2 Samuel 1:23
in 2 Samuel 1Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided: They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.
KJV
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
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This verse in 2 Samuel 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseBut it is observable, that David speaks not a word here of his piety; but only commends him for those things which were truly in him. A fit pattern for all preachers in their funeral commendations. Swifter, &c. - Expeditious in pursuing their enemies, and executing their designs; which is a great commendation in a prince, and in a soldier.
This site's exposition
lovely and pleasant in their lives
on 2 Samuel 1:23-24
David praises father and son as one, not divided even in death, and commends only what was genuinely true of them, their swiftness and their strength in war, without crediting Saul a piety Wesley points out David never claims for him. The daughters of Israel are called by name in verse 24 to weep for Saul, for the scarlet and the gold he once gave them in his more prosperous years, a small domestic memory set inside a poem about a fallen kingdom. Barnes reads the address to the women as a deliberate turn, the same women who once sang Saul's victories with tabrets are now summoned to mourn him.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
, 27 ), and so the strength of the people is weakened. Public losses are most laid to heart by men of public spirit. David hoped God would make him instrumental to repair those losses and yet laments them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:100%@v3-4
): Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant. Jonathan was always so, and Saul was so as long as he concurred with him. Take them together, and in the pursuit of the enemy, never were men more bold, more brave; they were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,....
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שָׁא֣וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וִיהוֹנָתָ֗ן | vihonatan | and Jonathan | H3083 → | 81 times |
| הַנֶּאֱהָבִ֤ים | haneehavim | <the> lovable | H157 → | 211 times |
| וְהַנְּעִימִם֙ | vehaneimim | and <the> pleasant | H5273 → | |
| בְּחַיֵּיהֶ֔ם | bechaiyeihem | in lives their | H2416 → | 498 times |
| וּבְמוֹתָ֖ם | uvemotam | and in death their | H4194 → | 156 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| נִפְרָ֑דוּ | nifradu | they were separated | H6504 → | |
| מִנְּשָׁרִ֣ים | minesharim | more than eagles | H5404 → | |
| קַ֔לּוּ | kalu | they were swift | H7043 → | 82 times |
| מֵאֲרָי֖וֹת | mearayot | more than lions | H738 → | 80 times |
| גָּבֵֽרוּ׃ | gaveru | they were strong | H1396 → |
שָׁא֣וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וִיהוֹנָתָ֗ןand Jonathan
vihonatanH3083 →81 times
הַנֶּאֱהָבִ֤ים<the> lovable
haneehavimH157 →211 times
וְהַנְּעִימִם֙and <the> pleasant
vehaneimimH5273 →
בְּחַיֵּיהֶ֔םin lives their
bechaiyeihemH2416 →498 times
וּבְמוֹתָ֖םand in death their
uvemotamH4194 →156 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
נִפְרָ֑דוּthey were separated
nifraduH6504 →
מִנְּשָׁרִ֣יםmore than eagles
minesharimH5404 →
קַ֔לּוּthey were swift
kaluH7043 →82 times
מֵאֲרָי֖וֹתmore than lions
mearayotH738 →80 times
גָּבֵֽרוּ׃they were strong
gaveruH1396 →
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
Deuteronomy 28:49The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
it leads to
- Lamentations 4:19
Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 49:22
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s mighty men will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
- Jeremiah 48:40
For this is what the LORD says: “Behold, an eagle swoops down and spreads his wings against Moab.
- Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.
- Lamentations 4:19
Through
Job 9:26They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 1:8
Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead, and their cavalry comes from afar. They fly like a vulture, swooping down to devour.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Habakkuk 1:8
Through
Jeremiah 4:13Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!
it leads to
- Isaiah 19:1
This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will…
- Isaiah 66:15
For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.
- Isaiah 5:28
Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
- Isaiah 19:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 2 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- 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 Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.