1 Samuel 20:36
in 1 Samuel 20He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
KJV
And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 20
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis 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, then cries out for haste, words the boy hears about arrows and David hears about his life. Every word Jonathan speaks here is aimed past the boy at David hiding within earshot.
This site's exposition
Run and find the arrows I shoot
Jonathan shoots while the boy is still running, so the arrow is sure to land beyond him. The danger signal is certain. Adam Clarke notes that Jonathan took only his servant into the field so that no one would suspect a meeting with David.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The boy Jonathan collected the arrows, etc. The humble discipleship of the pious learned the deeds in order, learned also the sayings of the teachers, and attributed all praise to the Church; or, as we expounded above, he saw the disciples of Christ, whether still …
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 he said unto his lad, run, find out now the arrows which I shoot,.... He no doubt told him the mark which he should shoot at, the stone Ezel, and bid him look out about that for them: and as the lad ran; before he had got to the mark: he shot an arrow beyond him: or it; beyond the lad, or beyond the mark he shot at; purposely shooting with great strength, that he might exceed, and thereby give notice to David how things stood, which was the sign agreed on.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְנַעֲר֔וֹ | lenaaro | to lad his | H5288 → | 239 times |
| רֻ֗ץ | rutz | run | H7323 → | 103 times |
| מְצָ֥א | metza' | find | H4672 → | 455 times |
| נָא֙ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַ֣חִצִּ֔ים | hachitzim | the arrows | H2671 → | 53 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אָנֹכִ֖י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| מוֹרֶ֑ה | moreh | [am] about to shoot | H3384 → | 80 times |
| הַנַּ֣עַר | hanaar | the lad | H5288 → | 239 times |
| רָ֔ץ | ratz | he ran | H7323 → | 103 times |
| וְהֽוּא־ | vehu'- | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| יָרָ֥ה | yarah | he shot | H3384 → | 80 times |
| הַחֵ֖צִי | hachetzi | the arrow | H2678 → | 4 times |
| לְהַעֲבִרֽוֹ׃ | lehaaviro | to make [it] pass beyond him | H5674 → | 556 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לְנַעֲר֔וֹto lad his
lenaaroH5288 →239 times
רֻ֗ץrun
rutzH7323 →103 times
מְצָ֥אfind
metza'H4672 →455 times
נָא֙please
na'H4994 →404 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַ֣חִצִּ֔יםthe arrows
hachitzimH2671 →53 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אָנֹכִ֖יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
מוֹרֶ֑ה[am] about to shoot
morehH3384 →80 times
הַנַּ֣עַרthe lad
hanaarH5288 →239 times
רָ֔ץhe ran
ratzH7323 →103 times
וְהֽוּא־and he
vehu'-H1931 →1879 times
יָרָ֥הhe shot
yarahH3384 →80 times
הַחֵ֖צִיthe arrow
hachetziH2678 →4 times
לְהַעֲבִרֽוֹ׃to make [it] pass beyond him
lehaaviroH5674 →556 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
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.