8 Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
And they two made a covenant before Jehovah: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come from Geshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, `saying', And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David's enemies.
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me. That I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knoweth; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah (save thou us not this day,)
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if `ye be come' to betray me to mine adversaries, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.
If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine adversary;) Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. Selah
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Samuel 20
Commentary on 1 Samuel 20 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 20
David, having several times narrowly escaped Saul's fury, begins to consider at last whether it may not be necessary for him to retire into the country and to take up arms in his own defence. But he will not do so daring a thing without consulting his faithful friend Jonathan; how he did this, and what passed between them, we have an account in this chapter, where we have as surprising instances of supernatural love as we had in the chapter before of unnatural hatred.
1Sa 20:1-8
Here,
1Sa 20:9-23
Here,
1Sa 20:24-34
Jonathan is here effectually convinced of that which he was so loth to believe, that his father had an implacable enmity to David, and would certainly be the death of him if it were in his power; and he had like to have paid very dearly himself for the conviction.
1Sa 20:35-42
Here is,