2 Samuel 1:5
in 2 Samuel 1Then David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
KJV
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
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This verse in 2 Samuel 1
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
How do you know that Saul
on 2 Samuel 1:5-7
His answer gives a second account of Saul's death beside the one in 1 Samuel 31. There Saul falls on his own sword. The Amalekite says he came to Mount Gilboa and found Saul “leaning on his spear, with the chariots and the cavalry closing in on him”.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And David said unto the young man that told him,.... These tidings: how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? this he particularly inquired after, as what most affected him, and was most material for him to know; and his meaning is, whether he had this of his own sight and knowledge, or by report.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
a man came out of the camp from Saul--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| דָּוִ֔ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַנַּ֖עַר | hanaar | the young man | H5288 → | 239 times |
| הַמַּגִּ֣יד | hamagid | who had told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| ל֑וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| אֵ֣יךְ | ʾeikh | how? | H349 → | 82 times |
| יָדַ֔עְתָּ | yada'ta | do you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מֵ֥ת | met | he has died | H4191 → | 839 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וִיהֽוֹנָתָ֥ן | vihonatan | and Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| בְּנֽוֹ׃ | beno | son his | H1121 → | 4930 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
דָּוִ֔דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַנַּ֖עַרthe young man
hanaarH5288 →239 times
הַמַּגִּ֣ידwho had told
hamagidH5046 →370 times
ל֑וֹto <the> him
lo
אֵ֣יךְhow?
ʾeikhH349 →82 times
יָדַ֔עְתָּdo you know
yada'taH3045 →945 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מֵ֥תhe has died
metH4191 →839 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וִיהֽוֹנָתָ֥ןand Jonathan
vihonatanH3083 →81 times
בְּנֽוֹ׃son his
benoH1121 →4930 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.
- Romans 11:33–34
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
- Job 11:7–8
Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
- Deuteronomy 29:29
Through
Proverbs 14:15The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
- Proverbs 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Proverbs 4:26
Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
- Proverbs 27:12
The prudent see danger and take cover; but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
- Ephesians 5:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
- PersonEarly monarchyJonathanSon of King Saul who climbed a cliff to rout a garrison on the conviction that nothing restrains Jehovah; cut a covenant of steadf…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel.