1 Samuel 18:1

1 Samuel 18:1

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

a. NLT: After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David.

b. NIV: After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.

c. YLT: And it cometh to pass, when he finisheth to speak unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan hath been bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loveth him as his own soul.

d. Amplified Bible Classic: When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own life.

e. Septuagint: The Septuagint does not contain the first 5 verses of 1 Samuel 18. It does not start until 1 Samuel 18:6. Have no idea.

f. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: It was after David finished speaking to Saul that Jonathan’s soul became attached to David’s soul, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

1. “And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul…”

a. And it came to pass [No Hebrew]

b. when he had made an end [3615 * kalah] [Strong: a primitive root; to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare, consume):--accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when ... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, X fully, X have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.]

c. of speaking [1696 * dabar] [Strong: a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue:--answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, X well, X work.]

d. unto Saul [7586 * Sha'uwl] [Strong: passive participle of 7592; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites:--Saul, Shaul.]

1). Immediately after David killed Goliath the Israelite army chased the Philistine army back to their cities. It is not clear if David took part in the chasing of Philistine army, at any rate David was soon brought before Saul. The Scriptures do not give an account of what was spoken between David and Saul but given what we have in the previous chapter of David’s faith and confidence in God, it was probably a reaffirmation of God’s faithfulness.  

a). 1 Samuel 17:32-37 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

17:37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

2). David’s faith and confidence in God reminds us of Joshua and Caleb’s during God’s first attempt to bring Israel into their inheritance.

a). Numbers 14:6-9 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:

14:7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

14:8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

14:9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.

3). This was immediately after David had slain Goliath. David had the head of Goliath with him.

a). 1 Samuel 17:57, 58  And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

2. “…that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

a. the soul [5315 * nephesh] [Strong: from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.]

b. of Jonathan [3083 * Yhownathan] [Strong: from 3068 and 5414; Jehovah-given; Jehonathan, the name of four Israelites:--Jonathan.]

c. was knit [7194 * qashar] [Strong: a primitive root: to tie, physically (gird, confine, compact) or mentally (in love, league):--bind (up), (make a) conspire(-acy, -ator), join together, knit, stronger, work (treason).] [Gesenius: to bind, to conspire, to be bound together, compacted, to bind oneself.]

1). According to Blue Letter Bible this Hebrew word is used 44 times in the Old Testament. Here are some of its uses:

a). Genesis 44:30, 31 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

44:31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

a). This verse is referring to Jacob’s affection toward Benjamin.

b). Deuteronomy 6:8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

2). At the end of David speaking to Saul the Scripture says “that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Personally I believe this was a foreshadow of the love and affection that would be characteristic of the agape love between born again believers under the New Covenant.

a). 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

b). Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

c). John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

d. with the soul [5315 * nephesh] [Strong: from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.]

e. of David [1732 *  David; or Daviyd] [Strong: from the same as 1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse:--David.]

f. and Jonathan [3083 * Yhownathan] [Strong: from 3068 and 5414; Jehovah-given; Jehonathan, the name of four Israelites:--Jonathan.]

g. loved [157 * 'ahab; or Raheb] [Strong: a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise):--(be-)love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.]

h. him as his own soul [5315 * nephesh] [Strong: from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.]

1). Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

22:38 This is the first and great commandment.

22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.