1 Samuel 20:24-34

1 Samuel 20:24-34

[24] So David  hid  himself in the field:  and when the new moon  was come, the king  sat him down  to eat  [25] And the king  sat  upon his seat,  as at other times,  even upon a seat  by the wall:  and Jonathan  arose,  and Abner  sat  by Saul's  side,  and David's  place  was empty.  [26] Nevertheless Saul  spake  not any thing  that day:  for he thought,  Something hath befallen  him, he is not  clean;  [27] And it came to pass on the morrow,  which was the second  day of the month,  that David's  place  was empty:  and Saul  said  unto Jonathan  his son,  Wherefore cometh  not the son  of Jesse  to meat,  neither yesterday,  nor to day?  [28] And Jonathan  answered  Saul,  David  earnestly  leave of me  to go to Bethlehem:  [29] And he said,  Let me go,  I pray thee; for our family  hath a sacrifice  in the city;  and my brother,  he hath commanded  me to be there: and now, if I have found  favour  in thine eyes,  let me get away,  I pray thee, and see  my brethren.  Therefore he cometh  not unto the king's  table.  [30] Then Saul's  anger  was kindled  against Jonathan,  and he said  unto him, Thou son  of the perverse  rebellious  woman, do not I know  that thou hast chosen  the son  of Jesse  to thine own confusion,  of thy mother's  nakedness?  [31] For as long as  the son  of Jesse  upon the ground,  thou shalt not be established,  nor thy kingdom.  Wherefore now send  and fetch  him unto me, for he shall surely die.  [32] And Jonathan  answered  Saul  his father,  and said  unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain?  what hath he done?  [33] And Saul  cast  a javelin  at him to smite  him: whereby Jonathan  knew  that it was determined  of his father  to slay  David.  [34] So Jonathan  arose  from the table  in fierce  anger,  and did eat  no meat  the second  day  of the month:  for he was grieved  for David,  because his father  had done him shame. 

What does 1 Samuel 20:24-34 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Saul concluded at first that David had not come to the new moon sacrificial meal because he was unclean (cf. Leviticus 7:20-21; Leviticus 15:16). His continued absence required an explanation, which Saul looked to David"s friend to provide. Saul hated David so much he could not bring himself to use his name ( 1 Samuel 20:27; 1 Samuel 20:31). "The son of ..." was a mild insult (cf. 1 Samuel 10:11). [1] By insulting Jonathan"s mother Saul was intensifying his insult ( 1 Samuel 20:30). Today"s English Version translated Saul"s epithet, "You bastard!" The New Jerusalem Bible rendered it, "You son of a rebellious slut!" The note in the NET Bible says, "You stupid son of a bitch!" Jonathan had chosen David as his friend to his own shame ( 1 Samuel 20:30) in the sense that because he had made him his friend, rather than killing him, as Saul wanted him to do, David would take Jonathan"s place as the king of Israel. That would be a shame for Jonathan. Jonathan had chosen David to the shame of his mother"s nakedness in that Jonathan"s conception and birth were useless if David replaced him. Jonathan would fail to achieve the purpose for which he had been born, in Saul"s way of thinking ( 1 Samuel 20:31). Saul perceived David as a threat to his continuing dynasty, not just to his personal rule. Clearly Saul was rejecting and opposing God"s will that his reign and his dynasty would not endure. Saul said he would kill David so that David could not do what God had said He would do.
Jonathan"s ambitions were not the same as Saul"s. He wanted God"s plans to succeed more than he wanted to become Israel"s king. Therefore he interceded for David again ( 1 Samuel 20:32; cf. 1 Samuel 19:4). Saul, exasperated by what he interpreted as Jonathan"s selfless folly, tried to execute David"s advocate as he had formerly tried to kill David himself ( 1 Samuel 20:33; cf. 1 Samuel 18:11; 1 Samuel 19:10). This brush with death finally convinced Jonathan that David had been right about Saul"s intentions after all (cf. 1 Samuel 20:3). It also convinced him to get out of the king"s presence. Jonathan departed in hot anger because of Saul"s attitude toward David and because of Saul"s attitude toward himself. Saul had said David would not allow Jonathan to rule, but Saul himself almost prevented that from happening by attacking the crown prince. Jonathan"s departure from Saul"s table symbolized his departure from his father"s fellowship.