1 Samuel 20:1

Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? How have I sinned against your father, that he wants to take my life?”

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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KJV

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

ASV

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

YLT

And David fleeth from Naioth in Ramah, and cometh, and saith before Jonathan, `What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what my sin before thy father, that he is seeking my life?'

DBT

And David fled from Naioth by Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity, and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeks my life?

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Commentary voices

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Voices6

On this verse

He came and spoke before Jonathan, "What have I done?" etc. Expelled because of disbelief in the Lord by the reprobate, He often returns more sweetly to the hearts of those who love Him, reminding them frequently of His incarnation, innocent life, and unjust persecution, …

Bede· Commentary on Samuel, 735patristic

Related commentary

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah,....

John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)reformed

While Saul was under the constraining influence of the spirit of prophecy, David escaped from Naioth, and, probably by Samuels advice, returned to Sauls court to commune with Jonathan. Nothing could be a better evidence of his innocence than thus putting himself in Jonathans power. Perhaps something passed between Samuel and Saul on the subject, since it appears from 1Sa 20:5, 1Sa 20:25, 1Sa 20:27, that Saul expected David at the feast of the new moon.

Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical

But he was evidently prompted to go thither by the most generous feelings--to inform his friend of what had recently occurred, and to obtain that friend's sanction to the course he was compelled to adopt. Jonathan could not be persuaded there was any real danger after the oath his father had taken; at all events, he felt assured his father would do nothing without telling him.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed

Jonathan faithfully promises to get and give him intelligence how his father stood affected to him, and renews the covenant of friendship with him,

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

He endeavors to convince him that, notwithstanding his innocency, Saul sought his life. Jonathan, from a principal of filial respect to his father, was very loth to believe that he designed or would ever do so wicked a thing,

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

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Cross-references

16 linked verses

The verses this one reaches12

2 Peter 2:9
if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
1 John 3:21
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,
2 Corinthians 1:12
And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
Psalms 7:4
if I have rewarded my ally with evil, if I have plundered my foe without cause,
1 Samuel 12:3
Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
Psalms 124:6–8
Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
1 Samuel 19:19–24
When Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah,
Psalms 7:3–5
O LORD my God, if I have done this, if injustice is on my hands,
1 Samuel 23:26–28
Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
Psalms 18:20–24
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
1 Samuel 24:9
and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?
1 Samuel 24:11
See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.

4 more linked verses are grouped by book below ↓

Cross-references

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The quotation web

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Around this verse

Word doors

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

Who & where

About this book

David and Jonathan — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866) — public domain

1 Samuel — The transition from judges to monarchy. Samuel rises as prophet-judge; Israel demands a king; Saul rises and is rejected; David is anointed in obscurity and flees across the wilderness. Three lives overlapping — the prophetic-judicial-royal handoff.

Canon: Old Testament
Author: Traditionally Samuel (with additions after his death by Nathan and Gad — cf. 1 Chr 29:29)
Date: Events c. 1050–1010 BC; compilation during the early monarchy

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
2 Peter 2:9
if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
leads to
- Psalms 34:15–19
  The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13
  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will…
- Revelation 3:10
  Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the…
- 2 Timothy 3:12
  Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
- Jude 1:14–15
  Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones
Through
1 John 3:21
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,
leads to
- 1 John 2:28
  And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
- Hebrews 4:16
  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Through
2 Corinthians 1:12
And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom,…
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 2:13
  And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

Where the connections lead

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Continue: 1 Samuel 20 →