1 Samuel 20:2

1 Samuel 20:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
• New International Version (NIV)“Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

Context of 1 Samuel 20:2

1Then David ran away from Naioth at Ramah. He went to Jonathan and he asked him, ‘What bad things have I done? What have I done to hurt your father? Why is he trying to kill me?’ Jonathan replied, ‘No. You will not die. My father tells me everything that he does, even the little things. So it is not true that he is trying to kill you. He would not hide this from me.’ 3But David answered, ‘Your father knows that you like me very much. He has decided that he will not tell you. He does not want to make you upset. I promise that my words are true, as truly as the Lord lives and you live. I know that I am very near to death.’ 4Jonathan said to David, ‘I will do anything that you want me to do for you.’

1 Samuel 20:2 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ל֣וֹ חָלִילָה֮ לֹ֣א תָמוּת֒ הִנֵּ֡ה לֹֽא־יַעֲשֶׂ֨ה אָבִ֜י דָּבָ֣ר גָּד֗וֹל א֚וֹ דָּבָ֣ר קָטֹ֔ן וְלֹ֥א יִגְלֶ֖ה אֶת־אָזְנִ֑י וּמַדּוּעַ֩ יַסְתִּ֨יר אָבִ֥י מִמֶּ֛נִּי אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֖ה אֵ֥ין זֹֽאת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, God forbidחָלִ֫ילָהchâlîylâh châlilâh · forbidH2486
• thou shalt not dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• behold, my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
• will doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• nothingדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• either greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• or smallקָטֹןqâţân qâţôn · smallH6996
• but that he will shewאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · ear: to earsH241
• but that he will shewגָּלָהgâlâh · to reveal: revealH1540
• hideסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 20:2

• 1 Samuel 14:45But the soldiers said to Saul, ‘No! Jonathan must not die! He has rescued Israel in battle. As surely as the Lord lives, we promise that he will not lose even one hair on his head. It is God who has helped Jonathan to win the fight today.’ In that way, the army saved Jonathan from death.
• Genesis 44:7But the brothers said to him, ‘Sir, why do you say these things? We are your servants. We would not do anything like that!
• Joshua 22:29We would never decide to turn against the Lord. We want to continue to obey him. We know that the only altar where we must make burnt offerings, sacrifices and friendship offerings is the true altar of the Lord our God. That altar stands in front of his tabernacle.’
• Joshua 24:16The people answered Joshua, ‘We would never turn against the Lord to serve other gods!
• Luke 20:16I tell you, he will come to those farmers and he will kill them. Then he will give the garden to other people to take care of it.’ When the people heard this, they replied, ‘That must never happen!’
• 1 Samuel 20:12Then Jonathan said to David, ‘I make this promise to you, and the Lord, Israel's God, knows that it is true. Tomorrow or the next day I will find out what my father is thinking about you. If he is feeling friendly to you, I will send someone to tell you.
• 1 Samuel 9:15The day before Saul arrived, the Lord had already spoken to Samuel. He had said,
• Psalms 40:6You do not really want sacrifices and offerings. I understand that! You do not ask for burnt offerings or sin offerings.
• Isaiah 50:5The Almighty Lord has spoken clearly to me. I have accepted his message, and I have not turned back.
• John 15:15A servant does not know what his master is doing. So I do not call you servants any more. No, I call you my friends. This is because I have told you everything that I have heard from my Father.
• John 17:8I gave to them the message that you gave to me. They accepted that message. They know certainly that I came from you. They believe that you sent me.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 20:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2My father will do nothing - Jonathan thought that his father could have no evil design against David, because of the oath which he had sworn to himself 1 Samuel 19:6; and at any rate, that he would do nothing against David without informing him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2It is not so - Jonathan‘s unwillingness to believe evil of his father is one of the many admirable traits in his character.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3Jonathan did not understand his father's plans. David's willingness to swear by the Lord showed he was sure about Saul's intentions.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-101Sa 20:1-10. David Consults with Jonathan for His Safety. 1-3. David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan--He could not remain in Naioth, for he had strong reason to fear that when the religious fit, if we may so call it, was over, Saul would relapse into his usual fell and sanguinary temper. It may be thought that David acted imprudently in directing his flight to Gibeah. But he was evidently prompted to go thither by the most…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 20:2

• Death

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Artillery
• David
• Ear
• Require
• Forbid
• Jesse
• Jonathan (2)
• Samuel, Books of

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary