Observations on the Relationship Between David and Jonathan and the Debate on Homosexuality, Markus Zehnder, Observations on the Relationship between David and Jonathan and the Debate on Homosexuality, Westminster Theological Journal 69.1 [2007]: 127174), Edelman, Diana. Thus, Saul was said to be in the company of the prophets, "and who is their father?" Both Daniel and Zechariah Ch 9-14 are the product of the Hellenistic era and have no messianic prophecies. The gifts given by Jonathan served to ratify the covenant and honor David. Another Old Testament expression for sexual intercourse is went in to her. It is descriptive and occurs eight times in the Old Testament (Genesis 29:23; 30:4; 38:2, 18; Judges 16:1; Ruth 4:13; 2 Samuel 12:24; Ezekiel 23:44). 1 Samuel 24:910, 1620 David spares Sauls life, and Saul recognizes Davids righteousness. 2 Sam. Again, a higher figure is more probable. If you have good friends in this life they are gifts from God. This is further reinforced by the fact that in verse 16 ahebis used to refer to the love of all Israel and Judah for David. Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism: Which is the true religion and why? (Use the board or poster paper and write down students responses) If, however, there is a way to interpret 1 Samuel 13:1 without changing it, we should do so. It follows that whoever is one partners enemy is the other partners enemy. Mephibosheth five years old The relationship between David and Jonathan is mainly covered in the Hebrew Bible Book of Samuel. David was a young man at the time of the encounter with Goliath, during Sauls reign. 14:9 1 Samuel 17:33 contrasts David "you are only a boy" with Goliath "he has been a fighting man from his youth", and the same Hebrew word naar is used in both phrases. The Catholic Encyclopedia, "Parshat Toldot, Mahar Hodesh,(1 Samuel 20:1842) November 13, 2004", Keren, Orly. How do you explain this? The grammatical and social difficulties are pointed out in respect to 1 Samuel 18:21,[48] as well as the marked difference in the Bible between sensual kissing (as in Song of Songs) and the social kiss of Near Eastern cultures, whether in greeting, or as expression of deep affection between friends and family (as found throughout the Old and New Testaments). The covenant was with the house of David. All Rights Reserved. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me. They refer to 1 Samuel 18:1-3 which says twice that Jonathan loved David. Bible Story:Davids Friend With many older commentators, he states that Sauls 2-year reign only covers the time when he legitimately ruled Israel. As well as the basic pieces of information above, the following extra items appear reasonable: His wifes name was Ahinoam. The number 2 in some manuscripts of 1 Sam 13:1 probably represents a loss of the first digit in the 22, 32 or 42 years of Sauls reign. The term have relations refers to sexual activity. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Samuel would be rather over 80 years old when anointing David, and Saul would be leading his army at the Battle of Gilboa at an age of around 80. Samuel "Has not Yahweh anointed you leader over his inheritance.. 2939 David, age 20, enters army; rapidly becomes famous. Jonathon was the son of the King whereas David was the son of a sheep farmer. And the weapons of war perished! [35], The removal of the robe is seen as a ceremonial act following the precedent of Aaron, of whom God commanded, "And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son",[36] in transference of the office of the former upon the latter. The higher form of love in heaven will not include sex. Did animals eat meat before the fall? Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David was the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, of the tribe of Judah, and Jonathan's presumed rival for the crown. Jesus is the mighty friend of sinners. Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:1-16, 19:1-10,20 In fact, the saints in heaven will not engage in sexual activity between one another. 1 Samuel 17:33 David at the confrontation with Goliath . One day when the soldiers were returning home after David killed Goliath women had gathered in the streets singing and dancing. Sometimes the length of a kings reign will be given in terms of something other than his literal rule over the nation. How much better is your love than wine, Samuel is 49. The Hebrew word for stripped is pasat. This is our fault. Biblical heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, In the text, the attraction of Jonathan to David begins almost immediately, as Saul is delighted by his new companion. OrXi`2 And come, wind of the south; It means that a year after Sauls adoption by Samuel, or within that year, he became king "when he was one year old." stream Ronald F. Youngblood. 2990 Solomon year 1. It occurs only thirty-seven times in the Old Testament. Why did God create such an imperfect Eden project? The last major passage about David and Jonathan is 2 Samuel 1:25-27. The Hebrew word for knit is qasar, which refers to bind, knot, conspire, and league together. This word occurs 44 times in the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures and is usually translated as bind, conspirators, or conspired. Only once is the word translated as knit and that single occasion is here in verse 1. A non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation. "Ahinoam (Person)", The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. How long did Saul reign? 4. "[51], In his Lambeth essay of December 2007, James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, drew particular attention to the "emotional, spiritual, and even physical" friendship between David and Jonathan:[52] .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. To show his WebSome claim that King David and Jonathan were gay. Jonathan loved David: give someone else a hug. But not only were they emotionally bound to each other they expressed their love physically. During Davids exile, Samuel died (1 Samuel 25:1), perhaps at the age of 85. Return to top What happened in this passage is explained in 1 Samuel 20:18-23. Copyright 2022 by RockWay, LLC. And when Saul had reigned two years. Also Ish-bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned 2 years. 1 Samuel 11 Saul confirmed as king by the people . Earlier I mentioned that true friends are a gift from God. Also, Paul was not concerned at this point with giving detailed chronological facts, but outlining a broad sweep of history in a few words in order to form a backcloth for the life and work of Jesus Christ. If Saul reigned for 22 years, David is about 10 years younger than Jonathan, and is less than 10 years old when Saul takes the throne. . Of the 61 times the word appears in the Old Testament, 32 times it appears in Song of Solomon. Sauls youngest son, Ishbosheth, was 40 (1 Samuel 14:49; 31:2; 2 Samuel 2:10). We even try to fix some of them. Suppose Saul reigned for 32 years. That love inspired him to make a covenant with David, one that was expressed with extravagant gifts to the new celebrity. No longer an enemy of God, a believer is a child of God identified with Jesus Christ. Thus says the LORD, Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me . The reign-length of Saul If the number 770 is miscopied as 760, there is nothing in the number which tells us there is a copying error. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, also his apparel, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle. Shop our Sunday School Curriculum and Bible Lessons for Kids. (Allow responses. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty years. In 1 Samuel 20 David has been hiding. Finally, ahebis never used to express homosexual desire or activity.[2]. Moreover, the King James translation does not make much sense: "Saul reigned one year. In other words this ritual symbolized a clear commitment that each covenant partner would defend and avenge the other partner. Jonathan around 53. To force the word to refer to more than friendship love in 1 Samuel 18:1 cannot be supported. 9 (Edersheim). Timelines and interpretations Some claim that King David and Jonathan were gay. Our enemies are His enemies and He fights for us. There was between them a deep emotional bond that left David grief-stricken when Jonathan died. You can freely license our resources under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. A quick glance at the Hebrew letters used for the numbers will show that some of them are rather similar in shape, making the likelihood of a copying error particularly great. In a single day David had acquired the finest sword in the Philistine army as well as one of the finest swords in Israels armory; he had been permitted to wear the kings clothing in the time of conflict and was given princely clothing in times of peace. In my Bible it states that the Hebrew manuscripts state "Saul was years old when he became king; and he reigned two years over Israel". Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Contents B&H Publishing. Basic information Thus I wanted to get your thoughts on this passage. Please use our childrens ministry curriculum and Sunday School material for any purpose that brings honor to Jesus. Saul reigned 18 years while Samuel was alive and after his death 2 years. It involves love that flows from God to our hearts, a friendship love, and a physical love, that was designed by God. In the first place it appears to be love (, Martti Nissinen, Homoeroticism in the Biblical World, Minneapolis, 1998, Sketches of Jewish Social Life. This combination seems improbable given the basic information listed above, as few of the implied connections fit vey well. 2 Samuel. It is difficult to see how this could be realistically reduced to 30 years to fit the Septuagint reading of 1 Samuel 13:1, though a few years reduction could be made. [30], Other interpreters point out that neither the books of Samuel nor Jewish tradition documents sanctioned romantic or erotic physical intimacy between the two characters, which the Bible elsewhere makes evident when between heterosexuals, most supremely in the Song of Solomon. The first piece of chronological information we have regarding Israels kings is very cryptic, and it serves as an guide to the interpretation of some later mysterious statements we shall find as we go along. Jonathan and David had a true friendship that was bound by their faith in God. 1, 2 Samuel. The New American Commentary. 2942 (Hypothetical) David driven away by Saul. What are the lessons in the story of the Levite and his concubine. 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Scripture: 1 Samuel 20:18-23 a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International and he reigned 2.. Not only were they emotionally bound to each other they expressed their physically! No longer an enemy of God, a believer is a child of God, a believer is child! Occurs 44 times in the story of the Hellenistic era and have no messianic prophecies one... Is qasar, which refers to bind, conspirators, or conspired the.! That each covenant partner would defend and avenge the other partner who is their father? David a! It occurs only thirty-seven times in the streets singing and dancing any purpose that brings honor to Jesus bind... Expressed with extravagant gifts to the new celebrity shop our Sunday School material for any that..., conspire, and he fights for us Samuel 14:49 ; 31:2 ; 2 Samuel 1:25-27 the product the. 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