Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Samuel 20:10-23
Jonathan Explains His Plan For Letting David Know What The Situation Is, And Renews Their Firm Covenant (1 Samuel 20:10 a).
In response to David's request Jonathan now outlined his plan for keeping David informed of whatever decision Saul showed himself to have come to, and at the same time renewed and expanded his covenant with David. He was now aware in his heart that the throne was not for him, and that YHWH eventually intended that David would sit on the throne of Israel. Indeed we have to consider it a good possibility that David had confided to him what Samuel had done in anointing him at Bethlehem. And Jonathan was seemingly quite satisfied with the situation. Unlike his father he had no overweening ambition.
Analysis.
a Then said David to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if perhaps your father answers you roughly?” And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the countryside. And they both went out to the countryside” (1 Samuel 20:10).
b And Jonathan said to David, “YHWH, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, will I not then send to you, and disclose it to you? YHWH do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace. And YHWH be with you, as he has been with my father” (1 Samuel 20:12).
c “And you shall not only, while yet I live, show me the lovingkindness of YHWH, that I die not, but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house for ever, no, not when YHWH has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth” (1 Samuel 20:14).
d So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “And YHWH will require it at the hand of David's enemies” (1 Samuel 20:16).
c And Jonathan made David swear again, for the love that he had to him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul (1 Samuel 20:17).
b Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark. And, see, I will send the lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, and come, for there is peace to you and no hurt, as YHWH lives. But if I say thus to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you', go your way, for YHWH has sent you away. And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, YHWH is between you and me for ever” (1 Samuel 20:18).
a So David hid himself in the countryside (1 Samuel 20:24 a).
Note than in ‘a' they go out into the countryside, and in the parallel David hides himself in the countryside. In ‘b' Jonathan speaks of the two day feast that is coming, and promises to connect with David on the third day in order to reveal the result of his testing out of Saul, and ends with a request that YHWH be with David as He has been with his father, and in the parallel he refers to the feast and to the three days, and explains how he will convey the information in such a way that no one will be suspicious, and ends with a request that YHWH will YHWH will be between them both for ever. In ‘c' Jonathan asks that David will show him the lovingkindness of YHWH and will make a covenant with him, and in the parallel he makes David swear to that covenant again and it is because of his true love for David. Central in ‘d' is the solemn nature of that covenant.
‘ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if perhaps your father answers you roughly?”
David now raised the question as to how, if Saul's verdict went against him, he was to obtain the information. Clearly he could not approach Jonathan openly because too many people would know about it, and it would be dangerous. And in view of what Saul knew about their friendship it was always likely that Jonathan's movements would be watched. Who then would come and give him the information?
‘ And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the countryside.” And they both went out to the countryside.'
Jonathan then suggested that they leave the town and go out into the countryside. He was concerned that nothing that they discussed might be overheard. And once there he would show David what he intended to do. So that is what they both did.
‘ And Jonathan said to David, YHWH, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, will I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?” '
Once they were in the countryside Jonathan called on YHWH to witness the absolute certainty of what he was saying, and he confirmed that if Saul's disposition turned out to be good he would immediately tell him of it.
“ YHWH do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace. And YHWH be with you, as he has been with my father.”
On the other hand if he discerned that his father planned evil towards David, then he affirmed equally strongly that he would disclose it to David and send him away that he might go in peace. Then he added words which were very significant. It would seem clear from this that he recognised that David was destined for higher things, for he adds, ‘YHWH be with you, as he has been with my father.' There is the underlying thought here that David was following in Saul's footsteps and would one day be king. It seems that Jonathan did not have any particular desire to be king, and did not consider himself kingship material (although he would have made a better king than most). He was quite happy that his comrade-in-arms be king in his place.
“ And you shall not only, while yet I live, show me the lovingkindness of YHWH, that I die not, but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house for ever, no, not when YHWH has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.”
One thing only he asked, and that was that, once YHWH had once for all removed all David's enemies, David would himself show to him the lovingkindness of YHWH and guarantee his life (it was quite normal for men who took over a kingship to kill off all the close relatives of the previous king, especially the heir apparent), and also that he would guarantee that mercy for all who were descended from, or close relations of, Jonathan.
‘ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “And YHWH will require it at the hand of David's enemies.” '
In this way Jonathan made a covenant with ‘the house of David', and backed it up with a curse, namely that if David proved unfaithful to it then YHWH would require it of him by giving David's enemies victory over him.
‘ And Jonathan made David swear again, for the love that he had to him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.'
Thus did the heir apparent to the throne of Israel willingly yield his throne to David by covenant, because of the great love that he had for him, requiring only that he in return Jonathan honour himself and his descendants. It is apparent from this that Jonathan now recognised the seriousness of the situation and realised that they must soon part.
‘ Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.”
Having confirmed the covenant between them Jonathan now went into the details of what was to happen in the next three days. Again we have it confirmed that David would be expected to take his place at the coming new moon celebration. And he would be missed, because his seat would be empty. Precedents as to who sat where were clearly firmly set at such festivals, and David, as the king's son-in-law, would have a place set near the king.
“ And when you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark. And, see, I will send the lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, and come, for there is peace to you and no hurt, as YHWH lives. But if I say thus to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you', go your way, for YHWH has sent you away.”
Jonathan then explained what David was to do in order to receive his prearranged signal. He was to come to the place where he had hidden himself when ‘the business was in hand' (possibly the incident in 1 Samuel 19:1), and take up his place by the stone Ezel. And then he, Jonathan, would come there with a lad to practise archery. This would allay any suspicion that Jonathan had come out on some secret assignment. On arrival there he would shoot three arrows at the side of the stone, as though shooting at a mark. Then he would send the lad to find the arrows, and if he called out ‘the arrows are on this side' David could take that as a signal that all was well and that he was in no danger. But if he yelled, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you' then that would be a signal for David to flee for his life. It would indicate that there was danger and that YHWH had thus sent him away. Note the regular assumption, common in the former prophets (Joshua-Kings), that whatever happened was due to the activity of YHWH.
“The stone Ezel.” This means literally, ‘the stone of departure'. Out of sentimentality Jonathan may well have chosen to pass on his message at this stone for that very reason. The name presumably commemorated some well known ‘departure' in the past. Others, however, consider that it was named Ezel because of this incident.
The shooting of arrows symbolically may well have had an important and recognised significance in Israel, possibly signifying the certainty of final triumph, or as an indication of certain judgment on the enemy (Deuteronomy 32:23). We can compare how Elisha arranged for Joash to shoot an arrow as an acted out prophecy of coming victory for him and coming judgment on his enemies (2 Kings 13:14). Thus in this case arrows that went their full length indicated judgment determined on David, whereas arrows that fell short indicated that judgment like that would not reach David.
“ And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, YHWH is between you and me for ever.”
Jonathan then completed his words with a further reminder of the covenant and bond between himself and David. They were each to remember that they were bound to each other by YHWH.
‘ So David hid himself in the countryside.'
This does not necessarily mean that he did not attend at his family's celebrations in Bethlehem. It may simply indicate that he kept out of the way of the large cities, and especially of Gibeah, thus remaining out of public view. He would know that he was safe while the feast at Gibeah was in progress. Or it may simply be indicating what he did after he had been to Bethlehem and the sacrifices were over.