa 25:36 and Num 22:18) that he does not reveal to me; whyshould my father hide this thing from me? It is not so ."The לו after הנּה stands for לא : the Chethibh עשׂה isprobably to be preferred to the Keri יעשׂה , and to be understoodin this sense: "My father has (hitherto) done nothing at all, which he hasnot told to me."This answer of Jonathan does not presuppose that heknew nothing of the occurrences described in 1 Samuel 19:9-24, although it ispossible enough that he might not have been with his father just at thattime; but it is easily explained from the fact that Saul had made the freshattack upon David's life in a state of madness, in which he was no longermaster of himself; so that it could not be inferred with certainty from thisthat he would still plot against David's life in a state of clearconsciousness. Hitherto Saul had no doubt talked over all his plans andundertakings with Jonathan, but he had not uttered a single word to himabout his deadly hatred, or his intention of killing David; so that Jonathanmight really have regarded his previous attacks upon David's life asnothing more than symptoms of temporary aberration of mind.

1Sa 20:3

But David had looked deeper into Saul's heart. He replied with anoath ("he sware again,"i.e., a second time), " Thy father knoweth that Ihave found favour in thine eyes (i.e., that thou art attached to me); andthinketh Jonathan shall not know this, lest he be grieved. But truly, assurely as Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is hardly a step ( lit . about a step) between me and death ." כּי introduces the substanceof the oath, as in 1Sa 14:44, etc.

1Sa 20:4-5

When Jonathan answered, "What thy soul saith, will I do tothee," i.e., fulfil every wish, David made this request, " Behold, to-morrowis new moon, and I ought to sit and eat with the king: let me go, that I mayconceal myself in the field (i.e., in the open air) till the third evening ."Thisrequest implies that Saul gave a feast at the new moon, and therefore thatthe new moon was not merely a religious festival, according to the law inNum 10:10; Num 28:11-15, but that it was kept as a civil festival also, and inthe latter character for two days; as we may infer both from the fact thatDavid reckoned to the third evening, i.e., the evening of the third day fromthe day then present, and therefore proposed to hide himself on the newmoon's day and the day following, and also still more clearly from 1Sa 20:12,1Sa 20:27, and 1Sa 20:34, where Saul is said to have expected David at table on the dayafter the new moon. We cannot, indeed, conclude from this that there wasa religious festival of two days' duration; nor does it follow, that becauseSaul supposed that David might have absented himself on the first day onaccount of Levitical uncleanness (1Sa 20:26), therefore the royal feast was asacrificial meal. It was evidently contrary to social propriety to take partin a public feast in a state of Levitical uncleanness, even though it is notexpressly forbidden in the law.

1Sa 20:6

"If thy father should miss me, then say, David hath askedpermission of me to hasten to Bethlehem, his native town; for there is ayearly sacrifice for the whole family there ."This ground of excuse showsthat families and households were accustomed to keep united sacrificialfeasts once a year. According to the law in Deu 12:5., they ought tohave been kept at the tabernacle; but at this time, when the centralsanctuary had fallen into disuse, they were held in different places,wherever there were altars of Jehovah - as, for example, at Bethlehem (cf. 1Sa 16:2.). We see from these words that David did not look uponprevarication as a sin.

1Sa 20:7

" If thy father says, It is well, there is peace to thy servant (i.e., hecherishes no murderous thoughts against me); but if he be very wroth,know that evil is determined by him ." כּלה , to be completed;hence to be firmly and unalterably determined (cf. 1Sa 25:17; Est 7:7). Seb. Schmidt infers from the closing words that the fact was certainenough to David, but not to Jonathan. Thenius, on the other hand,observes much more correctly, that "it is perfectly obvious from this thatDavid was not quite clear as to Saul's intentions,"though he upsets hisown previous assertion, that after what David had gone through, he couldnever think of sitting again at the king's table as he had done before.

1Sa 20:8

David made sure that Jonathan would grant this request onaccount of his friendship, as he had brought him into a covenant ofJehovah with himself . David calls the covenant of friendship withJonathan (1Sa 18:3) a covenant of Jehovah , because he had made it witha solemn invocation of Jehovah. But in order to make quite sure of thefulfilment of his request on the part of Jonathan, David added, " But ifthere is a fault in me, do thou kill me ( אתּה used to strengthen thesuffix); for why wilt thou bring me to thy father? "sc., that he may put meto death.

1Sa 20:9

Jonathan replied, " This be far from thee! "sc., that I should killthee, or deliver thee up to my father. חלילה points back towhat precedes, as in 1Sa 20:2. " But ( כּי after a previous negativeassertion) if I certainly discover that evil is determined by my father tocome upon thee, and I do not tell it thee ,"sc., "may God do so to me,"etc. The words are to be understood as an asseveration on oath, in which theformula of an oath is to be supplied in thought. This view is apparently amore correct one, on account of the cop. ו before לא , than to takethe last clause as a question, "Shall I not tell it thee?"

1Sa 20:10

To this friendly assurance David replied, " Who will tell me? "sc., how thy father expresses himself concerning me; " or what will thyfather answer thee roughly? "sc., if thou shouldst attempt to do it thyself. This is the correct explanation given by De Wette and Maurer. Gesenius and Thenius, on the contrary, take או in the sense of "ifperchance." But this is evidently incorrect; for even though there arecertain passages in which או may be so rendered, it is only wheresome other case is supposed, and therefore the meaning or still lies at thefoundation. These questions of David were suggested by a correct estimateof the circumstances, namely, that Saul's suspicions would leave him tothe conclusion that there was some understanding between Jonathan andDavid, and that he would take steps in consequence to prevent Jonathanfrom making David acquainted with the result of his conversation withSaul.

1Sa 20:11

Before replying to these questions, Jonathan asked David to gowith him to the field, that they might there fix upon the sign by which hewould let him know, in a way in which no one could suspect, what wasthe state of his father's mind.

Constable: 1Sa 16:1--31:13

IV. SAUL AND DAVID 1 Sam. 16--31

The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. We might call it the theme of the Lord's anointed.

"The theological thread running through Samuel and Kings is God's choice of a leader to represent Him as He implements His covenants with Israel."¹⁶⁸

Saul had been God's anointed vice-regent, but with Saul's rejection David began to move into that position. These chapters record the gradual transition and slow transformation of the nation as the Israelites and others increasingly realized that David was now God's anointed. Saul remained the Lord's anointed as long as he lived. Part of the reason David succeeded was he recognized this and related to Saul accordingly. However, David too was God's anointed though God was still preparing him to take leadership and mount the throne. While the hero of this last half of 1 Samuel is David, Saul is also prominent. Saul declined as the old anointed as David arose as the new anointed.

"There will be many twists in the story of David's progress towards the throne, and not a few crisis-points, yet all is told in the knowledge that God can put his men where he wants them to be, whether the route is direct, or ever so circuitous."¹⁶⁹

Chronology of David's Life170
Event	Date	Age	Reference
Birth	1041	0	2 Sam. 5:4-5
Anointing by Samuel	1029	12	1 Sam. 16:1-13
Defeat of Goliath	1024	17	1 Sam. 17
Exile from Saul	1020-1011	21-30	1 Sam. 21-31
Anointing as King over Judah	1011	30	2 Sam. 2:1-4
Anointing as King over all Israel	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:1-3
Philistines Wars	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:17-25
Conquest of Jerusalem	1004	37	2 Sam. 5:6-10
Mephibosheth's Move to Jerusalem	996	45	2 Sam. 9:1-13
The Three Year Famine	996-993	45-48	2 Sam. 21:1-14
The Ammonite Wars	993-990	48-51	2 Sam. 10-12
Adultery and Murder	992	49	2 Sam. 11
Birth of Solomon	991	50	2 Sam. 12:24-25
Rape of Tamar	987	54	2 Sam. 13:1-22
Death of Amnon	985	56	2 Sam. 13:23-36
Exile of Absalom	985-982	56-59	2 Sam. 13:37-39
Absalom's Return to Jerusalem	982-980	59-61	2 Sam. 14:21-24
Construction of Palace	980-978	61-63	1 Chron. 15:1
Construction of Tabernacle	977	64	1 Chron. 15:1
Move of Ark to Jerusalem	977	64	2 Sam. 6:12-19
Absalom's Rebellion and David's Exile	976	65	2 Sam. 15-18
Rebellion of Sheba	976	65	2 Sam. 20:1-22
The Census	975	66	2 Sam. 24:1-17
Purchase of Temple Site	973	68	2 Sam. 24:18-25
The Davidic Covenant	973	68	2 Sam. 7
Co-regency with Solomon	973-971	68-70	1 Chron. 23:1
Rebellion of Adonijah	972	69	1 Kings 1:5-37
Coronation of Solomon	971	70	1 Chron. 29:22-23
Death	971	70	1 Kings 2:10-11

Constable: 1Sa 20:1-42

2. Jonathan's advocacy for David ch. 20

This chapter records Jonathan's last attempt to reconcile Saul to David. The emphasis is on the hardening of Saul's heart that God allowed to take place since the king refused to repent genuinely.

Constable: 1Sa 20:1-11

David's concern for his own safety 20:1-11

David was wondering if he had done something wrong that had provoked Saul's hatred (v. 1). Walking with God is sometimes confusing. We need to learn, as David did, that when we try to follow God faithfully some people will oppose us simply because we want to do God's will. Their antagonism is not the result of our sinfulness but theirs. Jonathan assured David that he had done nothing wrong (cf. 14:45), but Jonathan did not appreciate the intensity of Saul's hatred for David (cf. 19:6). He was in a state of denial.

There are several oaths and strong affirmations in this chapter (vv. 3, 12, 13, 16, 17, 23, 42). The one that David made in verse 3 is very strong. He believed correctly that he was in mortal danger, and he tried to make Jonathan see this. Jonathan was open to anything David wanted to suggest to prove his point (v. 4).

The new moon introduced the new month that the Israelites celebrated with a sacrificial meal. It was both a religious and a civil holiday (Num. 10:10; 28:11-15; cf. 2 Kings 4:23). David would normally have been present at the king's table since he was one of Saul's high-ranking military commanders. However, David evidently believed that Saul would try to kill him again if he ate with the king. Hiding in a field seems to be an extreme measure. Why could David not have gone home to Bethlehem or stayed with friends who would have kept his presence secret from Saul? Perhaps David trusted no one but Jonathan now.

Apparently David's family held a reunion on one of these holidays each year (v. 6; cf. 1:21; 2:19). David told a lie; he did not go to Bethlehem but hid in a field. At the beginning of his period of flight from Saul, David resorted to trickery as well as trust in Yahweh. As this trial wore on, he learned to trust God more completely, as we shall see. His trials purified his character (cf. James 1).

David proposed his test (v. 7) to convince Jonathan that Saul really intended to kill David. The covenant to which David referred was the one he and Jonathan had previously made (18:3-4). David appealed to it and asked Jonathan to kill him himself if he must die rather than allowing Saul to do it. David wanted to die at the hand of his friend rather than at the hand of his enemy. David had temporarily lost sight of God's promise that he would rule over Israel.

Jonathan refused to kill David but promised to tell him if Saul responded with hostility as David predicted he would (v. 9). Jonathan then suggested a plan by which he could communicate with David without revealing David's location (vv. 10-11).

Guzik: 1Sa 20:1-42

1 Samuel 20 - Jonathan's Final Attempt to Reconcile His Father and David

A. David, coming from Naioth, meets Jonathan.

1. (1-4) David asks Jonathan about Saul's intentions towards him; Jonathan promises his help to David.

Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" So Jonathan said to him, "By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!" Then David took an oath again, and said, "Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.' But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death." So Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you."

a. Then David fled from Naioth: Why? Why did David leave Naioth? The Spirit of God protected David there in a powerful way. He could have simply stayed there for however long it took Saul to give up or die. Yet David left for a good reason: He wanted to know if Saul's heart had changed, and if there was still a chance to reconcile with King Saul.

b. When David left, he went to see his close friend Jonathan. Jonathan was Saul's son, and the crown prince of Israel. Everyone thought he would be the next son - everyone except David and Jonathan. Jonathan knew that David was called by God to be the next king, and he was willing to step aside so that he would not be resisting the will of the LORD.

c. What have I done? We should see in this that David is testing Jonathan's loyalty. Of course, he wants to know what Saul thinks, but even more important to David is to know what Jonathan thinks. In asking, "What have I done?" David wants to know if Jonathan has come to a place of agreement with his father Saul.

d. So Jonathan said to him, "By no means!" This assures David that Jonathan is still his loyal friend, and that Jonathan hasn't bought into Saul's lies about David. Jonathan also assures David that he will protect him, by warning David of Saul's intentions.

i. Why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so! Apparently, David wondered why Jonathan didn't tell him about the attempted arrest at Naioth. Jonathan expresses astonishment that his father did not tell him, but assures David of his heart towards him.

ii. Why did Jonathan seem slow to believe that his father still wanted to kill David? "For Jonathan gave credit to his father's oath, chap. xix. 6; and the worthiest minds are least suspicious and most charitable in their opinions of others." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

e. There is but a step between me and death: This reveals David's discouragement. He knows that Saul has attempted to kill him many times, and it seems that Saul will not quit until David is gone. David feels that his death is inevitable, and that he is walking on a slippery plank over a great canyon.

i. "Poor David found the doing of anything or of nothing dangerous alike; such was the malice of his enemy, who was captain of the devil's sworn swordmen." (Trapp <Trapp.htm>)

f. Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you: Jonathan continues to reassure David, bringing encouragement to a discouraged man.

i. Jonathan's approach is to encourage David and to offer help to him. Conceivably, he could have said, "Where is your faith, brother? Why aren't you just trusting God?" Instead, Jonathan knew David's heart was pointed in the right direction, and he just offered to help.

2. (5-11) David proposes to test Saul's attitude.

And David said to Jonathan, "Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' If he says thus: 'It is well,' your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him. Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?" But Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?" Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?" And Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out into the field.

a. If your father misses me: David asks Jonathan to observe Saul's reaction to David's absence at an important feast held monthly for the high officials of state. Apparently, Saul hoped that David would be at this feast as expected, and David wondered how Saul would react to his presence. Would he take the opportunity to reconcile with David? Or, would he take the opportunity to kill him?

i. The New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat: Special sacrifices were commanded for the new moon (Numbers 28:11-15).

b. If there is iniquity in me: Again, David seems somewhat shaken by the fact that Jonathan did not tell him about the attempted arrest at Naioth. David is asking Jonathan, "Am I in the wrong here? Are you still behind me?" Essentially, David says "If you really are working for your father, and agree with him that I deserve to die, then just kill me right now!"

i. We have to see all of this from David's perspective. He remembers that Jonathan's support for him is challenged by the fact that his father is against David. He also remembers that Jonathan's support for him is challenged by the fact that Jonathan is next in line for the throne, and might perhaps have an interest in being against David.

ii. Jonathan's response is the same as in 1 Samuel 20:2; he didn't know that Saul set out to get David in Naioth, though previously to that point, his father would tell him everything.

c. Far be it from you! Jonathan, with encouragement, tells David to put away his doubts about Jonathan's loyalty. Jonathan senses that David is in a vulnerable place, and he wants to give him encouragement in the midst of it.

d. Who will tell me? David now poses a practical problem. If Saul has determined evil against David, and Jonathan intends to warn him, how will he do it? How will Jonathan get the message to David?

B. Jonathan's agreement.

1. (12-13) Jonathan vows to find out the state of his father's heart for David.

Then Jonathan said to David: "The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

a. When I have sounded out my father: Jonathan will find out his father's heart, and will report it to David, if say if it is good or bad towards David.

b. And send you away, that you may go in safety: Jonathan knows that if his father Saul intends evil against David, it means that David must go away. He would not be welcome again in the palace, and he would not be safe again at home. By giving David early warning of this, he would help David go in safety.

c. And the LORD will be with you as He has been with my father: Jonathan wants to give David more than a warning. He wants to give him encouragement also. "David, even if you must leave the palace and your home behind, and flee as a fugitive, the LORD will be with you. You can be sure of it."

i. We almost might think that Jonathan is being sarcastic when he says, "as He has been with my father," because one might think that the LORD was really against Saul instead of for him. But Jonathan had enough wisdom in the LORD to know that the LORD was really for Saul, because the LORD was trying to lead Saul to repentance.

ii. In the spiritual relationship between David and Jonathan, sometimes David was stronger spiritually, and sometimes Jonathan was stronger. But there was a bond in the LORD between these men that could not be broken.

2. (14-17) In response, Jonathan makes David commit himself in a covenant.

"And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies." Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

a. You shall not cut off your kindness for my house forever: Jonathan was aware of the political dynamic between the family of David and the family of Jonathan. In that day, when one royal house replaced another, it was common for the new royal house to kill all the potential rulers from the old royal house. Jonathan knew that one day, David and his descendants would rule over Israel, and he wants David to promise that David and his descendants will not kill or mistreat the descendants of Jonathan.

b. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: Jonathan and David agreed to care for one another. Jonathan agreed to care for David in the face of Saul's threat, and David agreed to care for Jonathan and his family in the future. David fulfilled this promise to Jonathan (2 Samuel 9:1-8 and 21:7).

3. (18-23) Jonathan proposes a signal to inform David of Saul's reaction.

Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; and there I will send a lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I expressly say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come'; then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. But if I say thus to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you'; go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever."

a. I will shoot three arrows: After Jonathan learns his father's heart and intention towards David, he will communicate to David through a signal. Jonathan will go out to take target practice, and where he shoots the arrows will tell David the answer.

b. The arrows will bring one of two messages. Either Saul's heart has changed towards David, and there is safety for you and no harm, or Saul is still determined to kill David, and the LORD has sent you away.

i. This was a crucial time in David's life. Either he would be welcomed back to the palace and his home, or he would be a fugitive until Saul gave up the hunt for David. A lot was riding on the message brought through a few arrows!

C. Saul's settled hatred towards David.

1. (24-34) Saul is enraged when he learns of David's absence.

Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean." And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?" So Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table." Then Saul's anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be killed? What has he done?" Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

a. But David's place was empty: David was expected to be at this special feast of the New Moon, and so he was conspicuous by his absence. At first, this did not trouble Saul greatly, because he thought, "Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean." Ceremonial uncleanliness might cause a person to miss a feast such as this, but the ceremonial uncleanliness would only last a day (Leviticus 22:3-7). So, when it happened the next day . . . that David's place was empty, Saul demanded an explanation.

i. Meyer on the son of Jesse: "Speaking of him derisively as 'the son of Jesse,' thus accentuating his lowly birth, and ignoring the relationship that bound him to the royal family."

b. Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem." Jonathan is covering for David, trying to give Saul a plausible - and truthful - explanation for David's absence.

i. "It seems probably that he went first to Bethlehem, as he bade Jonathan to tell his father, ver. 6, and thence returned to the field, when the occasion required; else we must charge him with a downright lie, which ought not to be imagined (without any apparent cause) concerning so good a man." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

c. Saul's anger was aroused . . . "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!" Jonathan knew from this response that Saul's heart was settled on evil against David. If Saul's heart was different towards David, he might have been disappointed that he wasn't there, but he wouldn't have been furious.

i. Poole on to the shame of your mother's nakedness: "Men will conclude, that thy mother was a whore, and thou a bastard; and that thou hast no royal blood in thy veins, that canst so tamely give up thy crown to so contemptible a person."

d. In his anger, Saul accused Jonathan of siding with David (you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame). He tried to encourage Jonathan's sense of hurt and self-interest against David (as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom). He tried to enlist Jonathan's help in killing David (bring him to me, for he shall surely die).

i. These were "Taunts that were intended to instil into Jonathan's heart the poison which was working in his own." (Meyer <Meyer.htm>)

ii. "Thus he grossly mistakes the cause of Jonathan's loss of the kingdom, which was not David's art, but Saul's sin; and vainly endeavours to prevent God's irrevocable sentence." (Poole <biblio.htm>)

e. He shall surely die: Certainly, this was Saul's intention, despite his previous oath (As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed, 1 Samuel 19:6). Apparently, Saul believed oaths were for other people, but not for him! Saul lived by what Trapp called "That Machiavellian maxim . . . It is for tradesmen, and not for kings to keep their oaths." Yet, despite Saul's intentions, David would not die at the hands of Saul or any other enemy. Man proposes, but God disposes.

f. Jonathan responds by defending not only David, but right in this cause: Why should he be killed? What has he done? Jonathan's support of David wasn't a blind support; it was a support based on what was right before the LORD. Jonathan's support of David enraged Saul, and Saul cast a spear at him to kill him. This shows how deep Saul's hatred of David is; he will kill his own son for siding with David.

i. "Jonathan made one vain attempt to reason with the furious monarch; he might as well have tried to arrest the swelling of Jordan in the time of flood." (Meyer <Meyer.htm>)

ii. Jonathan saw this at once; he knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. This made Jonathan very angry, and he refused to continue participating in the feast.

2. (35-40) Jonathan tells David bout Saul's state of mind through the pre-arranged signal of the arrows.

And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, "Now run, find the arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" And Jonathan cried out after the lad, "Make haste, hurry, do not delay!" So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."

a. Is not the arrow beyond you? In 1 Samuel 20:21-22, Jonathan and David determined that if the arrows were shot at a shorter distance, then David could know that Saul's heart was favorable to him. If the arrows were shot further beyond, David could know that Saul's heart was still hard and he determined to destroy David.

i. It took courage for Jonathan to communicate with David, even secretly - because he knew that if his father became aware of it, he would focus his murderous rage against Jonathan again. There was something noble in Jonathan's commitment to David as a friend.

ii. "But there is something still nobler - when one dares in any company to avow his loyalty to the Lord Jesus. Like David, he is now in obscurity and disrepute; his name is not popular; his gospel is misrepresented; his followers are subjected to rebuke and scorn. These are days when to stand up for anything more than mere conventional religion must cost something; and for this reason let us never flinch." (Meyer <Meyer.htm>)

b. A small thing - the signal of a single arrow - told David his whole life was changed. He would no longer be welcome at the palace. He would no longer be welcome among the army of Israel. He would no longer be able to go home. David now knew he would have to live as a fugitive, on the run from an angry, jealous king determined to destroy him.

i. Sometimes our lives can turn on a small thing. One night of carelessness may change a girl's life forever. One night with the wrong crowd may give a boy an arrest record. It often times does not seem fair that so much in life should turn on small moments, but a lifetime is made of nothing but many small moments!

ii. "You have hoped against hope; you have tried to keep your position; you have done your duty, pleaded your cause, sought the intercession of your friends, prayed, wept, agonized. But it is all in vain; the arrows' flight proves you must go wither you may." (Meyer <Meyer.htm>)

3. (41-42) The tearful farewell of David and Jonathan.

As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.'" So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

a. They wept together: David and Jonathan loved each other, and had a strong bond of friendship. But David couldn't stay, and Jonathan couldn't go. They remembered their bond of friendship back in 1 Samuel 18:1-4, when Jonathan gave David his armor and princely robe. It was Jonathan's way of saying, "David, I recognize that you are God's choice to be the next king, not me. I'll lay aside my right to the throne, and help you take it. This armor of a prince, and the robe of a prince, belongs to you now, not me." Jonathan and David probably envisioned working together, as partners, as friends, both before and after the time David became king. But now all that was gone, so they wept together.

b. But David more so: If Jonathan had reason to weep, David had more so. The pain of being apart was bad enough, but it was worse for David because he was cut off from everything, and destined to live for many years the life of a fugitive.

i. "Behind you is the sunny morning, before you a lowering sky; behind you the blessed enjoyment of friendship, wife, home, royal favor, and popular adulation, before you an outcast's life." (Meyer <Meyer.htm>)

c. Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD: Jonathan knew he might never see David again. In fact, David and Jonathan will only meet once more, shortly before Jonathan's death. But David now left for a life of hiding, secrecy, and danger. But Jonathan could send David away in peace, because they have both have agreed to honor each other not only in life, but to honor each other's families beyond their own lifetimes.

i. Jonathan might have been threatened by David, but instead he loved him and was loyal to him. Jonathan, with his excellent character before God, served an important role in David's life. David might have started to think that Saul was rejected simply because he was wicked, and David was chosen simply because he was godly. But if God just wanted a godly man to be king, why not Jonathan? God's choice of David was a reminder that God has His own reasons for choosing, reasons we can't always figure out.

d. So he arose and departed: David will not return to "normal life" until Saul is dead and David is king. This is a pretty bleak road for David to walk, but it is God's road for him.

i. Was David in God's will? How can anyone set out on such a bleak road and be in the will of God? Because God often has His people spend at least some time on a bleak road, and He appoints some of His favorites to spend a lot of time on that road - think of Job, Joseph, Paul, and even Jesus.

ii. This bleak road is important in David's life, because if God will put David in a place where people must depend on him, God will teach David to depend upon God alone. Not himself, not Saul, not Jonathan, not anyone except God

iii. This bleak road is important in David's life, because if David will be safe now and promoted to king later, David must learn to let God be his defense and his promoter.

iv. This bleak road is important in David's life, because if David is to be set in such a great position of authority, David must learn to submit to God's authority, even if it is in a man like Saul. David could have decided to challenge Saul's authority, thinking "I'll stay around here and gather loyal people away from Saul and to myself. I'll start a campaign to bring me to the throne." But David wouldn't; he would submit to Saul's authority, trust the Lord, and just leave."

v. "Let God empty you out that He may save you from becoming spiritually stale, and lead you ever onward. He is always calling us to pass beyond the thing we know into the unknown. A throne is God's purpose for you; a cross is God's path for you; faith is God's plan for you." (Redpath <Redpath.htm>)

© 2001 David Guzik - No distribution beyond personal use without permission

Introduction / Outline

JFB: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST AND SECOND BOOKS OF SAMUEL. The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Books of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on 1Ch 29:29. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in 1Sa 2:26; 1Sa 3:1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from 1Sa 6:18; 1Sa 12:5; 1Sa 27:6, that its composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after-period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (1Sa 13:14 in Act 13:22, and 2Sa 7:14 in Heb 1:5), as well as in many of the Psalms.

JFB: 1 Samuel (Outline)

• OF ELKANAH AND HIS TWO WIVES. (1Sa 1:1-8)
• HANNAH'S PRAYER. (1Sa 1:9-18)
• SAMUEL BORN. (1Sa 1:20)
• HANNAH'S SONG IN THANKFULNESS TO GOD. (1Sa 2:1-11)
• THE SIN OF ELI'S SONS. (1Sa 2:12-17)
• SAMUEL'S MINISTRY. (1Sa 2:18-26)
• A PROPHECY AGAINST ELI'S HOUSE. (1Sa 2:27-35)
• THE LORD APPEARS TO SAMUEL IN A VISION. (1Sa 3:1-10)
• ISRAEL OVERCOME BY THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 4:1-11)
• ELI HEARING THE TIDINGS. (1Sa 4:12-22)
• THE PHILISTINES BRING THE ARK INTO THE HOUSE OF DAGON. (1Sa 5:1-2)
• DAGON FALLS DOWN. (1Sa 5:3-5)
• THE PHILISTINES ARE SMITTEN WITH EMERODS. (1Sa 5:6-12)
• THE PHILISTINES COUNSEL HOW TO SEND BACK THE ARK. (1Sa 6:1-9)
• THE ARK AT KIRJATH-JEARIM. (1Sa 7:1-2)
• THE ISRAELITES, THROUGH SAMUEL'S INFLUENCE, SOLEMNLY REPENT AT MIZPEH. (1Sa 7:3-6)
• WHILE SAMUEL PRAYS, THE PHILISTINES ARE DISCOMFITED. (1Sa 7:7-14)
• OCCASIONED BY THE ILL-GOVERNMENT OF SAMUEL'S SONS, THE ISRAELITES ASK A KING. (1Sa. 8:1-18)
• SAUL, DESPAIRING TO FIND HIS FATHER'S ASSES, COMES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 9:1-14)
• GOD REVEALS TO SAMUEL SAUL'S COMING, AND HIS APPOINTMENT TO THE KINGDOM. (1Sa 9:15-27)
• SAMUEL ANOINTS SAUL, AND CONFIRMS HIM BY THE PREDICTION OF THREE SIGNS. (1Sa. 10:1-27)
• NAHASH OFFERS THEM OF JABESH-GILEAD A REPROACHFUL CONDITION. (1Sa 11:1-4)
• THEY SEND TO SAUL, AND ARE DELIVERED. (1Sa 11:5-11)
• SAUL CONFIRMED KING. (1Sa 11:12-15)
• SAMUEL TESTIFIES HIS INTEGRITY. (1Sa 12:1-5)
• HE TERRIFIES THEM WITH THUNDER IN HARVEST-TIME. (1Sa 12:17-25)
• SAUL'S SELECTED BAND. (1Sa 13:1-2)
• HE CALLS THE HEBREWS TO GILGAL AGAINST THE PHILISTINES. (1Sa 13:3-4)
• THE PHILISTINES' GREAT HOST. (1Sa 13:5)
• THE ISRAELITES' DISTRESS. (1Sa 13:6-8)
• SAUL, WEARY OF WAITING FOR SAMUEL, SACRIFICES. (1Sa 13:9-16)
• JONATHAN MIRACULOUSLY SMITES THE PHILISTINES' GARRISON. (1Sa 14:1-14)
• SAUL SENT TO DESTROY AMALEK. (1Sa 15:1-6)
• HE SPARES AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SPOIL. (1Sa 15:7-9)
• GOD REJECTS HIS FOR DISOBEDIENCE. (1Sa 15:10-11)
• SAMUEL SENT BY GOD TO BETHLEHEM. (1Sa 16:1-10)
• HE ANOINTS DAVID. (1Sa 16:11-14)
• THE ISRAELITES AND PHILISTINES BEING READY TO BATTLE. (1Sa 17:1-3)
• GOLIATH CHALLENGES A COMBAT. (1Sa 17:4-11)
• DAVID ACCEPTS THE CHALLENGE, AND SLAYS HIM. (1Sa. 17:12-58)
• JONATHAN LOVES DAVID. (1Sa 18:1-4)
• SAUL ENVIES HIS PRAISE. (1Sa 18:5-9)
• SEEKS TO KILL HIM. (1Sa 18:10-12)
• FEARS HIM FOR HIS GOOD SUCCESS. (1Sa 18:13-16)
• HE OFFERS HIM HIS DAUGHTER FOR A SNARE. (1Sa 18:17-21)
• JONATHAN DISCLOSES HIS FATHER'S PURPOSE TO KILL DAVID. (1Sa 19:1-7)
• SAUL'S MALICIOUS RAGE BREAKS OUT AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 19:8-17)
• DAVID FLEES TO SAMUEL. (1Sa 19:18-23)
• SAUL PROPHESIES. (1Sa 19:24)
• DAVID CONSULTS WITH JONATHAN FOR HIS SAFETY. (1Sa 20:1-10)
• THEIR COVENANT RENEWED BY OATH. (1Sa 20:11-23)
• SAUL, MISSING DAVID, SEEKS TO KILL JONAHAN. (1Sa. 20:24-40)
• JONATHAN AND DAVID LOVINGLY PART. (1Sa 20:41-42)
• DAVID, AT NOB, OBTAINS OF AHIMELECH HALLOWED BREAD. (1Sa 21:1-7)
• HE TAKES GOLIATH'S SWORD. (1Sa 21:9)
• AT GATH HE FEIGNS HIMSELF MAD. (1Sa 21:10-15)
• DAVID'S KINDRED AND OTHERS RESORT TO HIM AT ADULLAM. (1Sa 22:1-8)
• DOEG ACCUSES AHIMELECH. (1Sa 22:9-16)
• SAUL COMMANDS TO KILL THE PRIESTS. (1Sa 22:17-19)
• ABIATHAR ESCAPES AND FLEES AFTER DAVID. (1Sa 22:20-23)
• DAVID RESCUES KEILAH. (1Sa 23:1-6)
• SAUL'S COMING, AND TREACHERY OF THE KEILITES. (1Sa 23:7-13)
• DAVID ESCAPES TO ZIPH. (1Sa 23:14-18)
• SAUL PURSUES HIM. (1Sa 23:19-29)
• DAVID IN A CAVE AT ENGEDI CUTS OFF SAUL'S SKIRT, BUT SPARES HIS LIFE. (1Sa 24:1-7)
• HE URGES THEREBY HIS INNOCENCY. (1Sa 24:8-15)
• SAMUEL DIES. (1Sa 25:1-9)
• THE CHURLISH ANSWER PROVOKES HIM. (1Sa 25:10-13)
• ABIGAIL PACIFIES HIM. (1Sa. 25:14-35)
• NABAL'S DEATH. (1Sa 25:36-44)
• SAUL COMES TO THE HILL OF HACHILAH AGAINST DAVID. (1Sa 26:1-4)
• DAVID STAYS ABISHAI FROM KILLING SAUL, BUT TAKES HIS SPEAR AND CRUSE. (1Sa. 26:5-25)
• SAUL HEARING THAT DAVID WAS FLED TO GATH, SEEKS NO MORE FOR HIM. (1Sa 27:1-4)
• DAVID BEGS ZIKLAG OF ACHISH. (1Sa 27:5-12)
• ACHISH'S CONFIDENCE IN DAVID. (1Sa 28:1-6)
• SAUL SEEKS A WITCH, WHO, BEING ENCOURAGED BY HIM, RAISES UP SAMUEL. (1Sa. 28:7-25)
• DAVID MARCHING WITH THE PHILISTINES TO FIGHT WITH ISRAEL. (1Sa 29:1-5)
• THE AMALEKITES SPOIL ZIKLAG. (1Sa 30:1-5)
• BUT DAVID, ENCOURAGED BY GOD, PURSUES THEM. (1Sa 30:6-15)
• AND RECOVERS HIS TWO WIVES AND ALL THE SPOIL. (1Sa. 30:16-31)
• SAUL HAVING LOST HIS ARMY AT GILBOA, AND HIS SONS BEING SLAIN, HE AND HIS ARMOR-BEARER KILL THEMSELVES. (1Sa 31:1-7)
• THE PHILISTINES TRIUMPH OVER THEIR DEAD BODIES. (1Sa 31:8-10)
• THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY THEM AT JABESH. (1Sa 31:11-13)

TSK: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

The First Book of SAMUEL, otherwise called " The First Book of the KINGS."

TSK: 1 Samuel 20 (Chapter Introduction)

Overview

1Sa 20:1, David consults with Jonathan for his safety; 1Sa 20:11, Jonathan and David renew their covenant by oath; 1Sa 20:18, Jonathan’s token to David; 1Sa 20:24, Saul, missing David, seeks to kill Jonathan; 1Sa 20:35, Jonathan affectionately takes his leave of David.

Poole: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.

THE ARGUMENT.

IT is not certainly known who was the penman of this Book, or whether it was written by one or more hands; nor is it or any great importance; for since there are sufficient evidences that God was the chief author of it, it matters not who was the instrument. As when it appears that such a thing was really an act of parliament, or of the council-table, it is not considerable who was the clerk or which was the pen that wrote it. And this is the less material in such historical hooks, wherein there is but little which concerns the foundation of faith and good life, and therefore it was not necessary to name the writer of them. It may abundantly suffice that there were in these times divers prophets and holy men of God; as Samuel, and Nathan, and Gad, and David himself, who might each of them write some part of this and the following book. But if any man will out of perverseness doubt or deny that these wrote it, yet this I suppose no discreet and impartial man will deny, that it is wholly incredible that such books should be written in their times, and recommended to the church as a part of the Holy Scriptures, and so received by the succeeding generation, without their approbation, who had so great a power and authority in the church and commonwealth of Israel.

Poole: 1 Samuel 20 (Chapter Introduction)

SAMUEL CHAPTER 20

David complaineth to Jonathan of Saul: he comforteth him; can hardly believe what David saith of his father; promiseth to give him notice how his absence was taken: they renew a covenant of friendship, and swear to each other, 1Sa 20:1-17 . Their sign, 1Sa 20:18-23 . Saul asketh for David at the feast of the new moon, 1Sa 20:24-27 . Jonathan execuseth David: Saul incensed hereat, revileth Jonathan, and seeketh to kill him, 1Sa 20:28-34 . Jonathan advertiseth David, 1Sa 20:35-40 . They part with tears, 1Sa 20:41,42 .

MHCC: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

In this book we have an account of Eli, and the wickedness of his sons; also of Samuel, his character and actions. Then of the advancement of Saul to be the king of Israel, and his ill behaviour, until his death made way for David's succession to the throne, who was an eminent type of Christ. David's patience, modesty, constancy, persecution by open enemies and feigned friends, are a pattern and example to the church, and to every member of it. Many things in this book encourage the faith, hope, and patience of the suffering believer. It contains also many useful cautions and awful warnings.

MHCC: 1 Samuel 20 (Chapter Introduction)

(1Sa 20:1-10) David consults Jonathan.

(1Sa 20:11-23) Jonathan's covenant with David.

(1Sa 20:24-34) Saul, missing David, seeks to kill Jonathan.

(1Sa 20:35-42) Jonathan takes leave of David.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The First Book of Samuel

This book, and that which follows it, bear the name of Samuel in the title, not because he was the penman of them (except of so much of them as fell within his own time, to the twenty-fifth chapter of the first book, in which we have an account of his death), but because the first book begins with a large account of him, his birth and childhood, his life and government; and the rest of these two volumes that are denominated from him contains the history of the reigns of Saul and David, who were both anointed by him. And, because the history of these two kings takes up the greatest part of these books, the Vulgar latin calls them the First and Second Books of the Kings, and the two that follow the Third and Fourth, which the titles in our English Bibles take notice of with an alias: otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, etc. The Septuagint calls them the first and second Book of the Kingdoms. It is needless to contend about it, but there is no occasion to vary from the Hebrew verity. These two books contain the history of the last two of the judges, Eli and Samuel, who were not, as the rest, men of war, but priests (and so much of them is an appendix to the book of Judges), and of the first two of the kings, Saul and David, and so much of them is an entrance upon the history of the kings. They contain a considerable part of the sacred history, are sometimes referred to in the New Testament, and often in the titles of David's Psalms, which, if placed in their order, would fall in these books. It is uncertain who was the penman of them; it is probable that Samuel wrote the history of his own time, and that, after him, some of the prophets that were with David (Nathan as likely as any) continued it. This first book gives us a full account of Eli's fall and Samuel's rise and good government, ch. 1-8. Of Samuel's resignation of the government and Saul's advancement and mal-administration, ch. 9-15. The choice of David, his struggles with Saul, Saul's ruin at last, and the opening of the way for David to the throne, ch. 16-31. And these things are written for our learning.

Matthew Henry: 1 Samuel 20 (Chapter Introduction)

David, having several times narrowly escaped Saul's fury, begins to consider at last whether it may not be necessary for him to retire into the country and to take up arms in his own defence. But he will not do so daring a thing without consulting his faithful friend Jonathan; how he did this, and what passed between them, we have an account in this chapter, where we have as surprising instances of supernatural love as we had in the chapter before of unnatural hatred. I. David complains to Jonathan of his present distress, and engages him to be his friend (1Sa 20:1-8). II. Jonathan faithfully promises to get and give him intelligence how his father stood affected to him, and renews the covenant of friendship with him (1Sa 20:9-23). III. Jonathan, upon trial, finds, to his grief, that his father was implacably enraged against David (1Sa 20:24-34). IV. He gives David notice of this, according to the appointment between them (1Sa 20:35-42).

Constable: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

Introduction

Title

First and Second Samuel were originally one book called the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (made ca. 250 B.C.) was the first to divide it into two books. The Septuagint translators titled these books 1 and 2 Kingdoms. That division has persisted ever since and has even been incorporated into subsequent editions of the Hebrew Bible (since A.D. 1517). The title "Samuel" was given by Jerome in his Latin translation, the Vulgate (ca. A.D. 400).

The Jews gave the name "Samuel" to it because Samuel is the first major character in the book. Samuel anointed both Saul and David, so in this respect he was superior to them both.

Date and Writer

Statements in the Book of Samuel imply that someone who had witnessed at least some of the events recorded wrote it. However the original writer must have written most of it after Samuel's death (i.e., -1 Sam. 25-2 Sam. 24) and some of it even after the division of the kingdom following Solomon's death (e.g., 1 Sam. 27:6). These features have made it difficult to date the book.

"Our guess is that the author was a high state official in frequent attendance at the court, enjoying the full confidence of David and his household, who served David throughout his reign in Jerusalem and also Solomon during the early years of his reign, and whose duties may have been connected with literary work."¹

Most conservative scholars prefer the view that Samuel may have written or been responsible for noting the record of earlier events in the book (chs. 1-24). Then some unidentifiable writer put it in its final form later, perhaps soon after Solomon's death.

Rationalistic critics of the book tend to believe it was the result of much more piecing together, and some of them date its final form as late as 500 B.C.²

Scope

The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.³ David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11; 5:5). This means he came to power in 1011 B.C. Saul also reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21) so he became king in 1051 B.C. We can estimate the date of Samuel's birth fairly certainly on the basis of chronological references in the text to have been about 1121 B.C.⁴ Thus the Book of Samuel covers about 1121-971 B.C., or about 150 years of history.

We should note that the first part of 1 Samuel overlaps historically with the end of the judges period that we find in the Book of Judges. Apparently Samson was born just a few years before Samuel. Samson's 20-year judgeship evidently began shortly before the battle of Aphek (1104 B.C.) at which time Eli died (1 Sam. 4:18). It ended not many years before the battle of Mizpah (1084 B.C.) when the Philistine domination of Israel ceased temporarily (1 Sam. 7:13). Samuel's ministry therefore probably ran concurrent with that of Samson until Samson died. Saul began to reign about 35 years after Samson died (i.e., 1051 B.C.). Samuel evidently lived about 30 years after that.⁵

Old Testament History
Events	Biblical References
Creation to Israel's move to Egypt	Genesis 1-50
The Exodus	Exodus 1-18
Israel at Mt. Sinai	Exodus 19--Numbers 10
The Wilderness Wanderings	Numbers 11-21
Israel on the Plains of Moab	Numbers 22--Joshua 2
The Conquest and Division of Canaan	Joshua 3-24
The Amphictyony	-Judges 1-1 Samuel 7
The Reign of Saul	1 Samuel 8-31; 1 Chronicles 10
The Reign of David	2 Samuel 1-24; 1 Chronicles 11-29
The Reign of Solomon	1 Kings 1-11; 2 Chronicles 1-9
The Divided Monarchy	-1 Kings 12-2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 10-31
The Surviving Kingdom of Judah	2 Kings 18-25; 2 Chronicles 32-36
The Return under Zerubbabel	Ezra 1-6
The Return under Ezra	Ezra 7-10
The Return under Nehemiah	Nehemiah 1-13

Message⁶

First and 2 Samuel are really one story. The translators divided them into two books for convenience, not because of subject matter.

First Samuel records Israel's transition from amphictyony to monarchy.

The key passage that explains this transition is 8:4-7. Two statements from this passage are especially significant.

The human desire that produced the transition expressed itself in verse 5: "Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." God had brought Israel into existence as a nation to be unlike all the nations (Exod. 19:5-6). The essence of its uniqueness was Yahweh's rule over it as King. God wanted Israel to be a demonstration for all the world to see how glorious it can be to live under the authority of God.

The real meaning of the people's request comes out in verse 7: ". . . they have rejected me from being king over them." During the period of the judges, religious apostasy spread and characterized Israel. The people refused to obey their King. It is this attitude that finds expression in verse 5. The people wanted to substitute the false for the true. This is the essence of sin, and it results in idolatry. Every idol is a witness to man's need of God. When people reject the true God they must put something in His place to meet that need. Human beings must have a god.

Israel turned from God as her King in 1 Samuel. She desired a king like the other nations. This book shows the immediate effects of that desire.

One of the great revelations of 1 Samuel is how from the human viewpoint God adapts to continue His reign.

This statement appears to contradict 8:7, but it does not. The people rejected Yahweh, but they did not dethrone Him. The first act is possible, the second is not. This is a major lesson of 1 Samuel. The great revelation of this book is not primarily its three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David. It is Yahweh reigning by adapting to human situations and moving surely and steadily toward the fulfillment of His purposes. In spite of disobedience or obedience, failure or success, rebellious or loyal people, the reign of God moves on. We see this great lesson in the history of 1 Samuel's three central figures: Samuel, Saul, and David.

The writer introduced Samuel's story with his mother Hannah's experience with God. Hannah was a great woman of faith who lived in the judges period. Her faith became God's foothold for advance. Her song reveals a profound appreciation for Yahweh as the God who reigns over all (2:6-8, 10). The similarities between this prayer and Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1 are interesting and noteworthy.

Samuel was a prophet. In one sense he was the first of the prophets (Acts 3:24). Of course, Moses was a prophet and so was Abraham, but Samuel was the first of the order of prophets who mediated between God and the Israelites during the monarchy. The kings of Israel and Judah were never mediators between God and the people in the sense of speaking for God to the people. When the Israelites rejected Yahweh as their king, He withdrew from close communion and intimate fellowship with them. He never recognized their kings as standing between Himself and them to mediate His Word to the people. He chose their kings for them. He allowed their desire for a human king to work itself out in ultimate disaster through the centuries that followed. Yet He never spoke to the people through the king. He always spoke to them through the prophets. Samuel was the first of these. David, of course, was a king and a prophet. The role of the kings was to govern the people. The role of the prophets was to reveal God's will to them.

With Samuel the office of prophet in Israel emerges as that of Yahweh's authoritative representative to His people. Samuel became the king-maker finding and anointing both Saul and David. >From now on when God had a message for the people it normally did not come directly to the king but to the king and the people through the prophet. The prophet's office was always superior to that of Israel's kings. (You have the privilege of speaking for God to your generation. You have a high calling similar to that of Israel's prophets.) When Israel rejected Yahweh as her king, God chose Samuel, the child of a woman's simple faith, trained him in the tabernacle, and called him when he was only a boy. Then He gave him a message to deliver and sent him to anoint Saul as the king after the people's own heart, and David as the king after God's own heart. The prophets became God's mediators, His messengers, and the interpreters of His law. Thus Yahweh reigned though He adapted His methods of ruling by raising up the prophets. He called Samuel as the first of these mediators. During the monarchy God provided guidance through two offices rather than through one as He had done previously. The kings provided political leadership, and the prophets gave the people spiritual leadership. God had previously provided both types of leadership through single individuals namely Moses, Joshua, and the judges.

Saul's story is one of the most tragic in Scripture. It is unusually fascinating and has tremendous power in its appeal to our lives. When God placed Saul on Israel's throne He answered the prayer of His rebellious people in 8:5. God "gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease among them" (Ps. 106:15; NASB).

Saul was a revelation to the Israelites of what the possession of "a king like the nations" really meant. He had unusual physical strength, but he was fitful and he failed the people. He had mental acumen, but he was moody and eventually turned into a madman. He was sluggish and dull spiritually lacking in spiritual insight and power, and eventually he abandoned Yahweh for a witch.

His reign was also a disaster. At the beginning of his reign, Israel was virtually without a leader. At its end it was under the control of an enemy neighbor. Saul was never able to expand the borders of Israel because he never was strong enough to dominate his enemy neighbors. David on the other hand did both of these things. At the end of Saul's reign, Israel had almost destroyed itself through its wars with the Philistines.

David's story is one of the most glorious in Scripture. After Saul, God gave His people another king, but this time he was a man after God's own heart.

God prepared David for the throne by putting him through training as a shepherd in the fields, a courtier in the palace, and an "outlaw" in exile. (By "outlaw" I do not mean David was lawless but that he lived outside Saul's control.) His shepherd training prepared him to care for and protect the Israelites under his charge. His courtier experience prepared him to deal with high governmental leaders. His "outlaw" years perfected the disciplines that enabled him to become a strong ruler. These disciplines included relying on God in every situation, practicing self-restraint, and leading his people.

In all David's training God was reigning, moving forward to the fulfillment of His plans and purposes. God had previously done this by making the child of faith, Samuel, His prophet. He had also done this by making outwardly promising Saul a revelation to the nation of her sins in turning away from God.

The second great revelation of this book is that people cooperate with God by either being loyal or by being disloyal to Him.

In Samuel's case he had opportunity to glorify God because of his parentage, his call by God, and his appointment as God's prophet. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently God's messages got delivered, and God's work moved ahead. Samuel was an instrument of blessing.

In Saul's case he had opportunity to glorify God too. His opportunity came in his call by God, his anointing by Samuel, his friendship with Samuel, his popularity with the people, and his personal abilities. He responded disobediently, with disloyalty to God as seen in his vacillating and self-will. Consequently he failed as a king, and he died under the judgment of God. His life was a failure.

In David's case his opportunities were his call, his anointing, his waiting, and his suffering. He responded obediently, with loyalty to God. Consequently he became God's instrument of progress and blessing. He was a success.

Each man had his opportunity, made his response, and experienced the consequences of his response. Two obeyed, one disobeyed. All cooperated with God in fulfilling His ultimate purposes either to his own blessing or to his own blasting.

As a result of these two major revelations I would summarize the message of 1 Samuel as follows. God will accomplish His purposes regardless of man's personal response to Him. However man's response to God's revealed will determines a person's own success or failure in life.

First Samuel teaches us the methods of the sovereign God. All territory is within God's jurisdiction, every person is under His control, and all events are in His hands. All of God's plans and purposes are moving toward accomplishment. He makes use of all antagonistic facts and forces as well as all positive facts and forces. He also makes use of all the agents He has chosen to use regardless of their responses. Paul's comments in 2 Tim. 2:20-21 are very much to the point here.

First Samuel also teaches us that God's ultimate victory is independent of the attitudes and actions of individuals and groups of people (e.g., Israel) toward Him. Nevertheless the ultimate destiny of individuals and groups of people depends on their attitudes and actions toward Him.

Samuel was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. Saul was disobedient, was God's instrument, and experienced destruction. David was obedient, was God's instrument, and experienced deliverance. My attitudes and actions do not determine God's ultimate victory, but they do determine my ultimate destiny. Everything depends on my choices and me regarding my earthly destiny. Nothing depends on me regarding God's ultimate victory. God uses all people, loyal and rebellious, to produce His ultimate purposes. However we determine the outcome of our lives by our attitudes and responses to Him. We see these principles working themselves out around us all the time. Dr. Walvoord is an example of a Samuel or a David in our day. The DTS graduates in prison are examples of the Sauls of our day.

Constable: 1 Samuel (Outline)

Outline

I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3

A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:10

1. Hannah's condition 1:1-8

2. Hannah's vow 1:9-18

3. Hannah's obedience 1:19-28

4. Hannah's song 2:1-10

B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2:11-36

1. Eli's sons' wickedness 2:11-17

2. Hannah's godly influence on Samuel and its effect 2:18-21

3. Eli's lack of influence on his sons and its effect 2:22-26

4. The oracle against Eli's house 2:27-36

C. God's first revelation to Samuel ch. 3

1. Samuel's call 3:1-18

2. Samuel's ministry 3:19-4:1a

II. The history of the ark of the covenant 4:1b-7:1

A. The capture of the ark 4:1b-22

1. The battle of Aphek 4:1b-11

2. The response of Eli 4:12-18

3. The response of Phinehas' wife 4:19-22

B. Pagan fertility foiled by God ch. 5

C. The ark returned to Israel by God 6:1-7:1

1. The plan to terminate God's judgment 6:1-9

2. The return of the ark to Bethshemesh 6:10-18

3. The removal of the ark to Kiriath-jearim 6:19-7:1

III. Samuel and Saul 7:2-15:35

A. Samuel's ministry as Israel's judge 7:2-17

1. Samuel's spiritual leadership 7:2-4

2. National repentance and deliverance 7:5-14

3. Samuel's regular ministry 7:15-17

B. Kingship given to Saul chs. 8-12

1. The demand for a king ch. 8

2. The anointing of Saul 9:1-10:16

3. The choice of Saul by lot 10:17-27

4. Saul's effective leadership in battle 11:1-11

5. The confirmation of Saul as king 11:12-12:25

C. Kingship removed from Saul chs. 13-15

1. Saul's disobedience at Gilgal 13:1-15

2. Saul's struggle against the Philistines 13:16-14:23

3. Saul's cursing of Jonathan 14:24-46

4. Saul's limited effectiveness in battle 14:47-52

5. Yahweh's final rejection of Saul ch. 15

IV. Saul and David 1 Sam. 16-31

A. David's rise as the new anointed 16:1-18:5

1. God's selection of David for kingship ch. 16

2. The reason for God's selection of David ch. 17

3. The results of God's selection of David ch. 18:1-19:17

B. David driven out by Saul 19:18-20:42

1. God's deliverance in Ramah 19:18-24

2. Jonathan's advocacy for David ch. 20

C. David in exile chs. 21-31

1. David's initial movements chs. 21-22

2. Saul's pursuit of David ch. 23

3. David's goodness to two fools ch. 24-26

4. The end of Saul's reign 27-31

(Continued in notes on 2 Samuel)

Constable: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel

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Copyright 2003 by Thomas L. Constable

Haydock: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL;

otherwise called,

THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS.

INTRODUCTION.

This and the following Book are called by the Hebrews, the Books of Samuel, because they contain the history of Samuel, and of the two kings, Saul and David, whom he anointed. They are more commonly named by the Fathers, the First and Second Book of Kings. As to the writer of them, it is the common opinion that Samuel composed the first book, as far as the twenty-fifth chapter; and that the prophets Nathan and Gad finished the first and wrote the second book. See 1 Paralipomenon, alias 1 Chronicles, xxix. 19. (Challoner) --- The authors of the Third and Fourth Books of Kings were also prophets, but we know not exactly their names. These works have nevertheless been always esteemed authentic (Haydock) and canonical. (Worthington) --- Ven. Bede takes occasion to observe, from the Books of Kings (or as the Septuagint read, "of kingdoms;" Haydock) being placed after that of Judges, that the everlasting kingdom of Christ will succeed the general judgment. The translation of the priesthood and of the regal dignity, recorded in these books, denote also that Christ would united both in his own person; as the two wives of Eleana intimated, that both Jews and Gentiles would acknowledge the same Lord. (St. Jerome; St. Augustine; &c.) --- The transactions of Heli, Samuel and Saul, and the persecutions which David sustained from the latter, form the subject of the first book, (Haydock) during the space of 100 years. All the four books carry down the sacred history near 600 years, from the year of the world 2849 till the transmigration of Juda, in the year 3420. (Calmet) (Usher)

Gill: 1 Samuel (Book Introduction)

INTRODUCTION TO 1 SAMUEL

This book, in the Hebrew copies, is commonly called Samuel, or the Book of Samuel; in the Syriac version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet; and in the Arabic version, the Book of Samuel the Prophet, which is the First Book of the Kings; and the Septuagint version, the Book of the Kingdom: it has the name of Samuel, because it contains an history of his life and times; and the Jews say ^a it was written by him; and as it may well enough be thought to be, to the end of the twenty fourth chapter; and the rest might be written by Nathan and Gad, as may he gathered from 1Ch 29:29 as also the following book that bears his name; and both may be called the Books of Kings, because they give an account of the rise of the kings in Israel, and of the two first of them; though some think they were written by Jeremiah, as Abarbinel; and others ascribe them to Ezra: however, there is no doubt to be made of it that this book was written by divine inspiration, when we consider the series of its history, its connection and harmony with other parts of Scripture; the several things borrowed from it, or alluded to in the book of Psalms, particularly what is observed in Psa 113:7, seems to be taken out of 1Sa 2:8, and the sanction which the Lord gives to it, by referring to a fact in it, whereby he stopped the mouths of the Scribes and Pharisees cavilling at his disciples, Mat 12:3, compared with 1Sa 21:3, yea, even, as Huetius ^b observes, some Heathen writers have by their testimonies confirmed some passages in these books, which they seem to have been acquainted with, as Nicolaus of Damascus ^c, and Eupolemus ^d; it contains an history of the government of Eli, and of the birth of Samuel, and his education under him; of the succession of Samuel in it, and the resignation of it to Saul, when he was chosen king; of his administration of his office, and of things done in the time of it, both before and after his rejection, and of the persecution of David by Saul, and is concluded with his death.

Gill: 1 Samuel 20 (Chapter Introduction)

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; which Jonathan promised, and renewed the covenant with him, 1Sa 20:9; 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; which being tried, Jonathan found it was not safe for him to appear, 1Sa 20:24; of which he gave notice by the signals agreed on, 1Sa 20:35; and they took their leave of one another with strong expressions of affection and attachment to each other, 1Sa 20:41.