Bible Strands
1 Samuel 23:16
And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jonathan, son of Saul, goes to David at Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, where Saul has come out to kill him. Jonathan's spoken words follow immediately in verse 17.
The words — חֲזַק (chazaq), "to be strong, strengthen," governs the idiom "strengthened his hand in God" (חֲזַק בְּיָדוֹ בָּאֱלֹהִים), a Hebraism for active encouragement. The preposition בָּ before אֱלֹהִים roots the strengthening in God as its source.
The thread — The same "strengthen the feeble hands" idiom recurs in Isaiah 35:3 and Hebrews 12:12; Job 4:3 uses the root חזק for encouraging the weak.
Why it lands — The son of the man trying to kill David is the one who comes to encourage him; the verse asks the reader to treat loyalty and courage as concrete acts, not abstractions.
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 Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!
- Hebrews 12:12 Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.
- Job 4:3 Surely you have instructed many, and have strengthened their feeble hands.
- 2 Timothy 2:1 You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
- Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
- 1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
- Luke 22:43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him.
- Nehemiah 2:18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me, and what the king had said to me. “Let us start rebuilding,” they replied, and they set their hands to this good work.
- Proverbs 27:9 Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to the soul.