1 Samuel 18:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.

NIV: And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

NASB: Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

CSB: Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as much as himself.

NLT: And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself.

KJV: Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

NKJV: Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

Jonathan, Saul's son, is deeply impressed with David. The two of them have much in common. Both are bold soldiers with a devoted faith in God. Early in Saul's reign there had been a standoff with the Philistines. Things looked grim for Israel. Then Jonathan attacked the enemy with only his armor-bearer and complete confidence in the power and faithfulness of the Lord. The Lord used Jonathan's courageous action to spark a panic among the Philistines that led to Israel's overwhelming victory (1 Samuel 14:1–23).

Jonathan had doubtless been present for Goliath's forty–day-long challenge to the Israelites to send a man out to fight him to decide the battle. It's unknown why Jonathan didn't accept the challenge himself. Perhaps he, too, was terrified of the giant. Maybe Saul refused to risk his heir. Undoubtedly, Jonathan resonated with David's declaration that the Lord meant to show all the world there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:46–47).

Jonathan's response to David's bravery and confidence in the Lord seems instantaneous. Here he formalizes that admiration and love for David into a covenant. The vow isn't romantic. The sense of the covenant seems to be that Jonathan pledges himself to fight with and serve alongside David. Soon, Jonathan will fulfill his pledge when he understands the depth of his father's hatred toward David. Jonathan will defend David's honor, beg for David's protection of his own family, and send David away from his father's murderous rage (1 Samuel 19).

First Samuel 18:1–5 records how David becomes a permanent member of the royal court. He had spent time there serving Saul (1 Samuel 17:15), but after he kills Goliath, the king brings him in permanently. Saul's son Jonathan, the heir-apparent, immediately forms a lifelong bond of friendship. Despite the bizarre views of some modern commentators, this bond is not sexual. It's a beautiful example of male friendship. Meanwhile, the people's adoration of David makes the king furious to the point of murder.

Saul's son Jonathan becomes David's best friend. David succeeds in every military mission Saul sends him on. The people praise David as being even mightier than Saul. The king is furious and terrified that David will take his throne. After Saul's direct attempts to kill David fail, the king sends David to battle the Philistines using marriage to his daughter as bait. David not only survives, but he continues to prove himself to be a mightier warrior and leader than Saul. Saul knows the Lord is with David and not with him and cements himself as David's permanent enemy.

First Samuel 18 begins the story of how the changed work of the Holy Spirit on both Saul and David (1 Samuel 16:13–14) leads to the king's destruction and David's rise. David faithfully serves both Saul (1 Samuel 16:14–23) and Saul's kingdom (1 Samuel 17—18). But David wins the hearts of Saul's people and his children. Saul can't handle the competition (1 Samuel 19—20). Finally, David flees the royal court and raises his own army. He spends years fighting Israel's enemies from afar, patiently waiting until Saul dies in battle and the shepherd boy can take his rightful crown (1 Samuel 21—31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.