1 Samuel 20:1

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
David	דָּוִ֔ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
fled	וַיִּבְרַ֣ח vai.yiv.Rach	H1272	to bolt · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Naioth	מִנָּי֖וֹת mi.noi.vt	H5121	Navith · preposition + proper noun, a place name
Ramah	בָּרָמָ֑ה ba.ra.Mah	H7414	Ramah · preposition with the article + proper noun, a place name
came	וַיָּבֹ֞א vai.ya.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
said	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
Jonathan	יְהוֹנָתָ֗ן ye.ho.na.Tan	H3083	Jehonathan · proper noun, a man's name
done	עָשִׂ֙יתִי֙ 'a.Si.ti	H6213	to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
iniquity	עֲוֹנִ֤י 'a.vo.Ni	H5771	perversity · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
sin	חַטָּאתִי֙ cha.ta.Ti	H2403	an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix
before	לִפְנֵ֣י lif.Nei	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
father	אָבִ֔יךָ 'a.Vi.kha	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
seeketh	מְבַקֵּ֖שׁ me.va.Kesh	H1245	to search out (by any method · verb, piel active participle, masculine singular absolute
life	נַפְשִֽׁי naf.Shi	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grac…
1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
1 Samuel 12:3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom ha…
1 Samuel 19:19-24 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
1 Samuel 23:26-28 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of…
1 Samuel 24:9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
1 Samuel 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Here, I. David makes a representation to Jonathan of his present troubles. While Saul lay bound by his trance at Naioth David escaped to the court, and got to speak with Jonathan. And it was happy for him that he had such a friend at court, when he had such an enemy on the throne. If there be those that hate and despise us, let us not be disturbed at that, for there are those also that love and respect us. God hath set the one over against the other, and so must we. Jonathan was a friend that loved at all times, loved David as well now in his distress, and bade him as welcome into his arms, as he had done when he was in his triumph (Sa1 18:1), and he was a brother that was born for adversity…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:1

David fled from Naioth - On hearing that Saul had come to that place, knowing that he was no longer in safety, he fled for his life.

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:1

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah,.... While Saul was prophesying, or lay in a trance there: and came; to Gibeah, where Saul dwelt, and had his palace, and kept his court: and said before Jonathan; whom he found there, and for whose sake he thither fled to have his advice, and to use his interest with his father, and be his friend at court: what have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? surely, as if he should say, I must have been guilty of some very great crime, and yet I am not sensible of it; canst thou tell me what it is that has so provoked thy father, that nothing will satisfy him but the taking away of my life, which he se…

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Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 20:1-11

After the occurrence which had taken place at Naioth, David fled thence and met with Jonathan, to whom he poured out his heart. (Note: According to Ewald and Thenius, this chapter was not written by the author of the previous one, but was borrowed from an earlier source, and Sa1 20:1 was inserted by the compiler to connect the two together. But the principal reason for this conjecture - namely, that David could never have thought of sitting at the royal table again after what had taken place, and that Saul would still less have expected him to come - is overthrown by the simple suggestion, that all that Saul had hitherto attempted against David, according to Sa1 19:8., had been done in fits…

The Church Fathers

And from other things it is easy for us to see the simplicity of the blessed David, who himself also maketh it known when he spake with Jonathan, saying, "There is no wickedness in my heart, and yet thy father hunteth my life to take it."
— Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

He came and spoke before Jonathan, "What have I done?" etc. Expelled because of disbelief in the Lord by the reprobate, He often returns more sweetly to the hearts of those who love Him, reminding them frequently of His incarnation, innocent life, and unjust persecution, so that rejoicing in Him, they may confess to the memory of His holiness.
— Bede, Commentary on Samuel

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Naioth — Dwellings, the name given to the prophetical college established by Samuel near Ramah. It consisted of a cluster of separate dwellings, and hence its name. David took refuge here when he fled from…
Naioth · A place in Ramah — A place in Ramah

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).