(14) And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not.--The Hebrew of this and the next verse is again very confused, abrupt, and ungrammatical, but this is evidently to be attributed to the violent emotion of the speaker. We have, doubtless (as above suggested). David's own report of what took place, and the words of his dead friend had, no doubt, impressed themselves with a sad accuracy on his heart.
The Syriac and Arabic renderings have been followed by Maurer, Ewald, Keil, Lange, and others, who change v'lo ("and not") in the first two clauses of 1 Samuel 20:14, into the interjection v'lu (and "O that," or "would that"). They render them, "And mayest thou, if I still live, show to me the favour of the Lord, and if I die, not withdraw thy favour from my house for ever, not even when Jehovah shall cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth."
The last words, "when Jehovah shall cut off," tells us with striking clearness how thoroughly convinced was Jonathan that in the end David's cause, as the cause of their God, would surely triumph. Mournfully he looked on to his father's downfall and his own (Jonathan's) premature death; and in full view of this he bespoke the interest of his friend--though his friend would probably in a few hours become an exile and outlaw--on behalf of his own (Jonathan's) children, who would, he foresaw, before many years had expired, be landless, homeless orphans.
Verses 14, 15. - The construction of this passage is very difficult if we retain the three negatives of the Masoretic text; but most commentators, following the reading of the Syriac as regards at least one of them, consider that the Masorites have been mistaken in the vowels which they have attached to the consonants (see on 1 Samuel 1:7). Read with other vowels, two of these negatives become interjections of desire - Othat; and the whole may be translated, "And O that, while I still live, yea, O that thou wouldst show me the kindness of Jehovah, - i.e. great unfailing kindness, such as was that of Jehovah to Israel, - that I die not, nor shalt thou cut off thy kindness from my house forever." It was the sanguinary custom in the East on a change of dynasty to put all the seed royal to death (1 Kings 15:29; 1 Kings 16:11, etc., and comp. 2 Samuel 19:28). As then Jonathan foresaw that it was Jehovah's will to transfer the kingdom to David, he binds him by the memory of his own true love to him to show mercy to his race.
20:11-23 Jonathan faithfully promises that he would let David know how he found his father affected towards him. It will be kindness to ourselves and to ours, to secure an interest in those whom God favours, and to make his friends ours. True friendship rests on a firm basis, and is able to silence ambition, self-love, and undue regard for others. But who can fully understand the love of Jesus, who gave himself as a sacrifice for rebellious, polluted sinners! how great then ought to be the force and effects of our love to him, to his cause, and his people!
And thou shalt not only, while yet I live, show me the kindness of the Lord,.... Such kindness as is well pleasing in the sight of God, and imitate what he shows to men, and which was covenanted, promised, and agreed to in the presence of the Lord, when David and Jonathan entered into covenant with each other; this Jonathan did not doubt of, and therefore did not make this a request:
that I die not; he had no fear nor dread on his mind, should David come to the throne while he was alive, that he would take away his life; which was usually done by tyrants and usurpers, when there were any that had a fairer title, and better claim to the throne than they.
The Syriac and Arabic renderings have been followed by Maurer, Ewald, Keil, Lange, and others, who change v'lo ("and not") in the first two clauses of 1 Samuel 20:14, into the interjection v'lu (and "O that," or "would that"). They render them, "And mayest thou, if I still live, show to me the favour of the Lord, and if I die, not withdraw thy favour from my house for ever, not even when Jehovah shall cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth."
The last words, "when Jehovah shall cut off," tells us with striking clearness how thoroughly convinced was Jonathan that in the end David's cause, as the cause of their God, would surely triumph. Mournfully he looked on to his father's downfall and his own (Jonathan's) premature death; and in full view of this he bespoke the interest of his friend--though his friend would probably in a few hours become an exile and outlaw--on behalf of his own (Jonathan's) children, who would, he foresaw, before many years had expired, be landless, homeless orphans.
that I die not; he had no fear nor dread on his mind, should David come to the throne while he was alive, that he would take away his life; which was usually done by tyrants and usurpers, when there were any that had a fairer title, and better claim to the throne than they.