Bible Strands
1 Samuel 19:4
Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jonathan addresses his father King Saul immediately after David’s temporary escape. He intervenes to halt Saul’s escalating intent to execute David.
The words — The text records Jonathan speaking (דִּבֵּר, dibber) good (טוֹב, tov) to Saul. This pairing denotes a deliberate verbal advocacy that actively counters prevailing hostility.
The thread — Jonathan’s appeal to protect the innocent against unjust judgment mirrors Jeremiah 18:20 and Reuben’s warning in Genesis 42:22. The same pattern of defending the voiceless against wrongful condemnation appears in Proverbs 31:8.
Why it lands — The verse explicitly commands the king to recognize David’s innocence and loyalty before acting. It requires readers to weigh moral accountability over political fear when confronting authority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 18:20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.
- Genesis 42:22 And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
- Proverbs 31:8 Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed.
- 1 Samuel 20:32 “Why must he be put to death?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
- Proverbs 17:13 If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
- 1 Samuel 22:14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard and honored in your house?
- Psalms 35:12 They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.
- Psalms 109:4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
- Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- 1 Samuel 2:25 If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.