1 Samuel 20 - Summary

Historical setting

This chapter unfolds during the reign of King Saul in ancient Israel, some time after David has become a military hero and been brought into the royal court. Saul holds absolute power but has become suspicious and unstable. David has already fled once from Saul's presence (verse 1 mentions his escape "from Naioth in Ramah") and now seeks safety. Jonathan, Saul's son and David's closest friend, is the heir to the throne. The three figures are moving through a political drama within the royal household, where David's growing popularity and military success have created mortal danger for him within Saul's presence.

Life and customs

The new moon feast (verses 5, 18, 24) was a regular monthly religious observance when the king and his court gathered for a meal. Absence from the king's table was a significant matter, noticed immediately and demanding explanation. A covenant (verses 8, 15, 16, 17, 23) was a solemn, binding agreement sealed by oath before God, treated as sacred and binding upon descendants. Ritual purity (verse 26) was a religious state; a person was "not clean" if they had become ritually impure and could not participate in communal meals or worship until cleansed. A family sacrifice in one's ancestral city (verses 6, 29) was a genuine religious obligation that could provide a legitimate excuse for absence. The stone Ezel (verse 19) is a specific landmark, though its exact location is now unknown to us.

What the text says

David comes to Jonathan (verse 1) and asks what he has done wrong; Saul is seeking his life. Jonathan replies (verse 2) that his father will hide nothing from him and David will not die. David swears an oath (verse 3) that Saul knows Jonathan favors him, and has told Jonathan to keep it secret because Saul intends David's death. They devise a plan: David will hide during the new moon feast (verses 5-7), and if Saul becomes angry at David's absence, it means evil is determined against him. Jonathan promises to tell David the truth (verses 8-10). They go to the field (verse 11) where Jonathan swears before the Lord (verses 12-13) that he will warn David if his father intends harm, and send him away in peace. Jonathan adds (verses 14-15) that David must show kindness to Jonathan's house forever, even after the Lord has cut off David's enemies. They make a covenant (verse 16) with Jonathan appealing to God to require it from David's enemies. Jonathan loves David as his own soul and makes him swear again (verse 17).

Jonathan explains the signal (verses 18-22): David will be missed at the feast. After three days hiding by the stone Ezel, Jonathan will shoot three arrows. If he tells the boy the arrows are "on this side," it means peace; if he says they are "beyond thee," David must flee, for God has sent him away. Jonathan affirms (verse 23) that the Lord will be between them forever.

David hides (verse 24). At the new moon feast, David's seat is empty (verses 25-26). On the second day Saul asks Jonathan where David is (verse 27). Jonathan gives the cover story: David asked leave to go to Bethlehem for a family sacrifice (verses 28-29). Saul's anger ignites (verses 30-31); he insults Jonathan's mother, says Jonathan has chosen David to his own "confusion" and his mother's "nakedness," and commands that David be brought to him to be killed, declaring that as long as David lives Jonathan will not be established or have a kingdom. Jonathan protests (verse 32), asking what David has done. Saul hurls a javelin at Jonathan (verse 33), and Jonathan knows his father has determined to kill David.

Jonathan leaves the table in anger and does not eat the second day, grieved because his father has shamed him (verse 34). In the morning Jonathan goes to the field with a boy (verse 35), shoots an arrow beyond the boy (verse 36), and cries out that the arrow is beyond him (verses 37-38). The boy gathers the arrows, knowing nothing (verse 39). Jonathan sends the boy away with his weapons (verse 40).

David emerges from hiding south of the stone (verse 41), bows three times, and they kiss and weep together until David weeps most (verse 41). Jonathan tells David to go in peace (verse 42), reminding him of their oath in the Lord's name, that the Lord will be between them and their descendants forever. David departs and Jonathan returns to the city (verse 43).

Takeaways

• Jonathan's love for David and his loyalty to covenant override his loyalty to his own father's murderous intent.
• The signal of the arrows proves that Saul is determined to kill David, confirming David's deepest fear.
• The covenant between David and Jonathan binds not only them but their descendants, establishing a claim of protection that will extend into future generations.