1 Samuel 18:4
ESV
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
NIV
Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
NASB
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his military gear, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.
CSB
Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.
NLT
Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
KJV
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
NKJV
And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
What does 1 Samuel 18:4 mean?
Jonathan is struck with powerful admiration, devotion, and love for David. Nothing about this should be seen as unhealthy or impure in any way. David seems to be everything Jonathan himself aspires to be: bold, brave, and independent. Most importantly, David is completely confident in God's ability to save His people no matter the odds. David would have seen many of those traits in Jonathan, as well. Their instant connection makes sense.The previous verse says Jonathan made a covenant with David (1 Samuel 18:3). The sense seems to be that Jonathan is pledging to protect David and serve him, and to fight alongside him. To symbolize this commitment, Jonathan gives David his own royal robe, along with his armor, sword, bow, and belt.
We're not sure how much of God's plan Jonathan understands at this point. God has declared that David, not Jonathan, will succeed Saul as king (1 Samuel 15:23). Samuel has already anointed David (1 Samuel 16:1–13). Saul knows God has promised to replace him, but we don't know if Saul has yet realized that David is his replacement. Jonathan will never take the throne. Jonathan may not know any of these details, yet.
However, some biblical details hint that he is aware. Later, when Saul's threats become too much and the friends must part from each other, Jonathan says, "May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father" (1 Samuel 20:13). Jonathan also begs David to save the lives of himself and his family, perhaps referring to the practice of the king of a new dynasty killing the previous king's heirs (1 Samuel 20:14–15).
Regardless, Jonathan, the prince of Israel, humbles himself to honor and serve a shepherd boy from Bethlehem. His complete lack of jealousy or competition with David seems even more remarkable when compared to his father's increasing malice towards David's growing popularity.
