He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
Parallel translations
- KJV And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
- BSB He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
- NKJV Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
- NASB He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot an arrow past him.
- NLT “Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
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 sends the boy to fetch the arrows and shoots one beyond him.
Overview
Jonathan enacts the agreed signal, shooting the arrow beyond the boy to warn David of danger. The seemingly ordinary archery carries a message of life and death. The arrow beyond confirms to the hidden David that he must flee, as the friends had arranged.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- 1 Sam 20:20–22I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.
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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 20:36 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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