1 Samuel 20

1 Samuel 20 (Listen)

Jonathan Warns David

20:1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” 3 But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘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.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

12 And Jonathan said to David, “The LORD, the God of Israel, be witness!¹ When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But should it please my father to do you harm, the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; 15 and do not cut off² your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May³ the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.⁴ 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,⁵ and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled 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? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan rose 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 disgraced him.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. 36 And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” 41 And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap⁶ and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.⁷

(ESV)

1 Samuel 20 Commentary

In 1 Samuel 20, David fled from Naioth in Ramah and met Jonathan, asking why Saul wanted to kill him (1 Samuel 20:1). Jonathan insisted that Saul would not act without telling him, but David believed Saul was hiding his intentions because of Jonathan’s loyalty to him (1 Samuel 20:2-3). David proposed a test: he would hide during the New Moon feast, and if Saul reacted angrily to his absence, it would confirm his intent to kill David. Jonathan agreed and devised a secret signal using arrows to inform David of the outcome (1 Samuel 20:4-23).

At the feast, Saul noticed David’s absence but initially assumed he was ceremonially unclean (1 Samuel 20:24-26). On the second day, he questioned Jonathan, who repeated David’s excuse about going to Bethlehem (1 Samuel 20:27-29). Saul became furious, accusing Jonathan of siding with David at the cost of his own future kingship. When Jonathan defended David, Saul tried to kill him with a spear (1 Samuel 20:30-33). Realizing Saul was determined to kill David, Jonathan left in anger and grief (1 Samuel 20:34).

The next morning, Jonathan met David in the countryside and confirmed the danger using their prearranged signal (1 Samuel 20:35-40). After sending his servant away, Jonathan and David wept together (1 Samuel 20:41). Jonathan reaffirmed their covenant, pledging lifelong loyalty between their descendants (1 Samuel 20:42). David then left, and Jonathan returned to the city.

Emotions Flow

1 Samuel 20 is full of palpable emotions. From the friendship between David and Jonathan, to the explosive rage of Saul, to Jonathan’s grief, and David’s desperation. It is filled with raw, intense emotions as the personalities of each begin to shine through.

David’s fear is evident as he pleads with Jonathan, desperate to understand why Saul wants to kill him (1 Samuel 20:1). Jonathan, initially in denial, is confronted with the reality of his father’s hatred, leading to his own heartbreak and fierce anger (1 Samuel 20:2-3, 34). Saul’s explosive rage escalates from verbal attacks to an attempt on Jonathan’s life (1 Samuel 20:30-33), showing his growing paranoia and violence.

Meanwhile, the depth of David and Jonathan’s friendship is unmistakable. Their covenant is not just a political alliance but a bond of deep loyalty and love (1 Samuel 20:16-17). The farewell scene is heartbreaking as David weeps more intensely than Jonathan as they part ways. David, knowing his life is in danger, is uncertain if they will ever see each other again (1 Samuel 20:41-42).

The chapter is a powerful display of friendship, betrayal, and the emotional weight of choosing righteousness in the face of danger. It has a hero/heel feel to it, where David/Jonathan are the honorable heroes and Saul becomes the enraged villain.

David’s Predicament

David was in a difficult situation, to say the least. He was the king-in-waiting and the king’s son-in-law but the king wanted him dead. For David to escape from Saul, he had to walk away from his wife and best friend. Imagine that. David could have taken matters into his own hands, but he didn’t.

This was a heartbreaking sacrifice, but it was the sacrifice necessary for God’s plan to unfold in his life. This is a reminder that God’s plans for his creation are not always pleasant and enjoyable. The spiritual refinement was that David’s trials forced him into greater dependence on God. It cannot be overlooked that these moments of struggle built his trust and fear of the Lord. Stripped of his position, his home, and even his closest relationships, he had nowhere to turn but God!

I know God does the same thing today with you and with me. When we go through rocky seasons, it forces us to cling more tightly to the Father in every single detail of life. I often think back to particular seasons and think, God really pressed into that area of my life. The process is not fun, but the results have eternal ramifications (Rom 5:3-4; Jas 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6-7; Heb 12:11; 2 Cor 4:17).

Saul’s Rage

You can see the steam building on Saul’s head when he refers to David dismissively as the “son of Jesse.” Saul’s gasket blows when he accuses Jonathan of betrayal. He also tried to manipulate Jonathan using shame and guilt to persuade him to turn against David. However, Jonathan resisted, asking his father why David should die, pointing out David’s innocence. Saul, enraged, attempted to kill Jonathan with a spear, but Jonathan understood his father’s intent. Jonathan left angrily, fasting and grieving, not for himself, but for the way his father had treated David.

Jonathan’s Predicament

Jonathan’s situation was not much better than David’s. He was alienated from his Father, Saul, and now he feels pressured to give up his friendship with David. You get the impression that Jonathan doubted that Saul wanted to kill David because if it were true, he would know about it. This further added to the wedge between Jonathan and Saul because the king was being deceptive and scheming against Jonathan’s best friend without him knowing.

When David and Jonathan meet to discuss their plan, David essentially gives two options. Jonathan can execute this plan to find out with certainty, or he could kill David right now (before Saul did) if there was something he stood guilty for. Jonathan was shocked at this, declaring, “Never!”

“Jonathan was heir to the throne. His brilliant victory over the Philistines (chap. 14) and his nobility of character were good evidence that he would have made a worthy king. But he had found out that God had ordained David to be king, and his graceful self-effacement in giving up his succession to the throne and his unselfish devotion to David, whom he could have hated as a rival, form one of the noblest stories of friendship in history. Jonathan initiated a covenant with David, symbolized by the giving of robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt. This act reflected Jonathan’s recognition that David would take Jonathan’s place as Saul’s successor.”

Halley’s Bible Handbook

Jonathan swears two oaths before Yahweh, ensuring David’s safe escape. He establishes a covenant between his house and David’s house, leading to David later sparing Jonathan’s descendants (2 Sam. 9:7, 10). He also comes up with a plan to communicate Saul’s intentions using arrows and coded messages. The bottom line is that Jonathan plays a pivotal role in securing David’s safety and his actions help to shape the future of Israel’s monarchy.

“Jonathan is one of the noblest types of manhood presented in Scripture biography. Whether in private or public life, he shone with peerless beauty, as a star in a dark sky. David said of him that he was “lovely and pleasant.” Jonathan had a clear prevision of David’s coming greatness, but it gave him no pang of jealousy. He loved his friend better than himself, so much, indeed, that it was a richer ecstasy for Jonathan to see David crowned and exalted than to ascend the throne himself. Love casts out jealousy.”

F.B. Meyer