1 Samuel 20:3

And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
David	דָּוִ֗ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
sware	וַיִּשָּׁבַ֨ע vai.yi.sha.Va'	H7650	to seven oneself · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
said	וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
father	אָבִ֗יךָ 'a.Vi.kha	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
certainly	יָדֹ֨עַ ya.Do.a'	H3045	to know (properly · verb, qal infinitive absolute
knoweth	יָדַ֜ע ya.Da'	H3045	to know (properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
found	מָצָ֤אתִי ma.Tza.ti	H4672	properly · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common singular
grace	חֵן֙ chen	H2580	graciousness · noun, common masculine singular absolute
eyes	בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ be.'ei.Nei.kha	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
saith	וַיֹּ֛אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Jonathan	יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן ye.ho.na.Tan	H3083	Jehonathan · proper noun, a man's name
know	יֵֽדַע ye.da'-	H3045	to know (properly · verb, qal jussive, 3rd person masculine singular
grieved	יֵֽעָצֵ֑ב ye.'a.Tzev	H6087	properly · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
truly	וְאוּלָ֗ם ve.'u.Lam	H199	however or on the contrary · conjunction + adverb
LORD	יְהוָה֙ Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
liveth	חַי chai-	H2416	alive · adjective, masculine singular absolute
soul	נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ naf.She.kha	H5315	properly · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
liveth	וְחֵ֣י ve.Chei	H2416	alive · conjunction + adjective, masculine singular construct
step	כְפֶ֔שַׂע khe.Fe.sa'	H6587	a stride · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
death	הַמָּֽוֶת ha.Ma.vet	H4194	death (natural or violent) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

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

Deuteronomy 6:13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
1 Samuel 25:26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from…
1 Samuel 27:1 And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily esca…
2 Kings 2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul li…
1 Samuel 1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, an…
2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy…
Deuteronomy 28:66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:

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 20:3

There is but a step between me and death - My life is in the most imminent danger. Your father has, most assuredly, determined to destroy me. The same figure used here, there is but a step between me and death, may be found in Juvenal, who, satirizing those who risk their lives for the sake of gain in perilous voyages, speaks thus: - I nune et ventis animam committe, dolato Confisus ligno, digitis a morte remotus Quatuor aut septem, si sit latissima teda. Sat. xii., ver. 57. "Go now, and commit thy life to the winds, trusting to a hewn plank, four or seven fingers thick, if the beam out of which it has been cut have been large enough."

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:3

And David sware moreover, and said,.... To assure Jonathan of the truth of it, that he did most certainly seek after his life, of which, as he had no doubt himself, by an oath he endeavoured to remove any that might be in Jonathan, who was not willing to believe his father could be guilty of so foul a crime: thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes: that he was high in his favour, that he had a great value for him, and he had a large share in his love and friendship, and that was the reason why he hid from him his base intentions: and he saith, let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; as he would be, both for the evil his father would be guilty of, and the…

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The Church Fathers

Moreover, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, etc. He was separated from death by only a single step, that is, by the wall of the house in which he was staying, when (as the title of the fifty-eighth psalm also contains) Saul sent and watched him, seeking to kill him. But immediately slipping from death through a window, he was rescued and fled away, saved completely, so that by the Lord's mercy, what was foretold in the same title might happen: "Do not destroy David," in the title's inscription. This should likewise be understood also of the Lord Savior, as He was separated from death by only a single step, so to speak, due to the temerity of men, when the chief priests sent and watched over His tomb, trying to block His resurrection, by denying the entrance to it, drawing His disciples away from the faith, and erasing all memory of His name from the midst if His disciples were retracted from faith. But according to the testimony of the mentioned inscription, just as neither the title written by Pilate, "This is the King of the Jews," nor the kingdom of the same King could ever be corrupted.
— 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.…
Life · BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF — BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF
Oath · Jonathan and David confirm a covenant by — Jonathan and David confirm a covenant by

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 20:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:3

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 20:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:3

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 20:1-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 20:2-3

Rashi on 1 Samuel 20:3