1 Samuel 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;

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Jonathan	יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן ye.ho.na.Tan	H3083	Jehonathan · proper noun, a man's name
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
David	דָּוִ֗ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
LORD	יְהוָ֞ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
God	אֱלֹהֵ֤י 'e.lo.Hei	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ Yis.ra.'El	H3478	Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
sounded	אֶחְקֹ֣ר 'ech.Kor	H2713	properly · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
father	אָבִ֗י 'a.Vi	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
morrow	מָחָר֙ ma.Char	H4279	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
time	כָּעֵ֤ת ka.'Et	H6256	time · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular construct
third	הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֔ית ha.she.li.Shit	H7992	third · definite article + ordinal number, feminine singular absolute
good	טוֹב ṭôwb	H2895	to be (transitively
David	דָּוִ֑ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
send	אֶשְׁלַ֣ח 'esh.Lach	H7971	to send away · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
shew	וְגָלִ֖יתִי ve.ga.Li.ti	H1540	to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular

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

Joshua 22:22 The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the…
Job 31:4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?
Psalms 17:3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shal…
Psalms 139:1-4 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
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 honour of kings is to search out a matter.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:9-23

Here, I. Jonathan protests his fidelity to David in his distress. Notwithstanding the strong confidence David had in Jonathan, yet, because he might have some reason to fear that his father's influence, and his own interest, should make him warp, or grow cool towards him, Jonathan thought it requisite solemnly to renew the professions of his friendship to him (Sa1 20:9): "Far be it from thee to think that I suspect thee of any crime for which I should either slay thee myself or deliver thee to my father; no, if thou hast any jealousy of that, Come let us go into the field (Sa1 20:11), and talk it over more fully." He did not challenge him to the field to fight him for an affront, but to fix…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:11

THEIR COVENANT RENEWED BY OATH. (Sa1 20:11-23) Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go into the field--The private dialogue, which is here detailed at full length, presents a most beautiful exhibition of these two amiable and noble-minded friends. Jonathan was led, in the circumstances, to be the chief speaker. The strength of his attachment, his pure disinterestedness, his warm piety, his invocation to God (consisting of a prayer and a solemn oath combined), the calm and full expression he gave of his conviction that his own family were, by the divine will, to be disinherited, and David elevated to the possession of the throne, the covenant entered into with David on behalf of his descenda…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:12

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 חי 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.

The Church Fathers

But good will also goes together with generosity, for generosity really starts from it, seeing that the habit of giving comes after the desire to give. But generosity may be distinguished from good will. For where generosity is lacking, there good may abide—the parent, as it were, of all in common, uniting and binding friendships together. It is faithful in counsel, joyful in times of prosperity, and in times of sorrow sad. So it happens that any one trusts himself to the counsels of a man of good will rather than to those of a wise one, as David did. For he, though he was the more farseeing, agreed to the counsels of Jonathan, who was the younger.
— Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 1.32.167

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.…
New Moon — The first day of the lunar month was observed as a holy day. In addition to the daily sacrifice there were offered two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first year as a burnt offering,…

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).

1 Samuel 20:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:9-23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:11

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 20:12

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:9-23

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:11

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:12

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:12

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 20:12-23

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 20:8

Rashi on 1 Samuel 20:12