Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, won’t I then send to you, and disclose it to you?
Parallel Translations
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Jonathan said to David, “By Yahweh, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, won’t I then send to you, and disclose it to you?
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And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
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And Jonathan said unto David: 'The LORD, the God of Israel — when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee?
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 20:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Joshua 22:22 “The Mighty One, God, Yahweh, the Mighty One, God, Yahweh, he knows; and Israel shall know: if it was in rebellion, or if in trespass against Yahweh (don’t save us today),
- Job 31:4 Doesn’t he see my ways, and count all my steps?
- Psalms 17:3 You have proved my heart. You have visited me in the night. You have tried me, and found nothing. I have resolved that my mouth shall not disobey.
- Psalms 139:1-4 Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.
- Proverbs 20:5 Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.
- Proverbs 25:2-3 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD…
1Sa 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, [or] the third [day], and, behold, [if there be] good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
Ver. 12. O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded, &c.] Broken language from a troubled spirit. Love will creep where it cannot go, and shine as a candle through the chinkers.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain O Lord God of Israel, do thou hear and…
O Lord God of Israel, do thou hear and judge between us. It is an abrupt speech, which is usual in great passions.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of…
And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel,.... Or by the Lord God of Israel, I swear unto thee; for this is the form of the oath, as Jarchi and Kimchi observe:
when I have sounded my father about tomorrow any time, or the third day; searched, inquired, and found out how his disposition is:
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and, behold, if there be good toward David; if he is well disposed to him, as may appear by speaking respectfully of him, or kindly inquiring after him, and by being satisfied with the account given him:
and I then send not unto thee, and show it thee; then let the vengeance of God fall upon me in some remarkable manner or another, as follows; or "shall I not then send unto thee, and show it thee" (t)? certainly I will; that is, I will send a messenger to thee to acquaint thee with it, who shall tell it, and cause thee to hear it, as from myself.
(t) "an non tune mitterem?" Junius & Tremellius; "nonne tunc mittam ad te?" so some in Vatablus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain O Lord God - Do thou hear and judge…
O Lord God - Do thou hear and judge between us. It is an abrupt speech which is usual in great passions.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. Jonathan said - O Lord God of…
Verse 12. Jonathan said - O Lord God of Israel] There is, most evidently, something wanting in this verse. The Septuagint has, The Lord God of Israel doth KNOW. The Syriac and Arabic, The Lord God of Israel is WITNESS. Either of these makes a good sense. But two of Dr. Kennicott's MSS. supply the word chai, "liveth;" and the text reads thus, As the Lord God of Israel LIVETH, when I have sounded my father - if there be good, and I then send not unto thee, and show it thee, the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. This makes a still better sense.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain After. Septuagint, "The Lord....has known that I will sift…
After. Septuagint, "The Lord....has known that I will sift my father, as opportunity shall serve, thrice," or repeatedly. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. O Lord God] Jonathan begins by addressing Jehovah,…
12. O Lord God] Jonathan begins by addressing Jehovah, but afterwards instead of putting the verb in the second person (so mayest Thou do) he repeats the divine Name.
about to-morrow any time, or the third day] About this time to-morrow or the day after.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) O Lord God of Israel.—Now that the two…
(12) O Lord God of Israel.—Now that the two friends have come to a remote solitary spot, Jonathan prefaces his reply to David’s piteous request by a very solemn invocation of that God they both loved so well. The vocative, however, “O Lord God,” &c., of the English Version has been generally looked upon as an impossible rendering—“there being no analogy for such a mode of address”—Lange.
The versions avoid it by supplying different words. So the Syriac and Arabic render “The Lord of Israel is my witness”; the LXX., “The Lord God of Israel knows.” Others have supplied a word which they find in two Hebrew MSS., “As the Lord God of Israel liveth.” The meaning, however, is perfectly clear.
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Or the third day.—This statement of time on the part of Jonathan evidently assumes that the festival was continued the day after the “new moon” by a royal banquet. The time is thus reckoned: the present day; the morrow, which was the new moon festival; and the day after, which would reckon as the third day.
Behold, if there be good toward David.—In the event of the news being good—that is, if Saul, contrary to David’s expectation, spoke kindly of him—then Jonathan would send to him a special messenger; if, on the other hand, the king displayed enmity, in that case Jonathan would come himself and see David (for the last time). This sad message should be brought by no messenger.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 "look" or "listen" or "pay attention to what I…
see
"look" or "listen" or "pay attention to what I am about to tell you"
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if there is good will
"if my father wants to do good things for you"
will I not then send to you and make it known to you?
Jonathan uses this question to emphasize that he will tell David if Saul intends to harm him. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "then I will certainly send to you and make it known to you" (See: Rhetorical Question)
may Yahweh do to Jonathan and more also
This is an idiom. Jonathan uses this oath for emphasis and speaks of himself as if he were another person. AT: "may Yahweh do to me whatever harm my father intends to do to you, and even more than that" (See: Idiom and Pronouns)
translationWords
David
God
Israel
testimony
good
send
know
peace
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.