Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
- KJV And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
- BSB Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the boy and said, “Go, take it back to the city.”
- NKJV Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”
- NLT Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.
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 gives his weapons to the boy and sends him back to the city.
Overview
Jonathan dismisses the boy so that he and David may meet privately for a final farewell. Removing the witness clears the way for their parting. The detail shows Jonathan's care to protect their last meeting from any observer.
Cross-references & the web
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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 20:40 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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