1 Samuel 20
1 Samuel Chapter 20, Explained
David appeals to Jonathan, insisting Saul means to kill him. They devise a test at the new moon feast, and renew their covenant of love and loyalty for their descendants. When Saul rages and even hurls a spear at his own son, Jonathan knows David must flee. By the arranged sign of arrows, he warns David, and the two friends weep and part in the name of the LORD.
Key verses from 1 Samuel 20
“And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.”
1 Samuel 20:17
“And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.”
1 Samuel 20:33
What happens in 1 Samuel 20
David flees to Jonathan, protesting his innocence and swearing he is a step from death. Jonathan cannot believe his father would hide such a plan, but agrees to test it at the new moon feast, when David's absence will be noticed. They go into the field and renew their covenant; Jonathan asks that David show the LORD's kindness to his house forever, and makes David swear again out of love. They arrange a sign: Jonathan will shoot arrows and, by his words to the boy retrieving them, signal whether David is safe.
At the feast, Saul at first excuses David's empty seat, then erupts when Jonathan covers for him, calling him shameful and hurling a spear at his own son. Jonathan, grieved and certain, goes to the field, sends the boy away with the arrow signal, then meets David. They kiss and weep together, and part, having sworn peace between their seed forever in the name of the LORD.
Where 1 Samuel 20 sits
This chapter cements the covenant between David and Jonathan just as David becomes a permanent fugitive. It confirms what chapter nineteen suggested: Saul's intent to kill David is fixed and irreversible. Jonathan's loyalty, choosing God's anointed over his own royal future and his father's demand, reaches its height here. The covenant securing kindness to Jonathan's descendants will be honored years later when David cares for Mephibosheth, showing the enduring weight of covenant faithfulness.
Themes in 1 Samuel 20
Covenant that outlasts danger. David and Jonathan bind themselves and their descendants in the name of the LORD, a bond meant to endure beyond their own lives. Their covenant is rooted not in convenience but in steadfast love, and it will be honored for generations, showing the enduring power of faithful promises.
Loving the anointed above self. Jonathan risks his inheritance and his father's fury to protect David, even absorbing a hurled spear. He chooses to honor God's choice rather than grasp his own claim to the throne. Such self-forgetful love embodies putting God's purposes and a friend's good above personal gain.
Grief in faithful parting. The friends weep together until David exceeds, then part in peace. Faithfulness does not spare them sorrow; obedience to God's path costs them each other's company. Their tearful farewell honors both the pain of loss and the trust that God holds their future.
How 1 Samuel 20 points to Jesus
Jonathan's love for David pictures the love Jesus praised: greater love has no one than to lay down his life for his friends. Jonathan lays down his crown, endangers his life, and binds himself in covenant for the sake of the beloved. Their bond, sealed in the name of the LORD and extended to their descendants, mirrors the covenant God makes with His people through Christ, a bond of steadfast love that reaches to our children and endures beyond death. And David, the hunted anointed one comforted by a faithful friend, points to Jesus, who in His own trial was the friend who loved to the end. The covenant love here is a shadow of the everlasting covenant sealed in Christ's blood.
A thought to carry
Jonathan surrendered his own crown to protect God's chosen and bound himself in a love that outlasted his life. Whose good are you willing to seek above your own advancement? Their covenant, sealed in the LORD's name, points to the everlasting love God pledges to us in Christ.
A prayer. Lord, teach me Jonathan's love, that seeks Your chosen one's good above my own gain and keeps covenant even at cost. Thank You for the everlasting covenant sealed in Jesus, whose love for His friends held nothing back.
Want to sit with this chapter for yourself? Read all of 1 Samuel 20 in the King James Version, then open The Living Bread to ask any question about it and pray with others, free.
Questions people ask about 1 Samuel 20
Why does Jonathan help David take his own throne?
As Saul's son, Jonathan is the natural heir, yet he knows the LORD has chosen David and even says David will be king with himself as second. Rather than grasp for power, he protects and blesses God's anointed, binding their houses in covenant. His love submits to God's will above personal ambition. It is a striking picture of surrender, choosing to serve God's purpose even when it costs one's own crown and future.
What is the significance of their covenant for later chapters?
David and Jonathan swear kindness between their descendants forever in the name of the LORD. Years later, after Jonathan's death, David seeks out his crippled son Mephibosheth and restores him to the king's table for Jonathan's sake. The covenant made in this field bears fruit long afterward, illustrating that faithful promises endure beyond the moment and even beyond death, and modeling the covenant-keeping love of God toward His people.
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