1 Samuel 20:22
in 1 Samuel 20But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent thee away.
KJV
But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 20
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
I will shoot three arrows to the side of it
on 1 Samuel 20:20-23
Three arrows and a boy sent to fetch them let Jonathan warn David without a face-to-face word, the number matching the three days David waits at the stone. Verse 23 seals the covenant of verses 12 to 17 with "the LORD is a witness between you and me forever" as its oath. The care Jonathan takes to hide a warning in archery shows how far Saul’s court has fallen.
This site's exposition
the LORD has sent you away
Jonathan names the LORD as the one sending David away. The flight that follows is set under God's direction from its first step. Adam Clarke reads this second signal as word that Saul had fixed on David's death and only flight could save him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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; surely he is not clean.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
But if I say thus unto the young man, behold, the arrows are beyond thee,....
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| כֹּ֤ה | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אֹמַר֙ | ʾomar | I will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָעֶ֔לֶם | laelem | to the young man | H5958 → | |
| הִנֵּ֥ה | hineh | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הַחִצִּ֖ים | hachitzim | the arrows | H2671 → | 53 times |
| מִמְּךָ֣ | mimekha | [are] from you | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| וָהָ֑לְאָה | vahalah | and beyond | H1973 → | 16 times |
| לֵ֕ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| שִֽׁלַּחֲךָ֖ | shilachakha | he has sent away you | H7971 → | 845 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
כֹּ֤הthus
kohH3541 →577 times
אֹמַר֙I will say
ʾomarH559 →5305 times
לָעֶ֔לֶםto the young man
laelemH5958 →
הִנֵּ֥הthere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
הַחִצִּ֖יםthe arrows
hachitzimH2671 →53 times
מִמְּךָ֣[are] from you
mimekhaH4480 →1188 times
וָהָ֑לְאָהand beyond
vahalahH1973 →16 times
לֵ֕ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
שִֽׁלַּחֲךָ֖he has sent away you
shilachakhaH7971 →845 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
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.