1 Samuel 20:22

But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, for the LORD has sent you away.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Jonathan outlines a contingency signal to David, explaining how a specific verbal cue will instruct him to flee.

The words — The phrase מִמְּ/ךָ֣ וָ/הָ֑לְאָה (mi.me./Kha va./Hal.'ah) literally renders "from you and beyond," establishing the directional marker that triggers the departure command.

The thread — This spatial signal reappears in 1 Samuel 20:37 when the boy reaches the arrow's location, while the covenantal witness framing closes the conversation in 1 Samuel 20:23.

Why it lands — The text explicitly attributes David’s departure to the LORD’s sending rather than human banishment, requiring the reader to anchor the escape plan in divine agency alone.

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

וְאִם־ve./'im-and/ if כֹּ֤הkohthus אֹמַר֙'o.MarI will say לָעֶ֔לֶםla./'E.lemto the/ young man הִנֵּ֥הhi.Nehthere!הַחִצִּ֖יםha./chi.Tzimthe/ arrows מִמְּךָ֣mi.me./Kha[are] from/ you וָהָ֑לְאָהva./Hal.'ahand/ beyond לֵ֕ךְlekhgo כִּ֥יkifor שִֽׁלַּחֲךָ֖shi.la.cha./Khahe has sent away/ you יְהוָֽה׃Yah.wehYahweh

King James Version

But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.

Cross-references

1 Samuel 20:37 When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called to him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”