Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
Parallel translations
- WEB David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”
- KJV And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
- BSB Then David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
- NKJV So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”
- NLT “How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?” David demanded of the young man.
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
David presses for proof of how the messenger knows Saul and Jonathan are dead. He refuses to take such weighty news at face value.
Overview
David's careful interrogation shows that he treats the death of the king with the utmost seriousness. He will not simply accept the claim but demands the basis for it. This caution exposes the messenger's coming story and underscores David's deep regard for the sanctity of the Lord's anointed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Prov 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
- Prov 14:15A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.
How 2 Samuel 1:5 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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