1Potom Dávid utiekol z Nájótu pri Ráme, a keď prišiel domov, vravel pred Jonatánom: Čo som urobil? Čím som sa previnil? V čom som sa prehrešil proti tvojmu otcovi, že číha na môj život? 2Ten mu odpovedal: To sa nesmie stať; nezomrieš! Hľa, môj otec neurobí nič veľké ani malé bez toho, že by mi to neprezradil. Prečo by môj otec práve toto mal tajiť predo mnou? To nie je možné! 3Dávid odvetil s prísahou: Tvoj otec dobre vie, že som našiel priazeň v tvojich očiach, preto si myslí: Nech sa o tom Jonatán nedozvie, aby sa nezarmútil. Ale akože žije Hospodin a akože žije tvoja duša: sotva krok je medzi mnou a smrťou. 4Jonatán povedal Dávidovi: Čokoľvek mi len povieš, urobím za teba. 5Dávid odpovedal Jonatánovi: Hľa, zajtra bude novmesiac, keď mám s kráľom sedieť pri stole. Ty ma však prepusť, aby som sa skryl na poli až do tretieho večera. 6Ak by ma tvoj otec vážne hľadal, povedz mu: Dávid sa odo mňa vypýtal, aby smel zabehnúť do svojho mesta Betlehema, lebo tam má výročnú obeť za celý rod. 7Ak povie: Dobre! tak tvoj služobník bude mať pokoj; ak sa však nahnevá, vtedy vedz, že sa rozhodol pre najhoršie. 8Vtedy preukáž láskavosť svojmu služobníkovi, lebo si zmluvu Hospodinovu uzavrel so svojím služobníkom. Ak je však na mne vina, zabi ma ty; prečo by si ma viedol až k tvojmu otcovi. 9Jonatán odpovedal: To sa ti nesmie stať! Lebo ak sa skutočne dozviem, že môj otec sa rozhodol dopustiť na teba najhoršie, či by som ti to neoznámil? 10Nato Dávid odpovedal Jonatánovi: Kto mi to potom oznámi, ak ti otec dá tvrdú odpoveď? 11Vtedy Jonatán povedal Dávidovi: Poď, vyjdeme do poľa! Vtedy obaja vyšli do poľa. 12Tam povedal Jonatán Dávidovi: Hospodin, Boh Izraela, je svedkom: ak sa od svojho otca zajtra alebo pozajtra dozviem, že bude dobre s Dávidom, a ak hneď k tebe nepošlem a neoznámim ti to, 13nech Hospodin toto učiní a toto pridá Jonatánovi; ale ak by chcel môj otec zlé dopustiť na teba, prezradím ti to a pošlem ťa preč, aby si mohol odísť v pokoji. Nech je Hospodin s tebou, ako bol s mojím otcom. 14Ty mi však za môjho života preukazuj milosrdenstvo Hospodinovo, a ak zomriem, 15neodopri svoje milosrdenstvo môjmu domu vtedy, keď do jedného vyplieni Hospodin Dávidových nepriateľov z povrchu zeme. 16Jonatán uzavrel zmluvu s domom Dávidovým a povedal: Hospodin nech vykoná pomstu nad nepriateľmi Dávidovými! 17Jonatán znova uistil Dávida prísahou o svojej láske k nemu, lebo ho miloval ako seba samého. 18I povedal mu Jonatán: Zajtra bude novmesiac a budú sa spytovať na teba, keď tvoje miesto bude prázdne. 19Na tretí deň rýchlo zídeš a prídeš na miesto, na ktorom si sa skryl v deň onoho činu, a ostaneš pri kameni Ezel. 20Ja popri ňom vystrelím tri šípy, akoby som strieľal do cieľa. 21Potom pošlem chlapca, ktorému poviem: Choď, hľadaj šípy! Ak poviem chlapcovi: Hľa, šípy sú bližšie k tebe, vezmi ich! vtedy príď, lebo budeš mať pokoj a nič sa ti nestane, akože žije Hospodin! 22Ale ak mladíkovi poviem: Hľa, šípy sú ďalej od teba, vtedy odíď, lebo Hospodin ťa posiela preč. 23V tej veci však, o ktorej sme sa ja a ty dohovorili, nech je Hospodin svedkom medzi mnou a tebou až na veky! 24Vtedy sa Dávid skryl na poli. Keď nastal novmesiac, kráľ zasadol za stôl k jedlu. 25Kráľ si sadol na svoje miesto ako vždy, na stolec pri stene; Jonatán vstal a Abnér si sadol k Saulovi, ale Dávidovo miesto ostalo prázdne. 26Ale Saul v ten deň nič nepovedal, lebo si pomyslel: Niečo sa mu prihodilo, nie je čistý - iste nie je čistý. 27Nasledujúci deň, druhý deň po novmesiaci, Dávidovo miesto bolo zase prázdne. Vtedy povedal Saul svojmu synovi Jonatánovi: Prečo syn Izajov neprišiel ani včera ani dnes k stolu? 28Jonatán odpovedal Saulovi: Dávid sa súrne vypýtal do Betlehema 29a povedal: Prepusť ma, prosím, lebo v meste má byť obeť nášho rodu, a sám brat mi kázal prísť. Preto, ak som našiel priazeň v tvojich očiach, dovoľ mi, prosím, odísť a pozrieť si bratov. Preto neprišiel ku kráľovmu stolu. 30Vtedy Saul vzbĺkol hnevom proti Jonatánovi a povedal mu: Ty, syn zvrhlej odbojnice, dobre viem, že si si syna Izajovho vybral na svoju hanbu a na hanbu nahoty svojej matere! 31Lebo po všetky dni, kým len bude Izajov syn žiť na zemi, nebudeš pevný ani ty, ani tvoje kráľovstvo. Preto teraz pošli pre neho a priveď ho ku mne, lebo je synom smrti. 32Jonatán odpovedal svojmu otcovi Saulovi: Prečo má zomrieť? Čo spáchal? 33Vtedy Saul hodil po ňom kopiju, aby ho zabil. Z toho Jonatán vybadal, že sa jeho otec rozhodol zabiť Dávida. 34Nato Jonatán, rozpálený hnevom, vstal od stola, nejedol pokrm v druhý deň novmesiaca, lebo mu bolo ľúto Dávida, že ho jeho otec Saul tak potupil. 35Ráno, podľa dohovoru s Dávidom, vyšiel na pole Jonatán a malý chlapec s ním. 36Povedal svojmu chlapcovi: Pobehni a pohľadaj šípy, ktoré vystrelím. Keď chlapec bežal, on vystrelil šíp ďaleko pred neho. 37Keď prišiel chlapec k miestu, kde ležal šíp, vystrelený Jonatánom, Jonatán zavolal za chlapcom: Šíp je ešte ďalej, ako si ty! 38Potom Jonatán zavolal za chlapcom: Rýchlo, ponáhľaj sa, nestoj! Vtedy Jonatánov chlapec pozbieral šípy a vrátil sa k svojmu pánovi. 39Ale chlapec nevedel o ničom, len Jonatán a Dávid vedeli o tom. 40Potom Jonatán odovzdal svoju zbraň chlapcovi, ktorý bol s ním, a povedal mu: Choď a zanes to do mesta! 41Keď chlapec odišiel, Dávid vstal spoza skaly, padol na tvár k zemi, trikrát sa poklonil; nato sa pobozkali navzájom a v objatí plakali, kým sa Dávid neovládol. 42I povedal Jonatán Dávidovi: Choď v pokoji, ako sme si obaja prisahali v mene Hospodinovom: Hospodin bude svedkom medzi mnou a tebou a medzi mojím a tvojím potomstvom až na veky.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 DAVID CONSULTS WITH JONATHAN FOR HIS SAFETY. (
1Sam 20:1-10)
David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan--He could not remain in Naioth, for he had strong reason to fear that when the religious fit, if we may so call it, was over, Saul would relapse into his usual fell and sanguinary temper. It may be thought that David acted imprudently in directing his flight to Gibeah. But he was evidently prompted to go thither by the most generous feelings--to inform his friend of what had recently occurred, and to obtain that friend's sanction to the course he was compelled to adopt. Jonathan could not be persuaded there was any real danger after the oath his father had taken; at all events, he felt assured his father would do nothing without telling him. Filial attachment naturally blinded the prince to defects in the parental character and made him reluctant to believe his father capable of such atrocity. David repeated his unshaken convictions of Saul's murderous purpose, but in terms delicately chosen (
1Sam 20:3), not to wound the filial feelings of his friend; while Jonathan, clinging, it would seem, to a hope that the extraordinary scene enacted at Naioth might have wrought a sanctified improvement on Saul's temper and feelings, undertook to inform David of the result of his observations at home.
5 David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat--The beginning of a new month or moon was always celebrated by special sacrifices, followed by feasting, at which the head of a family expected all its members to be present. David, both as the king's son-in-law and a distinguished courtier, dined on such occasions at the royal table, and from its being generally known that David had returned to Gibeah, his presence in the palace would be naturally expected. This occasion was chosen by the two friends for testing the king's state of feeling. As a suitable pretext for David's absence, it was arranged that he should visit his family at Beth-lehem, and thus create an opportunity of ascertaining how his non-appearance would be viewed. The time and place were fixed for Jonathan reporting to David; but as circumstances might render another interview unsafe, it was deemed expedient to communicate by a concerted signal.
11 THEIR COVENANT RENEWED BY OATH. (
1Sam 20:11-23)
Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go into the field--The private dialogue, which is here detailed at full length, presents a most beautiful exhibition of these two amiable and noble-minded friends. Jonathan was led, in the circumstances, to be the chief speaker. The strength of his attachment, his pure disinterestedness, his warm piety, his invocation to God (consisting of a prayer and a solemn oath combined), the calm and full expression he gave of his conviction that his own family were, by the divine will, to be disinherited, and David elevated to the possession of the throne, the covenant entered into with David on behalf of his descendants, and the imprecation (
1Sam 20:16) denounced on any of them who should violate his part of the conditions, the reiteration of this covenant on both sides (
1Sam 20:17) to make it indissoluble--all this indicates such a power of mutual affection, such magnetic attractiveness in the character of David, such susceptibility and elevation of feeling in the heart of Jonathan, that this interview for dramatic interest and moral beauty stands unrivalled in the records of human friendship.
19 when thou hast stayed three days--either with your family at Beth-lehem, or wherever you find it convenient.
come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand--Hebrew, "in the day," or "time of the business," when the same matter was under inquiry formerly (
1Sam 19:22).
remain by the stone Ezel--Hebrew, "the stone of the way"; a sort of milestone which directed travellers. He was to conceal himself in some cave or hiding-place near that spot.
23 as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of--The plan being concerted, the friends separated for a time, and the amiable character of Jonathan again peers out in his parting allusion to their covenant of friendship.
25 SAUL, MISSING DAVID, SEEKS TO KILL JONAHAN. (1Sa. 20:24-40)
the king sat upon his seat, as at other times . . . by the wall--The left-hand corner at the upper end of a room was and still is in the East, the most honorable place. The person seated there has his left arm confined by the wall, but his right hand is at full liberty. From Abner's position next the king, and David's seat being left empty, it would seem that a state etiquette was observed at the royal table, each of the courtiers and ministers having places assigned them according to their respective gradations of rank.
Jonathan arose--either as a mark of respect on the entrance of the king, or in conformity with the usual Oriental custom for a son to stand in presence of his father.
26 he is not clean--No notice was taken of David's absence, as he might be laboring under some ceremonial defilement.
27 on the morrow, which was the second day of the month--The time of the moon's appearance being uncertain--whether at midday, in the evening, or at midnight, the festival was extended over two days. Custom, not the law, had introduced this.
Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse--The question was asked, as it were, casually, and with as great an air of indifference as he could assume. And Jonathan having replied that David had asked and obtained his permission to attend a family anniversary at Beth-lehem [
Acts 20:28-
Acts 20:29], the pent-up passions of the king burst out in a most violent storm of rage and invective against his son.
30 Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman--This is a striking Oriental form of abuse. Saul was not angry with his wife; it was the son alone, upon whom he meant, by this style of address, to discharge his resentment. The principle on which it is founded seems to be, that to a genuine filial instinct it is a more inexpiable offense to hear the name or character of a parent traduced, than any personal reproach. This was, undoubtedly, one cause of "the fierce anger" in which the high-minded prince left the table without tasting a morsel.
33 Saul cast a javelin at him--This is a sad proof of the maniacal frenzy into which the unhappy monarch was transported.
35 Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed--or, "at the place appointed."
36 he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot--The direction given aloud to the attendant was the signal preconcerted with David. It implied danger.
40 Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad--that is, his missive weapons. The French word artillerie, signifies "archery." The term is still used in England, in the designation of the "artillery company of London," the association of archers, though they have long disused bows and arrows. Jonathan's boy being despatched out of the way, the friends enjoyed the satisfaction of a final meeting.
41 JONATHAN AND DAVID LOVINGLY PART. (
1Sam 20:41-42)
David . . . fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times--a token of homage to the prince's rank; but on a close approach, every other consideration was sunk in the full flow of the purest brotherly affection.
42 Jonathan said to David, Go in peace--The interview being a stolen one, and every moment precious, it was kindness in Jonathan to hasten his friend's departure.