Bible Strands
2 Samuel 1:5
Then David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David questions the Amalekite messenger immediately after the report of Saul and Jonathan’s deaths on Mount Gilboa. He demands verification of the claim before accepting it.
The words — The phrase אֵ֣יךְ יָדַ֔עְתָּ ('eikh ya.Da'.ta) translates literally as “how do you know?” and establishes David’s demand for the source and method of the messenger’s knowledge.
The thread — This demand for verification parallels the prudent skepticism of Proverbs 14:15 and the royal duty to investigate hidden matters outlined in Proverbs 25:2.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to examine the basis of their own claims and to test information against reliable sources before acting on it.
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 David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
Cross-references
- Proverbs 14:15 The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.
- Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.