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1 Samuel 19:1

in 1 Samuel 19

Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David.

KJV

And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 19

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

That they should kill David - Nothing less than the especial interposition of God could have saved David’s life, when every officer about the king’s person, and every soldier, had got positive orders to despatch him.

This site's exposition

Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David

on 1 Samuel 19:1-2

Saul had tried the spear twice in private, and here the order goes out openly, to his son and every servant. Jonathan "delighted greatly in David," and his warning to hide until morning is the first time son and father openly divide over David. His plan to speak for David in the field where Saul can be watched opens a reconciliation that will not hold for long.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

THE CORRECTION OF THE DONATISTS 2.9 · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

But true martyrs are such as those of whom the Lord says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." It is not, therefore, those who suffer persecution for their unrighteousness and for the divisions which they impiously introduce into Christian unity, but those who suffer for righteousness' sake, that are truly martyrs. For Hagar also suffered persecution at the hands of Sarah; and in that case she who persecuted was righteous, and she who suffered persecution was unrighteous. Are we to compare with this persecution which Hagar suffered to the case of holy David, who was persecuted by unrighteous Saul? Surely there is an essential difference, not in respect of his suffering but because he suffered for righteousness' sake.

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

(1 Samuel 19) "But Saul spoke to Jonathan his son," etc. The princes of the Jews, together with the elders and scribes, spoke to the apostles, strictly commanding them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

Moreover, Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David greatly, etc. Likewise, the apostles loved Christ greatly, and, recounting the accusations of the faithless, they beseeched Him to defend His Church, to preserve the faith in His name within the Church; remaining secretly in the hearts …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

22 ), he was not afraid of provoking them to rebel by this bloody order. Either malice was not then so politic, or justice was not so corrupted as it has been since, or else Saul would have had him indicted, and have suborned witnesses to swear treason against him, and so have had him taken off, as Naboth was, by colour of law.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens

And Saul spake to Jonathan his son,....
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David--The murderous design he had secretly cherished he now reveals to a few of his intimate friends. Jonathan was among the number.

The words behind it

17 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיְדַבֵּ֣רand he spoke

    vaydaberH1696 →1141 times

  • שָׁא֗וּלSaul

    shaulH7586 →402 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • יוֹנָתָ֤ןJonathan

    yonatanH3129 →43 times

  • בְּנוֹ֙son his

    benoH1121 →4930 times

  • וְאֶל־and to

    veel-H413 →5510 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • עֲבָדָ֔יוservants his

    ʾavadavH5650 →799 times

  • לְהָמִ֖יתto kill

    lehamitH4191 →839 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • דָּוִ֑דDavid

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • וִיהֽוֹנָתָן֙and Jonathan

    vihonatanH3083 →81 times

  • בֶּן־[the] son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • שָׁא֔וּלSaul

    shaulH7586 →402 times

  • חָפֵ֥ץhe delighted

    chafetzH2654 →74 times

  • בְּדָוִ֖דin David

    bedavidH1732 →999 times

  • מְאֹֽד׃exceedingly

    meodH3966 →300 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

4 in all, six open

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Samuel 18:1

    After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 18:24

      A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

    • 1 Samuel 20:17

      And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

    • 2 Samuel 1:26

      I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

    • 1 Samuel 18:3

      Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

    • Colossians 2:2

      that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,

  • Through

    1 Samuel 18:9

    And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

    it leads to

    • Ephesians 4:27

      and do not give the devil a foothold.

    • Mark 7:22

      greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.

    • Genesis 31:2

      And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

David Escapes through a Window — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
David Escapes through a Window — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 19 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, THE CORRECTION OF THE DONATISTS 2.9; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 19 →