1 Samuel 20 2

1 Samuel 20:2 kjv

And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

1 Samuel 20:2 nkjv

So Jonathan said to him, "By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!"

1 Samuel 20:2 niv

"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so!"

1 Samuel 20:2 esv

And he said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so."

1 Samuel 20:2 nlt

"That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "You're not going to die. He always tells me everything he's going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so!"

1 Samuel 20 verses

1 Samuel 20 2 Meaning

Jonathan reassured David that King Saul, his father, would undertake no action, whether significant or trivial, without first confiding in him. He expresses absolute certainty that Saul would not conceal from him a decision as momentous as harming David.

1 Samuel 20 2 Context

Chapter 20 of 1 Samuel opens with David fleeing Saul's constant attempts on his life, having barely escaped multiple times. He comes to Jonathan, Saul's son and David's closest friend, expressing deep distress and questioning why Saul seeks to kill him. Jonathan, ever loyal to both his father and David, cannot conceive that Saul would harm David without informing him, a testament to his naive belief in his father's residual goodness and his presumed place of confidence with the king. This verse (1 Samuel 20:2) reflects Jonathan's heartfelt but ultimately misplaced trust in his father, setting up the tragic reveal of Saul's utter treachery in the verses that follow.

1 Samuel 20 2 Word analysis

• Jonathan (יְהוֹנָתָן - Y'honatan): "Yahweh has given." Jonathan, though heir apparent, embodies loyal self-sacrifice and true friendship. His name reflects divine favor, ironically contrasted with his father Saul's rejection by God. His words here are driven by sincere love for David and an innate belief in his father, but tragically, his perception is limited by Saul's unchecked evil.
• said (וַיֹּאמֶר - vayyomer): A common verb indicating direct speech. Emphasizes the personal and earnest nature of the conversation between these two friends.
• to David (לְדָוִד - l'daviḏ): Specifies the recipient, highlighting the direct personal address in this critical dialogue.
• Far be it from me! (חָלִילָה לִּי - chalilah li): Literally "a desecration to me!" or "unthinkable!" This is a strong interjection, used to express utter horror, emphatic denial, or fervent objection to a proposed idea or action (e.g., Abraham in Gen 18:25 regarding God judging the righteous with the wicked). Jonathan uses it to strongly deny that Saul would do such a thing or conceal it from him, indicating his complete incredulity and rejection of David's fears at this moment. It conveys his deep respect for his father, and his difficulty in believing him capable of such absolute duplicity.
• You shall not die (לֹא־תָמוּת - lo-tâmut): An emphatic negative future verb. Jonathan firmly believes and intends that David will not die. This reflects his loving commitment to David and perhaps a genuine, but misplaced, confidence in his ability to mediate or discern his father's intentions.
• Indeed (הִנֵּה - hinneh): "Behold," "look." An emphatic particle that draws attention to the following statement, signaling a point of certainty in Jonathan's mind.
• my father (אָבִי - 'aviy): Saul, the king. The very man David fears. Jonathan’s repeated reference to "my father" underscores the tragic tension: his loyalty is split between his father and his sworn covenant friend.
• will do nothing... great or small (וְלֹא־יַעֲשֶׂה דָבָר גָּדוֹל אוֹ קָטָן - v'lo-ya'aseh davar gadol 'o qatan): "Nothing... big or small." This forms a merism, expressing the totality of actions. It signifies that absolutely no decision or action, regardless of its significance, would be taken by Saul without Jonathan's knowledge. This statement reveals the depth of Jonathan’s conviction regarding his unique place of trust and intimacy with his father, which will soon be painfully disproven.
• but that he will disclose it to me (כִּי אִם־יִגְלֶה אֶת־אָזְנִי - kî 'im-yigleh 'et-'oznî): "But that he will uncover my ear," an idiom meaning "disclose it to me" or "tell me secretly." It speaks to Jonathan's deep, privileged access to his father's inner thoughts and plans. The use of this idiom emphasizes the private and confidential nature of the information Jonathan expects to receive, contrasting sharply with Saul's true clandestine hatred towards David.
• Why then (וְלָמָּה - v'lamah): Rhetorical question expressing disbelief and logical certainty from Jonathan's perspective.
• should my father hide this matter from me (יִסְתִּיר אָבִי מִמֶּנִּי אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה - yistir 'avi mimmenni 'et-haddavar hazzeh): Jonathan’s rhetorical question challenges David’s fear, expressing the unthinkableness of Saul hiding this particular matter (killing David) from him. He genuinely believes his father would never keep such a significant and potentially deadly decision a secret from him, given their presumed relationship. This reveals Jonathan's naivety regarding the true extent of Saul's paranoia and deceit.

1 Samuel 20 2 Bonus section

Jonathan's firm assertion in this verse contrasts sharply with David's desperate plea in 1 Samuel 20:1 and immediately before in verse 3 where David will counter with the profound realization that Jonathan himself is kept in the dark by Saul's manipulative cunning ("your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved’"). This dramatic tension foreshadows the pivotal turning point where Jonathan moves from misplaced hope for his father's reconciliation to accepting the reality of Saul's intractable hatred. Jonathan's steadfast loyalty to David, despite being Saul’s son, serves as a powerful theological image of faithful covenant relationship, anticipating the loyalty of Christ. This verse subtly underscores the danger of placing trust in human power and relationship when true deceit and spiritual opposition are at play.

1 Samuel 20 2 Commentary

1 Samuel 20:2 encapsulates Jonathan’s genuine affection and deep-seated, though ultimately naive, trust in his father, Saul. His declaration, "Far be it from me! You shall not die!" is a profound expression of his commitment to David and his disbelief in Saul's full depravity. Jonathan believed he was privy to all his father's plans, regardless of magnitude, reinforcing his assumption of a unique and privileged position within the royal court. This confidence reflects his own integrity and love for his father, but fails to account for the corrosive nature of Saul's jealousy, which had already warped the king into a deceptive and murderous plotter. The irony and pathos of this verse lie in the immediate context: Saul had hidden his intentions and indeed tried to kill David multiple times (1 Sam 19:10, 19:15), and he would continue to do so. Jonathan's sincere words tragically highlight his painful awakening to his father's true character, paving the way for the testing of David’s proposed plan and the eventual rupture of the family, solidifying Jonathan's bond with David in covenant before God.