1 Samuel 20:40
in 1 Samuel 20Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
KJV
And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 20
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad,.... "His vessels" (l) or instruments; his arms, as the Targum, his quiver, bow, and arrows: and said unto him, go, carry them to the city; to Gibeah, to Jonathan's house, or to his apartments at court there. (l) את כליו "vasa sua", Montanus; "instrumenta sua", Piscator; "arma sua", V. L. Tigurine version.
This site's exposition
But the boy did not know anything
on 1 Samuel 20:39-40
The narrator states that "the boy did not know anything." Jonathan sends him back to the city with the equipment. Only two men in the kingdom know what the arrows meant, which is how a covenant Saul would kill to break has to be kept.
This site's exposition
Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy
Adam Clarke notes that the Hebrew word behind equipment means instruments, here the bow, quiver and arrows. John Gill names the city as Gibeah, Saul's home. With the boy gone, the field is empty for the farewell of verse 41.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Jonathan therefore gave his weapons to the boy, etc. He gave examples of the learned, he gave the rules of good conduct to be imitated by his disciples in the Church, and said to them: Go, advancing from strength to strength, compare these things with …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
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
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Jonathan gave his artillery - I believe this to be the only place in our language where the word artillery is not applied to cannon or ordnance. The original (כלי keley) signifies simply instruments, and here means the bow, quiver, and arrows.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad--that is, his missive weapons. The French word artillerie, signifies "archery." The term is still used in England, in the designation of the "artillery company of London," the association of archers, though they have long disused bows and arrows.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתֵּ֤ן | vaiyiten | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהֽוֹנָתָן֙ | yehonatan | Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כֵּלָ֔יו | kelav | weapons his | H3627 → | 325 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַנַּ֖עַר | hanaar | the lad | H5288 → | 239 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| ל֑וֹ | lo | [belonged] to <the> him | ||
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| לֵ֖ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| הָבֵ֥יא | havei' | take [them] | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הָעִֽיר׃ | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
וַיִּתֵּ֤ןand he gave
vaiyitenH5414 →2011 times
יְהֽוֹנָתָן֙Jonathan
yehonatanH3083 →81 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כֵּלָ֔יוweapons his
kelavH3627 →325 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַנַּ֖עַרthe lad
hanaarH5288 →239 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
ל֑וֹ[belonged] to <the> him
lo
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
ל֔וֹto <the> him
lo
לֵ֖ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
הָבֵ֥יאtake [them]
havei'H935 →2568 times
הָעִֽיר׃the city
hairH5892 →1090 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; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.