1 Samuel 18:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

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

NASB: Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that Jonathan committed himself to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

CSB: When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship, and loved him as much as he loved himself.

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.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

The original text of these books did not include chapter or verse divisions. This passage continues uninterrupted from where the previous chapter left off. After David killed Goliath, Abner, the commander of Saul's army, brought the young man and the head of the Philistine champion to King Saul. David told Saul about his father (1 Samuel 17:57–58).

Chapter 18 describes how David's life changes from that point forward. As soon as that conversation with the king ends, David meets Saul's son Jonathan. Jonathan quickly develops an intense, loyal friendship towards David. The feeling is mutual. The description of their souls being knit together and Jonathan loving David as his own soul is a poetic attempt to describe their mutual affection and commitment to each other.

This is not a romantic relationship. Men in some times and places feel uncomfortable with these descriptions of male friends sharing such a bond. Yet this language wasn't unusual in Middle Eastern culture during this era. Deep, intimate, non-sexual connections between men, especially those who survive danger and battle together, have always been a source of intense loyalty. The description does not imply that David and Jonathan had a sexual relationship. Nor would the original readers have suspected it to.

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.