Bible Strands
1 Samuel 20:36
He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” And as the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jonathan addresses his servant boy in the field during their scheduled meeting, issuing the command just as the coded signal is deployed. The boy runs to retrieve the arrows while Jonathan fires a second shot past him.
The words — The Hebrew רֻץ (Rutz) means “run” and מְצָא (me.Tza') means “find,” forming the direct order for the boy to locate the arrows. These verbs govern the physical sequence that conceals the true message from observers.
The thread — This arrow-throwing signal establishes the pattern Jonathan continues in 1 Samuel 20:37 and originally outlines in 1 Samuel 20:20. The same coded communication method structures the entire meeting between the two friends.
Why it lands — The text records a practical military-style ruse where ordinary commands carry hidden meanings under threat. It asks a reader to notice how surface instruction and concealed purpose operate simultaneously in moments of 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 he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 20:20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as if I were aiming at a target.