1 Samuel 20:21

Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you, and there is no danger.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jonathan speaks to David, detailing the exact verbal signal he will give a young messenger to confirm whether David may safely return from hiding. (1 Samuel 20:21)

The words — The Hebrew אֶשְׁלַח (eshlach, "I will send") and הִנֵּה (hinnêh, "look/there!") anchor the verse, establishing the messenger's dispatch and the directional marker that will determine David's next move.

The thread — The oath formula "as surely as the LORD lives" appears in Jeremiah 4:2, Jeremiah 5:2, and Jeremiah 12:16, where the text distinguishes between sworn oaths grounded in truth and those spoken falsely.

Why it lands — The text records a practical survival protocol using coded language and sworn oaths, requiring a reader to observe how precise communication functions as a mechanism for navigating immediate political danger.

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, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.

Cross-references

Jeremiah 4:2 and if you can swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then the nations will be blessed by Him, and in Him they will glory.”
Jeremiah 5:2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
Jeremiah 12:16 And if they will diligently learn the ways of My people and swear by My name, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives’—just as they once taught My people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among My people.
Amos 8:14 Those who swear by the guilt of Samaria and say, ‘As surely as your god lives, O Dan,’ or, ‘As surely as the way of Beersheba lives’—they will fall, never to rise again.”