← All Chapters The Book of 1 Samuel · Chapter 20

1 Samuel 20: A Covenant of Friendship

Jonathan and David seal their love with a covenant before the Lord, and a signal of arrows confirms that David must flee for his life.

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1 Samuel 20 (WEB)

1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

2 He said to him, “Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.”

3 David swore moreover, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:’ but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you.”

5 David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.

6 If your father miss me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’

7 If he says, ‘It is well;’ your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?”

9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn’t I tell you that?”

10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?”

11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” They both went out into the field.

12 Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?

13 Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don’t disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father.

14 You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die;

15 but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Yahweh will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

17 Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to 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 When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and shall remain by the stone Ezel.

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

21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;’ then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives.

22 But if I say this to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you;’ then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away.

23 Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”

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

25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side: but David’s place was empty.

26 Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day: for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean.”

27 On the next day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why doesn’t the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?”

28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

29 He said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.’ Therefore 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, don’t I 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, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”

32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

34 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 done him shame.

35 In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

36 He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37 When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”

38 Jonathan cried after the boy, “Go fast! Hurry! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

39 But the boy didn’t know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in Yahweh’s name, saying, ‘Yahweh shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.’” He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

Summary

David comes to Jonathan, bewildered at why Saul seeks his life. Jonathan at first cannot believe his father would hide such a plan from him, but David insists there is but a step between him and death. The two devise a test: David will absent himself from the king's table at the new moon feast, and Jonathan will read Saul's reaction. They renew their covenant of love, and Jonathan, looking beyond his own dynasty, asks David to show loving kindness to his house when the Lord cuts off David's enemies. At the feast, when Saul learns David is absent, his anger blazes against Jonathan, and he reveals his murderous intent, even casting his spear at his own son. Jonathan now knows the truth and leaves the table in grief. By a prearranged signal of arrows shot in the field, he warns David that he must flee. After the boy is sent away, the two friends meet, weep together, and reaffirm their covenant: the Lord will be between them and their descendants forever. They part, David into a fugitive's life and Jonathan back to the city, their friendship a testimony of selfless, God-witnessed love amid the ruin of Saul's house.

Main Characters

  • David — The hunted friend who tests Saul's intent through Jonathan, learns he must flee, and parts from Jonathan in tearful covenant love.
  • Jonathan — Saul's son who loves David as his own soul, devises the plan to discern his father's heart, and renews their covenant before the Lord.
  • Saul — The king whose rage at David's absence erupts against Jonathan, confirming his settled determination to kill David.

Key Verse

1 Samuel 20:42 (WEB)

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in Yahweh’s name, saying, ‘Yahweh shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.’” He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

Lessons Learned

  • Faithful friendship is willing to risk itself for the good of another.
  • Covenant love looks beyond self-interest to the lasting good of others and their descendants.
  • Sometimes loving God's purposes means letting go of our own claims and ambitions.
  • Honest testing and frank speech can clarify hard and painful realities.
  • Godly love endures through grief, distance, and uncertain futures.
  • True friendship is sacrificial. Jonathan tells David, “Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you” (1 Samuel 20:4, WEB), ready to risk his father's wrath for his friend.
  • Covenant binds us before God. Their pledge is sealed “in Yahweh’s name” (1 Samuel 20:42, WEB), making God himself the witness and guarantor between them and their families.
  • Love can surrender its own claim. Jonathan, the heir, asks David to spare “your kindness from my house forever” (1 Samuel 20:15, WEB), embracing David's kingship rather than clinging to his own throne.
  • Sin's rage spares no one. Saul “cast his spear at him”—at his own son (1 Samuel 20:33, WEB). Unrepented anger turns even on those closest to us.
  1. Why does Jonathan initially struggle to believe his father truly intends to kill David?
  2. What does the covenant between Jonathan and David include, and why does Jonathan ask David to remember his house?
  3. How does Saul's reaction at the feast finally settle the question of his intentions?
  4. What does the tearful parting of the two friends reveal about the depth of their bond?
  5. Who in your life has shown you sacrificial, faithful friendship, and how might you offer the same to others?
  1. Jonathan cannot imagine his father concealing such a plan from him, since Saul usually disclosed his plans (20:2). His reluctance reflects a son's hope in his father and the difficulty of accepting that someone we love has truly hardened into hostility.
  2. They renew their covenant of love and Jonathan asks David to show loving kindness to his descendants when David's enemies are cut off (20:14-17, 42). As heir to the throne, Jonathan willingly defers to David's coming kingship and seeks only the safety of his family.
  3. When David is absent, Saul's anger erupts against Jonathan, he insults him, and hurls his spear at his own son (20:30-33). This violent outburst removes all doubt; Jonathan now knows beyond question that his father is determined to kill David.
  4. Meeting in the field, the two weep together, David most of all, and reaffirm their lifelong covenant before parting (20:41-42). Their tears and pledge reveal a love deeper than circumstance, faithful even as it must give way to long separation.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to give thanks for faithful friends who have stood by them at cost, and to consider how they might show such covenant love—loyalty, sacrifice, and seeking another's good—to those around them.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.