Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Don’t let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you;
- KJV And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
- NKJV Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you.
- NASB Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “May the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you.
- NLT The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jonathan speaks well of David to Saul, urging the king not to sin against an innocent and faithful servant.
Overview
Jonathan boldly defends David, reminding Saul that David has done him only good and no wrong. His appeal is grounded in truth and justice, warning Saul against the sin of shedding innocent blood. This faithful advocacy on behalf of the righteous reflects the heart of a true friend and the work of one who pleads for the innocent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Jer 18:20Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.
- Prov 31:8–9Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
- Gen 42:22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
- Prov 17:13If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
- 1 Sam 20:32“Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
- 1 Sam 22:14Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard who is honored in your house?
- Ps 35:12They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.
- Ps 109:4–5In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
- 1 Sam 2:25If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.
- 2 Chr 6:22When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,
- 1 Cor 8:12By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
- Gen 9:6Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- Prov 24:11–12Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.
- 1 Jn 3:15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 19:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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