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1 Samuel 20:4

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 20:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
1 Samuel 20:4 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 20

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2And he said unto him, Far from it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
3And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found favor in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
5And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
6If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
7If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him.
← 1 Samuel 20:31 Samuel 20:5 →
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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
“Then said Jonathan unto David, etc.] Now giving credit to what he had said, and in order to comfort and support him under the apprehensions he had of danger: whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do [it] for thee; for the preservation of his life, by speaking to his father on his behalf, endeavouring to dissuade him from his evil intentions, or by hiding and concealing him in some obscure place, that he might not execute his evil designs upon him, or by any method he could point out to him.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Whatsoever: etc. or, Say what is thy mind, and I will do, etc desireth: Heb. speaketh, or thinketh 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 20:5”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 20 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification