1 Samuel 20
Introduction
Chapter 20 is one of the most emotionally intimate chapters in the entire Hebrew Bible. It is built around the friendship of David and Jonathan — a relationship that will be tested to its limit and proven genuine. David is in danger; Jonathan initially refuses to believe his father could be planning murder without his knowledge; they devise a test. The chapter moves through elaborate planning (the arrow signal, the New Moon feast, the oath) to a devastating scene in which Saul confirms Jonathan's worst fears by hurling his spear at his own son, and then to the final farewell between David and Jonathan — a parting so painful the text says "David wept more."
At the theological center of chapter 20 is the concept of חֶסֶד — covenant loyalty, lovingkindness. David appeals to it (v. 8), Jonathan swears it (v. 14), and the covenant they make invokes it for future generations (v. 15). The relationship between David and Jonathan is not merely personal affection; it is a formal covenant sealed by oath, with obligations extending beyond their own lifetimes to their descendants. The chapter ends with Jonathan returning to the city and David disappearing into the wilderness — the last time they will meet at leisure. The farewell is not just between friends; it is between a present that is ending and a future that has not yet come.
David's Plea and the Plan (vv. 1–11)
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?" 2 "Far from it!" Jonathan replied. "You will not die. Indeed, my father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. So why would he hide this matter from me? This cannot be true!" 3 But David again vowed, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.' As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death." 4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you desire, I will do for you." 5 So David told him, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I am supposed to dine with the king. Instead, let me go and hide in the field until the third evening from now. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, 'David urgently requested my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because there is an annual sacrifice for his whole clan.' 7 If he says, 'Good,' then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions." 8 Therefore show kindness to your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?" 9 "Never!" Jonathan replied. "If I ever found out that my father had evil intentions against you, would I not tell you?" 10 Then David asked Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" 11 "Come," he replied, "let us go out to the field." So the two of them went out into the field,
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" 2 And he said to him, "Far be it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing, great or small, without disclosing it to me. Why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so." 3 But David swore again, saying, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, 'Jonathan must not know this, or he will be grieved.' 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 And David said to Jonathan, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should sit with the king to eat. But let me go and hide in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father notices my absence at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked my permission to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is an annual sacrifice there for his whole clan.' 7 If he says, 'Good,' it is safe for your servant. But if he is very angry, then know that he has determined to do evil. 8 Therefore deal loyally with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. And if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; but why should you bring me to your father?" 9 And Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I learn that my father has determined to bring evil upon you, I would surely tell you." 10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" 11 And Jonathan said to David, "Come, let us go out into the field." So the two of them went out into the field.
Notes
David's opening questions — מֶה עָשִׂיתִי מֶה עֲוֹנִי וּמֶה חַטָּאתִי — use three near-synonyms for guilt: doing wrong (עָשָׂה), iniquity (עָוֹן), and sin (חַטָּאת). The triple form emphasizes David's protestation of innocence and echoes the legal language of the complaints and laments in the Psalms (cf. Psalm 51:2-4).
Jonathan's initial response — חָלִילָה ("Far be it!") — is a strong oath-form, expressing horror at the very suggestion. Jonathan's disbelief is genuine: he has been Saul's confidant, and the idea that Saul would plot murder without telling him seems impossible. But David knows something Jonathan does not: Saul has already targeted David precisely because of Jonathan's love for him. The father is hiding his intent from the son.
David's memorable phrase in verse 3 — כִּי כְפֶשַׂע בֵּינִי וּבֵין הַמָּוֶת — "for there is but a step between me and death" — is one of the most quoted lines in 1 Samuel. The word פֶּשַׂע means a step or stride. David is describing his situation with understated precision: death is not distant; it is the next pace away. The phrase became proverbial.
Verse 8's appeal — וְעָשִׂיתָ חֶסֶד עַל עַבְדֶּךָ ("deal with your servant in covenant loyalty") — introduces the key term of the chapter. חֶסֶד is the Hebrew word for covenant faithfulness, lovingkindness, steadfast love. It carries legal weight: it is not merely emotional warmth but obligatory loyalty flowing from a formal relationship. David appeals to the covenant they made in 1 Samuel 18:3-4.
Jonathan's Oath and the Arrow Signal (vv. 12–23)
12 and Jonathan said, "By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you? 13 But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father. 14 And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD's loving devotion, that I may not die, 15 and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth." 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD hold David's enemies accountable." 17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed three days, hurry down to the place you hid on the day this trouble began, and remain beside the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows!' Now, if I expressly say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,' then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you, and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away." 23 And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever."
12 And Jonathan said to David, "By the LORD, the God of Israel — when I sound out my father tomorrow about this time, or the third day, and if it is good toward David, then shall I not send to you and disclose it to you? 13 But if my father intends evil against you, then may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, so 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, will you not show me the loyal love of the LORD, that I may not die? 15 And do not cut off your loyal love from my house forever. When the LORD cuts off every enemy of David from the face of the earth, 16 let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David." And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the LORD require it of David's enemies." 17 And Jonathan swore again to David, because he loved him, for he loved him as his own soul. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon; you will be missed, for your seat will be empty. 19 Stay three days, then go quickly down to the place where you hid on the day of the incident, and remain beside the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if shooting at a mark. 21 Then 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 — fetch them,' then come, for it is safe for you and there is no harm, as the LORD lives. 22 But if I say to the youth, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 As for the matter you and I have spoken of, the LORD is witness between you and me forever."
Notes
Jonathan's oath in verse 13 invokes the classic self-imprecation: כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה לִיהוֹנָתָן וְכֹה יֹסִיף — "May the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also." This formula leaves unspecified what the punishment will be, as if the speaker cannot bring himself to name so terrible an outcome. It is the strongest oath form available.
Verses 14–15 contain one of the most poignant speeches in the Davidic narrative. Jonathan asks — with moving humility — that David remember him and his household after David comes to power. Jonathan knows the political reality: when dynasties change, the old royal family is typically eliminated. He is asking for an exception. The phrase חֶסֶד יְהוָה — "the loyal love of the LORD" — frames this request: Jonathan is asking David to be to him what God is to those in covenant relationship. This request is fulfilled in 2 Samuel 9, when David honors Jonathan's memory by showing kindness to his lame son Mephibosheth.
Jonathan's love for David is expressed twice using identical language: אַהֲבַת נַפְשׁוֹ אֲהֵבוֹ — "he loved him as his own soul." The word נֶפֶשׁ (soul, life, self) is the deepest possible descriptor: Jonathan's love for David was as close to him as his own being. This phrase becomes the definition of friendship throughout later Jewish and Christian tradition.
The arrow signal is a clever piece of tradecraft: a message communicated through innocuous action — archery practice — that cannot be intercepted by Saul's messengers even if they observe it. The boy sent to retrieve the arrows will hear only "the arrows are this side" or "the arrows are beyond" and will have no idea what is being communicated. It is a system designed for exactly this kind of clandestine communication.
Verse 23's closing words — יְהוָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינְךָ עַד עוֹלָם ("the LORD is witness between you and me forever") — echo the covenant language of the patriarchs (Genesis 31:49-50). The witnesses to covenants in ancient Israel were typically deities who would enforce the terms; Jonathan calls on the LORD as the eternal guarantor of this covenant.
New Moon and Saul's Rage (vv. 24–34)
24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner, but David's place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day because he thought, "Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean." 27 But on the day after the New Moon, the second day, David's place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan answered, "David urgently requested my permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 saying, 'Please let me go, because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table." 30 Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!" 32 "Why must he be put to death?" Jonathan replied. "What has he done?" 33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the month, for he was grieved by his father's shameful treatment of David.
24 So David hid in the field. When the New Moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat in his usual seat by the wall, and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul's side — but David's place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He must be unclean — yes, he is surely unclean." 27 But on the day after the New Moon — the second day — David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, 'Please let me go, for our clan has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me please get away and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table." 30 Saul's anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and 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 will be established. So now, send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death!" 32 Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" 33 And Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father had determined to put David to death. 34 Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had humiliated him.
Notes
The New Moon feast was a significant occasion in ancient Israel — a monthly celebration that likely involved sacrifices and a formal meal at the royal court. David's absence would be noticed and interpreted. Saul's initial reaction (v. 26) — attributing David's absence to ritual uncleanness — reveals how plausible the Bethlehem cover story needed to be: any ordinary explanation would satisfy a suspicious man for one day.
Verse 27's reference to David as בֶּן יִשַׁי ("son of Jesse") marks a significant shift in Saul's language. From this point forward, when Saul speaks of David with contempt or distance, he uses this patronymic rather than David's name. The phrase will appear repeatedly in chapters 20-22 and beyond as a form of deliberate demotion — refusing to acknowledge David's status at court by reducing him to his peasant origins. "The son of Jesse" becomes Saul's dismissive way of saying: he is nobody.
Saul's explosion in verse 30 — בֶּן נַעֲוַת הַמַּרְדּוּת ("son of a perverse and rebellious woman") — is one of the most shocking lines in the narrative. It is an insult aimed at Jonathan through his mother, accusing her of perversity and rebelliousness. The fury directed at Jonathan's mother rather than at Jonathan himself suggests that Saul is aware of his own inability to fully blame his beloved son and is displacing his rage. The insult also contains a tacit accusation about Jonathan's loyalty: choosing David over Saul's dynastic succession is presented as shameful, a betrayal of family.
Verse 31's dynastic argument is Saul's clearest statement of the political stakes: כִּי כָל הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר בֶּן יִשַׁי חַי עַל הָאֲדָמָה לֹא תִכּוֹן אַתָּה וּמַלְכוּתֶךָ — "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established." Saul's argument is not merely personal hatred but political calculation. He understands that the people are drawn to David, and a living David is a perpetual challenge to Jonathan's eventual succession. The argument is not irrational — but Saul has not understood that the divine verdict against his dynasty was already final (1 Samuel 15:23-28).
Saul throwing the spear at Jonathan (v. 33) is the chapter's climactic act of revelation. Jonathan did not need another argument; he needed proof. Now he has it — directed at his own body. The spear that Saul has used against David (1 Samuel 18:11, 1 Samuel 19:10) is now aimed at his own son. This confirms not only Saul's murderous intent toward David but the depth of his psychological deterioration.
The Arrow Signal and Farewell (vv. 35–42)
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him. 36 He said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy reached the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" 38 Then Jonathan cried out, "Hurry! Make haste! Do not delay!" So the boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39 But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 40 Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, "Go, take it back to the city." 41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more. 42 And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.'" Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field at the time appointed with David, and a small boy was with him. 36 He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows that I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the boy, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 38 And Jonathan cried out after the boy, "Hurry! Make haste! Do not stop!" So the boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39 But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the meaning. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, "Go, carry them into the city." 41 As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from the south side of the stone, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together — David weeping the more. 42 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 offspring and my offspring, forever.'" And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.
Notes
The arrow scene is technically executed — the codeword "beyond" correctly triggers David's departure — but the text's interest is not in tradecraft; it is in what happens after the boy leaves. The farewell between David and Jonathan is one of the most moving scenes in all of Hebrew narrative, told with extraordinary economy.
David's prostration — וַיִּפֹּל לְאַפָּיו אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים — falling face down and bowing three times — is a gesture of profound honor, the kind due to royalty. David is honoring Jonathan not merely as a friend but as a prince who has put himself at mortal risk. The bow also foreshadows the reversal that is coming: this is the future king bowing to a present one.
וַיִּבְכּוּ אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ עַד דָּוִד הִגְדִּיל — "and they wept together, man with his companion, until David wept more." The Hebrew is compact and precise: they both wept, each with the other. And David's weeping exceeded Jonathan's. This detail is deeply revealing. Jonathan has hope — he is returning to the city; he is not yet exiled. David is the one walking away from everything: the court, his wife, his friend, his safety. The depth of what David has lost is measured in his tears.
Jonathan's final words repeat the covenant formula: אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְנוּ שְׁנֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה — "since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD." The covenant is the ground of parting: they cannot be together, but the covenant holds them together across the separation. This is what covenant means: a bond that survives absence, danger, and even death.
This is the last peaceful meeting between David and Jonathan. They will see each other once more at Horesh (1 Samuel 23:16-18), in a brief and dangerous rendezvous in the wilderness, before Jonathan is killed at the battle of Jezreel (1 Samuel 31:2). David's lament for Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1:25-26 — "your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women" — is the epilogue to this farewell.
Interpretations
The relationship between David and Jonathan has attracted significant interpretive attention. Three main positions can be noted:
A covenantal friendship reading — the dominant position in Jewish and Christian traditions — understands the David-Jonathan relationship as the paradigmatic biblical example of deep male friendship, covenantal loyalty, and self-giving love. The Hebrew term אַהֲבָה (love) is used for their relationship, as it is for many relationships in the Hebrew Bible, and the covenant has clear political and social dimensions (protecting each other's households). The reference to David's love surpassing "the love of women" in 2 Samuel 1:26 is understood as a comparison of intensity in loyalty, not of romantic category.
A romantic or erotic reading — advanced by some modern scholars — argues that the language of love, the covenant structure, and the intensity of the farewell reflect a romantic bond. This reading points to the use of אַהֲבָה (also used for romantic love in Song of Solomon), the physical description of their farewell, and the comparison in 2 Samuel 1.
The majority of Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish commentators have historically read the relationship as a covenantal friendship — one of unusual depth and fidelity — rather than as romantic. The covenant's explicit concern with households and descendants (vv. 14-16) fits the political structure of covenantal kinship rather than erotic partnership. Whatever the relationship's precise character, the text presents it as a model of faithful loyalty (chesed) that transcends self-interest.