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1 Samuel 20:35-40

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1 Samuel 20:35 is part of this passage.
35In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38Jonathan cried after the boy, “Go fast! Hurry! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39But the boy didn’t know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

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Summary

In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. Covenant friendship strengthens David under Saul’s threat.

Interpretation

In 1 Samuel 20:35-40, In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him The narrator wants us to see the covenant God who hears the lowly, weighs the heart, and will not surrender His throne to human optics. Listen to the text: “In the morning, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. He said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows which I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.…”

Covenant love binds Jonathan to David at cost. True friendship strengthens God’s purpose rather than clinging to inheritance alone.

Jonathan and David’s covenant tested; arrows signal danger; bitter parting; steadfast friendship under threat. In Jonathan’s loyalty and Saul’s jealousy, covenant love contrasts murderous fear. This passage belongs in that movement: 1 Samuel 20:35-40 is not an isolated scrap but a step in God’s purpose to establish true hearing and true kingship. Read 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: listening Samuel, rejected Saul, and shepherd David point toward Christ the forever King after God’s heart.

A pastoral word for today: Strengthen a friend at cost; keep covenant when inheritance tempts.

Hold judgment and mercy, rise and fall, courage and fear together. 1 Samuel never flatters kings as flawless, yet never denies God’s real choices and helps. That combination is good news for imperfect churches learning holy dependence. Keep 1 Samuel 20:35-40 inside that larger faithfulness.

As you sit with 1 Samuel 20:35-40, ask what it shows about the God who hears prayer, weighs hearts, and rules kings. 1 Samuel is living Scripture that forms listening obedience and holy courage—not a mere political chronicle. Let the text steady your confidence in Yahweh’s true kingship.

Reading 1 Samuel 20:35-40 inside the whole book keeps Hannah’s exaltation, Saul’s fall, and David’s rise together. God exalts the lowly, rejects stubborn disobedience, and advances His purpose toward a shepherd-king. Hold this passage in 1 Samuel’s larger story that points toward Christ.

Context

Chapter 20 in 1 Samuel: Jonathan and David’s covenant tested; arrows signal danger; bitter parting; steadfast friendship under threat.

Jonathan and jealousy (1 Samuel 18–20): covenant love under Saul’s spears.

Audience

Friends learning covenant loyalty under threat

Themes

  • Friendship
  • Covenant
  • Loyalty
  • Love

Keywords

morning · Jonathan · appointed · David · little · arrows · covenant · love