1 Samuel 20 is one of the most poignant chapters in Scripture, detailing the final separation between David and his best friend, Jonathan. Following his escape from Ramah (Ch 19), David returns to find Jonathan, desperate to know if Saul’s murderous intent is permanent or just a passing manic episode. Together, they devise a test involving the New Moon festival to determine the King’s true heart. The result is tragic: Saul not only confirms his desire to kill David but attempts to kill his own son, Jonathan, for defending him. The chapter culminates in a secret meeting in a field where the two friends renew their covenant, weep together, and part ways—Jonathan returning to the palace of a madman, and David entering the wilderness of an exile.
1. The Desperate Meeting and the Plan (1 Samuel 20:1–11 NLT)
1 David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?” 2 “That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. My father always tells me everything he intends to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!” 3 Then David took an oath and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But as surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is only a step between me and death.” 4 “Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed. 5 David said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. 6 If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. 7 If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he is determined to kill me. 8 …Keep your sacred covenant with me… If I have sinned, kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
Commentary:
- The Disagreement (v. 1-2): Jonathan is in denial. He clings to Saul’s previous oath (“David will not be killed,” 19:6). David, having just dodged a spear and a hit squad, knows better.
- “A Step Between Me and Death” (v. 3): This famous phrase captures the fragility of David’s life. He is living on a razor’s edge.
- The New Moon Test (v. 5): The New Moon (beginning of the lunar month) was a religious holiday involving a two-day feast where the King’s table would be full. Absence from this royal function was a significant breach of protocol.
- The Excuse (v. 6): David asks Jonathan to lie (cover story about Bethlehem). This indicates the desperation of the situation; survival has overtaken strict honesty.
2. The Covenant of the Future (1 Samuel 20:12–17 NLT)
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. 13 If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. But if he is angry and wants to kill you, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. 14 And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die, 15 treat my family with this faithful love, even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!” 17 And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
Commentary:
- Prophetic Insight (v. 13): “May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.” Jonathan acknowledges the transfer of the anointing. He knows his father is a “has-been” and David is the “will-be.”
- Hesed (Faithful Love) (v. 14): Jonathan asks for hesed—covenant loyalty.
- Protecting the Lineage (v. 15): In the ancient Near East, when a new dynasty took the throne, the first act was to exterminate the family of the previous king to prevent rebellion. Jonathan asks David to break this cultural rule and spare his descendants.
3. The Explosion at the Feast (1 Samuel 20:18–34 NLT)
24 So David hid in the field. When the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty. 26 Saul didn’t say anything that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to make him ceremonially unclean.” 27 But when David’s place was empty again the next day… Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem…” 30 Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? 31 As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!” 32 “But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?” 33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. 34 Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.
Commentary:
- Ceremonial Uncleanness (v. 26): Saul initially assumes a religious reason for the absence (perhaps contact with a dead body or emission), showing he still views things through a ritualistic lens.
- The Insult (v. 30): Saul’s language is vicious.
- “Son of a perverse, rebellious woman” (NLT “stupid son of a whore”): In Semitic culture, insulting a man’s mother is the ultimate verbal blow. Saul is verbally disowning Jonathan.
- The Root Cause (v. 31): “You’ll never be king.” Saul reveals his motive is dynastic preservation. He thinks he is fighting for Jonathan’s future, while Jonathan is fighting for God’s will.
- The Spear at the Son (v. 33): This is the turning point. Saul has thrown spears at David (the enemy) and his servants, but now he tries to kill his own heir. The irrationality of sin has reached its peak. Saul is willing to kill his son to save his son’s throne.
4. The Signal and the Farewell (1 Samuel 20:35–42 NLT)
35 The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. 36 “Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you. 38 Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. 39 He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal. 40 Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town. 41 As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David. 42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the name of the Lord. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.
Commentary:
- The Secret Code (v. 37): “The arrow is beyond you.” This was the prearranged code for “Flee, there is danger” (v. 22). Jonathan protects David even while communicating the bad news.
- David’s Homage (v. 41): David bows three times. Even though he is the Anointed One, he honors Jonathan as the Prince and his savior.
- “Especially David” (v. 41): Literally “until David exceeded.” David wept more uncontrollably. He is losing his best friend, his job, his wife, and his home all at once.
- The Separation (v. 42): This is the tragedy of the chapter.
Theological Significance of 1 Samuel 20
- Covenant Loyalty: The friendship of David and Jonathan is the Bible’s supreme example of philia (brotherly love). It transcends politics, jealousy, and personal ambition. It points to the believer’s covenant with Christ—a friend who “sticks closer than a brother.”
- Submission to Providence: Jonathan is the hero of this text. He willingly accepts that he will decrease so David can increase. He recognizes God’s election is not based on birthright.
- The Cost of Truth: Jonathan confronts his father with the truth (“What has he done?”), and it almost costs him his life. Standing for righteousness often invites persecution, even from family.
Practical Applications
- Navigating Toxic Families: Jonathan models how to honor a parent (by returning to the town) without participating in their sin (by warning David). It is a difficult balance of duty and boundaries.
- The Value of a Friend: We all need a friend who will tell us the hard truth (“The arrow is beyond you”) rather than a comfortable lie.
- Keeping Promises: The covenant made here saves lives generations later (Mephibosheth). Our promises should be binding, outliving even our own emotional states.
Final Insight
1 Samuel 20 marks the end of David’s “normal life.” When he walks away from that field, he walks into a decade of caves, deserts, and guerrilla warfare. God strips him of his human support system (Jonathan) so that he learns to lean entirely on his Divine support system.
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