2 Samuel 1:26 kjv

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

2 Samuel 1:26 nkjv

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women.

2 Samuel 1:26 niv

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.

2 Samuel 1:26 esv

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

2 Samuel 1:26 nlt

How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan!
Oh, how much I loved you!
And your love for me was deep,
deeper than the love of women!

2 Samuel 1 verses

2 Samuel 1 26 Meaning

This verse expresses David's profound grief and love for Jonathan following his death. David conveys deep distress and highlights the exceptional quality of Jonathan's companionship. Jonathan brought immense pleasantness to David's life, and their unique bond of love was so extraordinary and devoted that David proclaimed it surpassed even the most powerful forms of conventional human affection, such as the love a man typically holds for women, emphasizing its intense, pure, and covenantal nature.

2 Samuel 1 26 Context

This verse is embedded within David's profoundly moving lament, often referred to as "The Song of the Bow" (2 Sam 1:17-27), a mournful composition sung after he learned the crushing news of King Saul's and Jonathan's deaths on Mount Gilboa. The chapter sets the stage for David’s anointing as king of Judah, but significantly, his first act upon hearing the news is not celebration but deep lamentation. This personal outpouring of grief for Jonathan highlights David's genuine love and loyalty, even for his fallen adversary, Saul (who also dies), but most especially for his steadfast covenant partner, Jonathan. The historical context includes years of David being pursued and persecuted by Saul, during which Jonathan consistently demonstrated unwavering friendship and selflessness, putting David's destiny ahead of his own right to the throne. Thus, David's eulogy for Jonathan is not merely an expression of sorrow but a testimony to a rare and treasured friendship that transcended all political and familial expectations.

2 Samuel 1 26 Word analysis

• Word by word analysis:

  • "I": The speaker is David, expressing his innermost personal sorrow.
  • "am distressed" (צַר־לִי, tzar-li): Literally "tight for me" or "narrow to me," conveying profound anguish, affliction, and a feeling of being suffocated by overwhelming grief, an intense emotional pain.
  • "for you": Directly addresses Jonathan, emphasizing the specific, personal nature of David’s grief and its origin in their unique bond.
  • "my brother": Signifies a profound, familial intimacy and covenantal bond that transcended mere acquaintance, despite not being biological siblings.
  • "Jonathan": The name identifies Saul's son, David's faithful friend, whose princely status and selfless support make his loyalty exceptionally rare.
  • "very": An intensifier, highlighting the supreme degree of comfort, joy, and delight that Jonathan brought to David's life.
  • "pleasant" (נָעַמְתָּ, na'amta): Connotes agreeableness, charm, and delight. Jonathan's presence and companionship were a continuous source of joy, solace, and refreshment to David, especially during his years of suffering and flight.
  • "have you been to me": Reinforces the deep personal impact of Jonathan's life and actions on David.
  • "your love" (אַהֲבָתְךָ, ahavatka): The selfless, unwavering affection, loyalty, and deep bond of kinship Jonathan demonstrated towards David throughout their relationship, marked by consistent acts of protection and advocacy.
  • "to me": Stresses the directed and reciprocal nature of Jonathan's deep affection specifically for David.
  • "was wonderful" (נִפְלְאָתָה, nifleta): Extraordinary, astonishing, or miraculous; beyond normal human expectation or comprehension. The root (פלא, pele') is frequently used for God’s amazing works, suggesting David perceived Jonathan's love as divinely unique or extraordinary.
  • "passing": Surpassing, exceeding, going beyond, or superior to. It signifies a comparison where Jonathan's love transcended a standard.
  • "the love": Refers to a conventional, archetypal understanding of deep human affection.
  • "of women": Refers to romantic or marital affection. This comparison highlights that Jonathan's non-sexual, covenantal friendship and loyalty were experienced by David as more profoundly enduring and unwavering than typical romantic love, not diminishing the latter, but elevating the former.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan": This immediate outpouring establishes the intense, personal nature of David's grief, underscoring that his bond with Jonathan was akin to that of a true brother, a deep familial kinship transcending blood ties. It indicates a heart burdened by overwhelming loss.
  • "very pleasant have you been to me": This phrase conveys the deep joy, comfort, and satisfaction that Jonathan's presence and character brought to David's life. "Pleasant" suggests a congenial, harmonious, and supportive relationship that was a profound source of delight amidst life's struggles.
  • "your love to me was wonderful": This statement describes the unparalleled nature of Jonathan's devotion. "Wonderful" (נִפְלְאָתָה, nifleta) indicates an extraordinary quality that sets this love apart; it was exceptional, perhaps divinely inspired, transcending ordinary human affection in its purity, intensity, and steadfastness.
  • "passing the love of women": This climactic comparative statement underscores the unique strength, selflessness, and unconditional loyalty of David and Jonathan’s covenantal friendship. It's not about sexual love but asserting that the depth, endurance, and unconditionality of their non-romantic bond, rooted in mutual faith and selfless devotion, exceeded the common understanding or typical manifestation of love, including marital affection, which in ancient times might have been more pragmatic or conventional than emotionally transcendent.

2 Samuel 1 26 Bonus section

• The Hebrew term for "wonderful" (niphle’atha) often describes the marvelous acts of God, indicating that David perceived Jonathan's love as having an extraordinary, almost divine quality, setting it apart from typical human affection.
• The relationship between David and Jonathan was formally ratified by a covenant, a sacred oath sworn before God (1 Sam 18:3; 20:8, 16; 23:18). This context elevates their "love" from mere emotion to a binding, divinely witnessed agreement of reciprocal loyalty and protection, which David honored throughout his life, notably through his care for Mephibosheth (2 Sam 9).
• David's public lament, addressed to the sons of Judah (2 Sam 1:18), served not only as an expression of personal grief but also as a public validation of David's character, demonstrating his loyalty and magnanimity even towards the family of the king who sought his life, further establishing his moral authority for kingship.
• This verse provides a powerful biblical example of pure, selfless, unconditional, non-sexual friendship, a bond based on mutual respect, trust, and shared purpose rather than personal gain or societal expectation.

2 Samuel 1 26 Commentary

2 Samuel 1:26 offers David’s heartfelt eulogy for Jonathan, articulating a bond of friendship that served as a rare example of deep, unselfish love. David's proclamation of distress reveals his genuine agony over losing his "brother," underscoring the profound spiritual and emotional connection they shared through their covenant. Jonathan was consistently a source of delight and strength, embodying pleasantness during David’s darkest times. The powerful assertion that Jonathan's love was "wonderful, passing the love of women" signifies its unparalleled strength and enduring loyalty. This wasn't a romantic declaration but a testimony to a covenantal bond that transcended societal norms and even the expected intensity of marital love. Jonathan’s love was singular in its unwavering faithfulness, self-sacrifice, and mutual recognition of God's hand in David's life, creating a pure and exceptional fellowship that profoundly impacted David and resonated with God's character. It highlights that the purest forms of love often involve selflessness and adherence to sacred bonds.