Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the disgrace of the mother who bore you?
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
- KJV Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?
- NKJV Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
- NASB Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
- NLT Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother?
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
Saul's anger flares against Jonathan, shaming him for siding with David to his own disgrace.
Overview
Saul erupts in fury, hurling insults at his own son for choosing David. His rage reveals that he sees David, rightly, as a threat to the dynasty. The king's willingness to humiliate and oppose his own household shows how thoroughly his jealousy has corrupted him and confirms David's worst fears.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 21:24Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man—of him who acts with excessive pride.
- Jas 1:19–20My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
- Matt 5:22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
- Eph 6:4Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
- Eph 4:31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
- Prov 19:19A man of great anger must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do so again.
- Job 5:2For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
- Prov 14:29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
- Prov 25:28Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.
- Prov 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
- Prov 27:3A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 20:30 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.