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1 Samuel 19-20 - Friendship Under Persecution

19 min read

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1 Samuel 19-20 shows how envy becomes persecution and how holy friendship becomes shelter. Saul no longer merely envies David; he seeks his life. Jonathan and Michal both act to preserve David, but Jonathan’s covenant love becomes the spiritual center. In a house ruled by fear, Jonathan loves without possession and tells the truth at personal cost.

Historical and Scriptural Context

Where in Scripture

These chapters follow David’s victory and Saul’s growing jealousy. The relationship between Saul and David deteriorates into open threat. The narrative now begins David’s long life as fugitive, while Jonathan’s loyalty reveals another possible response to David’s rise.

Where in history

Saul’s court is no longer safe. Royal proximity becomes dangerous. David’s place in the king’s house does not protect him because Saul’s inner disorder governs the environment.

Geographical Significance ⛰️

The movement is domestic and local: Saul’s house, David’s house, Samuel’s company at Ramah, and the field where Jonathan communicates the truth. The field matters because friendship and truth move outside the palace. The open place becomes safer than the king’s table.

Light from the Word 🕯️

1 Samuel 19, Saul’s violence and David’s deliverance

1 Samuel 19:1-24, Brenton Septuagint

  1. And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, to slay David.
  2. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, loved David much: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul seeks to kill thee: take heed to thyself therefore to-morrow morning, and hide thyself, and dwell in secret.
  3. And I will go forth, and stand near my father in the field where thou shalt be, and I will speak concerning thee to my father; and I will see what his answer may be, and I will tell thee.
  4. And Jonathan spoke favourably concerning David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against thy servant David, for he has not sinned against thee, and his deeds are very good.
  5. And he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance; and all Israel saw, and rejoiced: why then dost thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
  6. And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore, saying, As the Lord lives, he shall not die.
  7. And Jonathan called David, and told him all these words; and Jonathan brought David in to Saul, and he was before him as in former times.
  8. And there was again war against Saul; and David did valiantly, and fought against the Philistines, and smote them with a very great slaughter, and they fled from before him.
  9. And an evil spirit from God was upon Saul, and he was resting in his house, and a spear was in his hand, and David was playing on the harp with his hands.
  10. And Saul sought to smite David with the spear; and David withdrew suddenly from the presence of Saul; and he drove the spear into the wall; and David retreated and escaped.
  11. And it came to pass in that night, that Saul sent messengers to the house of David to watch him, in order to slay him in the morning; and Melchol David’s wife told him, saying, Unless thou save thy life this night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain.
  12. So Melchol lets David down by the window, and he departed, and fled, and escaped.
  13. And Melchol took images, and laid them on the bed, and she put the liver of a goat by his head, and covered them with clothes.
  14. And Saul sent messengers to take David; and they say that he is sick.
  15. And he sends to David, saying, Bring him to me on the bed, that I may slay him.
  16. And the messengers come, and, behold, the images were on the bed, and the goat’s liver at his head.
  17. And Saul said to Melchol, Why hast thou thus deceived me, and suffered my enemy to depart, and he has escaped? and Melchol said to Saul, He said, Let me go, and if not, I will slay thee.
  18. So David fled, and escaped, and comes to Samuel to Armathaim, and tells him all that Saul had done to him: and Samuel and David went, and dwelt in Navath in Rama.
  19. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is in Navath in Rama.
  20. And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the assembly of the prophets, and Samuel stood as appointed over them; and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they prophesy.
  21. And it was told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied: and Saul sent again a third set of messengers, and they also prophesied.
  22. And Saul was very angry, and went himself also to Armathaim, and he comes as far as the well of the threshing-floor that is in Sephi; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? and they said, Behold, in Navath in Rama.
  23. And he went thence to Navath in Rama: and there came the Spirit of God upon him also, and he went on prophesying till he came to Navath in Rama.
  24. And he took off his clothes, and prophesied before them; and lay down naked all that day and all that night: therefore they said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

Saul speaks openly of killing David. Jonathan intercedes, reminding Saul of David’s innocence and service. Saul briefly listens, but the repentance does not hold. This is a sobering pattern: a person may be temporarily moved by truth without being healed of the passion underneath.

David again serves with music, and Saul again tries to spear him. The same harp that once soothed Saul now plays in a room filled with murder. Holy service does not guarantee safety from another person’s envy.

Michal helps David escape, and Samuel’s prophetic company later becomes the place where Saul’s messengers and Saul himself are overtaken by prophecy. The persecutor is interrupted by the Spirit. God can restrain violence in ways no one expected.

Christologically, David is the innocent anointed one hunted by a threatened ruler. This prepares the reader for Christ, who is sought by Herod, rejected by leaders, and yet preserved until His hour.

1 Samuel 20:1-23, Jonathan tests the truth

1 Samuel 20:1-23, Brenton Septuagint

  1. And David fled from Navath in Rama, and comes into the presence of Jonathan; and he said, What have I done, and what is my fault, and wherein have I sinned before thy father, that he seeks my life?
  2. And Jonathan said to him, Far be it from thee: thou shalt not die: behold, my father will not do any thing great or small without discovering it to me; and why should my father hide this matter from me? this thing is not so.
  3. And David answered Jonathan, and said, Thy father knows surely that I have found grace in thy sight, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he refuse his consent: but as the Lord lives and thy soul lives, as I said, the space is filled up between me and death.
  4. And Jonathan said to David, What does thy soul desire, and what shall I do for thee?
  5. And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I shall not on any account sit down to eat, but thou shalt let me go, and I will hide in the plain till the evening.
  6. And if thy father do in anywise enquire for me, then shalt thou say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethleem his city, for there is there a yearly sacrifice for all the family.
  7. If he shall say thus, Well, - all is safe for thy servant: but if he shall answer harshly to thee, know that evil is determined by him.
  8. And thou shalt deal mercifully with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thyself: and if there is iniquity in thy servant, slay me thyself; but why dost thou thus bring me to thy father?
  9. And Jonathan said, That be far from thee: for if I surely know that evil is determined by my father to come upon thee, although it should not be against thy cities, I will tell thee.
  10. And David said to Jonathan, Who can tell me if thy father should answer roughly?
  11. And Jonathan said to David, Go, and abide in the field. And they went out both into the field.
  12. And Jonathan said to David, The Lord God of Israel knows that I will sound my father as I have an opportunity, three several times, and, behold, if good should be determined concerning David, and I do not send to thee to the field,
  13. God do so to Jonathan and more also: as I shall also report the evil to thee, and make it known to thee, and I will let thee go; and thou shalt depart in peace, and the Lord shall be with thee, as he was with my father.
  14. And if indeed I continue to live, then shalt thou deal mercifully with me; and if I indeed die,
  15. thou shalt not withdraw thy mercy from my house for ever: and if thou doest not, when the Lord cuts off the enemies of David each from the face of the earth,
  16. should it happen that the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, then let the Lord seek out the enemies of David.
  17. And Jonathan swore yet again to David, because he loved the soul of him that loved him.
  18. And Jonathan said, To-morrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be enquired for, because thy seat will be observed as vacant.
  19. And thou shalt stay three days, and watch an opportunity, and shalt come to thy place where thou mayest hide thyself in the day of thy business, and thou shalt wait by that ergab.
  20. And I will shoot three arrows, aiming them at a mark.
  21. And behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go find me the arrow.
  22. If I should expressly say to the lad, The arrow is here, and on this side of thee, take it; then come, for it is well with thee, and there is no reason for fear, as the Lord lives: but if I should say thus to the young man, The arrow is on that side of thee, and beyond; go, for the Lord hath sent thee away.
  23. And as for the word which thou and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is witness between me and thee for ever.

David knows the danger, but Jonathan struggles to believe his father fully intends murder. This is psychologically truthful. It is hard to accept that someone close has become dangerous. Jonathan does not dismiss David, though. He agrees to test the matter and binds himself again in covenant.

Jonathan’s friendship is not sentimental. He seeks truth, makes a plan, and accepts personal cost. He asks David to show mercy to his house when the Lord cuts off David’s enemies. Jonathan knows David’s future threatens his own royal claim, yet he loves him.

This is holy friendship: to love the good God is doing in another person even when it diminishes your own apparent advantage.

1 Samuel 20:24-42, the arrow and the farewell

1 Samuel 20:24-42, Brenton Septuagint

  1. So David hides himself in the field, and the new month arrives, and the king comes to the table to eat.
  2. And he sat upon his seat as in former times, even on his seat by the wall, and he went before Jonathan; and Abenner sat on one side of Saul, and the place of David was empty.
  3. And Saul said nothing on that day, for he said, It seems to have fallen out that he is not clean, because he has not purified himself.
  4. And it came to pass on the morrow, on the second day of the month, that the place of David was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jessæ attended both yesterday and to-day at the table?
  5. And Jonathan answered Saul, and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as Bethleem his city;
  6. and he said, Let me go, I pray thee, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brethren have sent for me; and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, I will even go over and see my brethren: therefore he is not present at the table of the king.
  7. And Saul was exceedingly angry with Jonathan, and said to him, Thou son of traitorous damsels! for do I not know that thou art an accomplice with the son of Jessæ to thy shame, and to the shame of thy mother’s nakedness?
  8. For so long as the son of Jessæ lives upon the earth, thy kingdom shall not be established: now then send and take the young man, for he shall surely die.
  9. And Jonathan answered Saul, Why is he to die? what has he done?
  10. And Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan to slay him: so Jonathan knew that this evil was determined on by his father to slay David.
  11. And Jonathan sprang up from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he grieved bitterly for David, because his father determined on mischief against him.
  12. And morning came, and Jonathan went out to the field, as he appointed to do for a signal to David, and a little boy was with him.
  13. And he said to the boy, Run, find me the arrows which I shoot: and the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow, and sent it beyond him.
  14. And the boy came to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan shot; and Jonathan cried out after the lad, and said, The arrow is on that side of thee and beyond thee.
  15. And Jonathan cried out after his boy, saying, Make all speed, and stay not. And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and brought the arrows to his master.
  16. And the boy knew nothing, only Jonathan and David knew.
  17. And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to his boy, Go, enter into the city.
  18. And when the lad went in, then David arose from the argab, and fell upon his face, and did obeisance to him three times, and they kissed each other, and wept for each other, for a great while.
  19. And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever - even so let it be.

The meal exposes Saul. His rage at Jonathan reveals the truth David feared. Saul’s language is shaming, possessive, and violent. He sees David’s rise as Jonathan’s loss. Jonathan sees David’s rise through covenant love.

The arrow signal is heartbreaking because truth now requires separation. Jonathan and David weep and part. Love does not always keep people in the same place. Sometimes love tells the truth, protects life, and releases the beloved into exile.

Christologically, Jonathan’s costly love points faintly to the friend who lays down his life. Christ says there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for friends. Jonathan does not fulfill that entirely, but his love belongs to that pattern.

LXX and Original-Language Insight

The covenant language in these chapters is central. Friendship is not mere affinity. It is pledged faithfulness before the Lord. Saul’s eye of envy in chapter 18 becomes open speech of murder in chapter 19 and rage at the table in chapter 20. Sin grows when not judged early.

Patristic Voice

The Fathers praise friendship ordered toward virtue, not merely emotional attachment. St John Chrysostom often speaks of love that seeks another’s salvation rather than advantage. St Augustine’s theology of rightly ordered love helps explain Jonathan: he does not cling to succession as a private possession. Saul’s envy, by contrast, is disordered love of power.

Christological and Typological Reading

David is the persecuted anointed one, preserved by God before his appointed time. Jonathan’s friendship points toward Christ-like love because it rejoices in another’s exaltation and accepts loss. Yet Christ is greater than both David and Jonathan. He is the hunted King and the faithful Friend. He is betrayed, threatened, and cast out, but He lays down His life freely.

Compromised Households, Charism Without Conversion, and Covenant Memory

Michal’s household image should not be passed over. The presence of a teraphim in the royal household hints that Israel’s spiritual compromise is not only in Saul’s violence but inside domestic religious life. The text does not present David’s orbit as pure. God is preserving David, but the world around him is spiritually mixed.

Saul’s prophetic stripping is humiliation and judgment, not conversion. The Spirit can overpower a man without healing his will. Charism and moral transformation are not identical. That distinction is pastorally essential in the Church: spiritual experiences, gifts, or public religious moments do not replace repentance.

Jonathan’s covenant in chapter 20 also reaches beyond the immediate friendship. His plea that David show mercy to his house is later fulfilled in David’s care for Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. This makes the covenant more than emotion. It becomes remembered mercy across generations.

The Psalms belong beside these chapters. Psalm 59 is tied to Saul’s men watching David’s house. Psalm 57 and Psalm 142 belong to cave and exile spirituality. These prayers show how persecution becomes worship when fear is brought before God instead of allowed to curdle into hatred.

The Church’s Voice in Worship

No exact Coptic placement for these chapters is asserted from the local lookup. The themes resonate with the Church’s teaching on love, betrayal, persecution, and truthful friendship. The farewell of Jonathan and David can be used pastorally with care when teaching about loyalty that does not enable danger.

Iconography Connection 🖼️

The relationship tree is the best visual aid here. It keeps Jonathan’s love from becoming sentimental by placing it inside real family and kingdom pressure. Jonathan is Saul’s son, David’s covenant friend, and a man who refuses to make succession into an idol.

Saul, Jonathan, Michal, and David relationship tree Source: Saul, Jonathan, Michal, and David relationship tree.

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

  1. Judge envy early. Saul’s envy becomes murder. Small comparison can become spiritual violence if protected.

  2. Do not call denial loyalty. Jonathan loves his father, but he still tests the truth and protects David.

  3. Love without possessing the future. Jonathan does not need David’s calling to disappear so he can feel secure.

  4. Let truth protect life. Sometimes the faithful act is distance, not forced closeness.

  5. Be a friend before God. Holy friendship helps another obey God, even at personal cost.

Closing Meditation

Lord, cleanse my love from possession. Give me the courage to see danger truthfully and the tenderness to protect without controlling. Make me a friend who rejoices in Your work in another soul.

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