And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
- BSB And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
- NKJV Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
- NASB And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
- NLT And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.
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 has David swear again by his love for him, for he loved David as his own soul.
Overview
The depth of Jonathan's love is stressed: he loved David as himself. This selfless devotion fulfills the command to love one's neighbor as oneself and stands as one of Scripture's finest pictures of true friendship. Jonathan's love, free of envy or self-interest, reflects the self-giving love perfected in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Prov 18:24A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
- 1 Sam 18:3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
- 1 Sam 18:1And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
- 2 Sam 1:26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
- Deut 13:6If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
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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 20:17 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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