1 Sam. 20 David complaineth to Jonathan of Saul: he comforteth him; can hardly believe what David saith of his father; promiseth to give him notice how his absence was taken: they renew a covenant of friendship, and swear to each other, 1 Sam. 20:1–17. Their sign, 1 Sam. 20:18–23.

David fled, whilst Saul lay in an ecstasy, from Naioth in Ramah to Gibeah, where Jonathan was, taking the opportunity of Saul’s absence. What is my sin before thy father? what is it which thus incenseth thy father against me? what crime doth he charge me with? That he seeketh my life, to wit, to…

Thou shalt not die; I will secure thee by my interest with my father; nor doth he design to destroy thee; for what he doth in his frantic fits is not to be imputed to him; and when he comes to himself, I doubt not to reconcile thee to him. For Jonathan gave credit to his father’s oath, 1 Sam.

The matter being of great moment, and Jonathan doubting the truth of it, David confirms his word with an oath, which follows in the end of the verse; only he interposeth a reason why Saul concealed it from Jonathan.

To wit, for the discovery of the truth, and for the preservation of thy life.

The new moon was a solemn and festival time, as among the Romans and other heathens, so also with the Hebrews, who solemnized it with offering peace-offerings to God, and feasting together upon the remainders of it, after the manner. See Num. 10:10, Num. 28:11, Ps. 81:3.

Quest. How could David imagine that Saul would expect his company, whom he had once and again endeavoured to kill? Answ. First, He might suppose that David would ascribe all that to his madness and frantic fits, which being over, he would promise himself safety in the king’s presence.

Then be sure, Heb. know thou; for indeed David knew well enough that Saul designed to kill him.; but he useth this course for Jonathan’s information and satisfaction, and for his own greater vindication, if he did wholly withdraw himself from Saul, and from his wife; which he foresaw he should be…

Thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant, in giving me timely notice, and a true account of Saul’s disposition and intention towards me. A covenant of the Lord, i.e.

Far be it from thee; I abhor the thoughts of either killing thee myself, or giving thee up to my father to slay thee.

By what means or messenger shall I understand this? for peradventure thou wilt not be able to come to me thyself.

Lest they should be overheard.

O Lord God of Israel, do thou hear and judge between us. It is an abrupt speech, which is usual in great passions.

The Lord give thee that honour and success in all thy affairs which he hath given to my father. Jonathan undoubtedly knew of Samuel’s final and irrevocable sentence of Saul’s rejection from the kingdom, and of the substitution of some other person after God’s own heart in his stead; and that David…

Or, And wilt thou not, if I shall then be alive, ( to wit, when the Lord shall be with thee, as he hath been with my father, as he now said, i.e. when God shall have advanced thee to the kingdom, as he did him,) yea, wilt thou not (the same particle twice repeated for asseveration, i.e.

Thy kindness; he saith not, the kindness of the Lord, as before, because the covenant between them seem to have been only personal, and not comprehending their posterity.

The covenant which before was personal, he now extends to the whole house of David, expecting a reciprocal enlargement of it on David’s side, which doubtless he obtained.

Heb. And Jonathan added or proceeded to make David swear, i.e. having himself sworn to David, or adjured David, in the foregoing verse, he here requires David’s oath to him, by way of restipulation or confirmation.

Thy seat, i.e. the place where David used to sit at meals with Saul. See 1 Sam. 20:25.

When thou hast stayed three days; either at Bethlehem with thy friends, 1 Sam. 20:6, or elsewhere, as thou shalt see fit. When the business was in hand, Heb. in the day of business; or, of the business. And these words are to be joined, either, 1.

He chose this way to avoid Saul’s suspicion, because bows and arrows were the principal arms of those times; and Jonathan, as well as others, did oft go forth to exercise himself with them, both for recreation, and improvement of his skill in that art.

I will send him out before I shoot, to find out and take up the arrows which I shall shoot. And I shall shoot them either short of him, or beyond him, as I shall see occasion.

Take this for an intimation of God’s providence, that thou shouldst keep away from the court.

David hid himself, to wit, at the time appointed; for it seems probable that he went first to Bethlehem, as he bade Jonathan tell his father, 1 Sam. 20:6, and thence returned to the field, when the occasion required; else we must charge him with a downright lie, which ought not to be imagined…

Jonathan arose, to wit, from his seat where he was sat next to the king, whence he arose, and stood up at Abner’s coming, to do honour to him, who was his father’s cousin, and the general of the army. David’s place seems to have been next to Abner, on the same side with him.

Something hath befallen; some accident which hath rendered him unclean, and so unfit to partake of this feast, which consisted in part of the remainders of these peace-offerings, according to the law, Lev.

Which was the second day of the month, or, on the morrow of the new moon, being the second day; either, 1. Of the three days appointed, 1 Sam. 20:5, 1 Sam. 20:19. Or, 2. Of the feast. Or, 3. Of the month. Saul said unto Jonathan, who was David’s friend, and best knew his mind and his ways.

He hath commanded me to be there; either in his father’s name, or in the right of the first-born; one branch of which was authority over his brethren in all the concerns of the family; whereof this was one.

Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman; this base temper of thine thou hast not from me, but from thy mother; of whose perverseness I have had so much experience. Or, thou son of perverse rebellion, i.e. thou perverse and rebellious son.

Thus he grossly mistakes the cause of Jonathan’s loss of the kingdom, which was not David’s art, but Saul’s sin; and vainly endeavours to prevent God’s irrevocable sentence.

To smite him, i. e. to wound him, though not to smite him even to the wall, as he designed to do to David, 1 Sam. 19:10.

Or, and because; for this is a second cause of his grief. The conjunction and is ofttimes omitted, and to be supplied; as Ps. 33:2, Ps. 144:9, Hab. 3:11.

In the morning, to wit, of the third day, appointed, for this work, 1 Sam. 20:5.

To the place, i.e. near to the place. Or, and the lad went, or was going on to the place; for the words following show the he was not yet come thither. The Hebrew verb bo, which properly signifies to come, sometimes signifies to go; as here, and Ruth 3:7, Jonah 1:3.

Haste, stay not; so he bids him, because finding the coast clear, he made haste to take the opportunity-to speak with his dearly beloved David.

His artillery; his bow, and arrows, and quiver.

Toward the south; in respect of the stone where David by appointment hid himself. Until David exceeded; as well he might, because he was driven away, not only from his dear friend Jonathan, but also from his wife, and all his relations, and from the commonwealth of israel, and from the service of…

We have sworn both of us; therefore doubt not but I will ever love thee, and faithfully serve thee; and the like I assure myself from thee; and this must be our comfort in our state of separation.