1 Samuel 20:37
in 1 Samuel 20When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
KJV
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
⋯
This verse in 1 Samuel 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verse): Is not the arrow beyond thee? That word [ beyond ] David knew the meaning of better than the lad. Jonathan dismissed the lad, who knew nothing of the matter, and, finding the coast clear and no danger of a discovery, he presumed upon one minute's personal conversation with David after he had bidden him flee for his life.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
This site's exposition
In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David
on 1 Samuel 20:35-38
The plan reaches its appointed hour, with a small boy present who knows nothing of what the arrows mean. Jonathan shoots beyond him, the signal agreed at verse 22. Every word Jonathan speaks here is aimed past the boy at David hiding within earshot.
This site's exposition
the arrow beyond you
Jonathan phrases the signal as a question, which any bystander would take as a call about a stray arrow. Matthew Henry notes that David understood the word beyond better than the lad did. It told him to flee.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:98%@v6-7
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot,....
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֤א | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַנַּ֙עַר֙ | hanaar | the lad | H5288 → | 239 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| מְק֣וֹם | mekom | [the] place of | H4725 → | 401 times |
| הַחֵ֔צִי | hachetzi | the arrow | H2678 → | 4 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יָרָ֖ה | yarah | he had shot | H3384 → | 80 times |
| יְהוֹנָתָ֑ן | yehonatan | Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֨א | vaiyikra' | and he called out | H7121 → | 733 times |
| יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן | yehonatan | Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֤י | ʾacharei | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| הַנַּ֙עַר֙ | hanaar | the lad | H5288 → | 239 times |
| וַיֹּ֔אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הֲל֥וֹא | halo' | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הַחֵ֖צִי | hachetzi | [is] the arrow | H2678 → | 4 times |
| מִמְּךָ֥ | mimekha | from you | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| וָהָֽלְאָה׃ | vahalah | and beyond | H1973 → | 16 times |
וַיָּבֹ֤אand he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
הַנַּ֙עַר֙the lad
hanaarH5288 →239 times
עַד־to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
מְק֣וֹם[the] place of
mekomH4725 →401 times
הַחֵ֔צִיthe arrow
hachetziH2678 →4 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יָרָ֖הhe had shot
yarahH3384 →80 times
יְהוֹנָתָ֑ןJonathan
yehonatanH3083 →81 times
וַיִּקְרָ֨אand he called out
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
יְהוֹנָתָ֜ןJonathan
yehonatanH3083 →81 times
אַחֲרֵ֤יafter
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
הַנַּ֙עַר֙the lad
hanaarH5288 →239 times
וַיֹּ֔אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הֲל֥וֹא¿ not
halo'H3808 →5168 times
הַחֵ֖צִי[is] the arrow
hachetziH2678 →4 times
מִמְּךָ֥from you
mimekhaH4480 →1188 times
וָהָֽלְאָה׃and beyond
vahalahH1973 →16 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.