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1 Samuel 20:39

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 20:39 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
1 Samuel 20:39 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 20

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
36And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan`s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place] toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“But the lad knew not anything, etc.] What was meant by shooting the arrows, and by shooting them beyond where he was, and by bidding him make haste to bring them: only Jonathan and David knew the matter; what was signified by them, those being signs agreed upon between them.”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification