2 Samuel 1:23

2 Samuel 1:23 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Context of 2 Samuel 1:23

21Mountains of Gilboa, May there be no dew nor rain on you, or fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 22From the blood of those slaughtered, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return unstained. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, And in their deaths they were not separated; They were swifter than eagles, They were mightier than lions. 24Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with jewelry, Who put gold jewelry on your apparel. 25How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slaughtered on your high places.

2 Samuel 1:23 word by word

שָׁא֣וּל וִיהוֹנָתָ֗ן הַנֶּאֱהָבִ֤ים וְהַנְּעִימִם֙ בְּחַיֵּיהֶ֔ם וּבְמוֹתָ֖ם לֹ֣א נִפְרָ֑דוּ מִנְּשָׁרִ֣ים קַ֔לּוּ מֵאֲרָי֖וֹת גָּבֵֽרוּ׃Read the interlinear

• Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• and Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
• belovedאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• and delightfulנָעִיםnâ‛îym · pleasantH5273
• And in their deathsמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• they were not separatedפָּרַדpârad · to separateH6504
• They wereקָלַלqâlal · to lightenH7043
• thanמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
• eaglesנֶשֶׁרnesher · eagleH5404
• They were mightierגָּבַרgâbar · to prevailH1396
• lionsאֲרִי'ărîy 'aryêh · lionH738

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 1:23

• 1 Samuel 18:1Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that Jonathan committed himself to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
• 1 Samuel 20:2He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die! Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without informing me. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”
• 1 Samuel 31:1Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines but fell fatally wounded on Mount Gilboa.
• 2 Samuel 2:18Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field.
• Deuteronomy 28:49“The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down; a nation whose language you will not understand,
• 1 Chronicles 12:8From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.
• Job 9:26They slip by like reed boats, Like an eagle that swoops on its prey.
• Jeremiah 4:13“Behold, he goes up like clouds, And his chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!”
• Lamentations 4:19Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They chased us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
• 2 Samuel 23:20Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.
• Judges 14:18So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, “What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?” And he said to them, “If you had not plowed with my heifer, You would not have found out my riddle.”
• Proverbs 30:30The lion, which is mighty among animals And does not retreat from anything,

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1:23

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-27Verses 17-27 Kasheth, or "the bow," probably was the title of this mournful, funeral song. David does not commend Saul for what he was not; and says nothing of his piety or goodness. Jonathan was a dutiful son, Saul an affectionate father, therefore dear to each other. David had reason to say, that Jonathan's love to him was wonderful. Next to the love between Christ and his people, that affection which springs form it, produces the strongest friendship…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23beloved and delightful … not divided in death: The relationship between Saul and Jonathan was often strained. This was especially true because of Saul’s treatment of David (see 1 Samuel 20:30–33). Even so, Jonathan fought alongside his father and died with him while defending Israel against the Philistines.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 1:23

• David
• Death
• Elegy
• Friendship
• Jonathan
• Mourning
• Poetry
• Song

In the dictionaries

• Jonathan
• Saul
• Paul, Saul
• Beauty
• David
• Eagle
• Empty
• Gilboa
• Jasher
• Lamentation

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings