Bible Strands
1 Samuel 20:33
Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Saul hurls his spear at Jonathan during a meal, an act that occurs immediately after Jonathan questions the king's decree against David. This physical violence marks the moment Jonathan recognizes his father's fixed intent to kill David.
The words — The Hebrew וַ/יָּ֨טֶל (va/i.Ya.tel) literally means "and he threw," describing Saul's violent launch of the weapon. The verb וַ/יֵּ֙דַע֙ (va/i.Ye.da'), "and he knew," records Jonathan's immediate factual recognition of his father's lethal purpose.
The thread — This spear-throwing motif repeats in 1 Samuel 18:11 and 19:10, where Saul previously attempts to pin David to the wall with the same weapon. The sequence establishes a continuous escalation of royal hostility that Jonathan now witnesses directly.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that familial loyalty fractures when political power threatens a protected individual. It demands acceptance that Jonathan's subsequent anger and grief are the direct, logical consequences of witnessing unmasked hostility.
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 Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 18:11 and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
- 1 Samuel 20:7 If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant is safe, but if he is enraged, you will know he has evil intentions.
- 1 Samuel 19:10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David eluded him and the spear struck the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.