“Teach Us the Bow of Lament”
There are days when news breaks our hearts open, and we do not know how to hold the pieces. Second Samuel 1 records just such a day. Saul, the first king of Israel, and his son Jonathan have fallen on Mount Gilboa. David, who once played music to soothe Saul and who loved Jonathan as his own soul, now receives word of their deaths. What we are given is a lesson in truthful reporting, righteous anger, and holy lament.
Suggested reading companion: 2 Samuel 1 (read the whole chapter aloud if you can).
• Location – Mount Gilboa rises above the eastern
edge of the Jezreel Valley. Archaeologists have uncovered Iron-Age
fortifications and arrowheads nearby, reminders that this ridge was a
natural battlefield.
• Political setting – Israel was still a loose tribal
league learning how to live under a monarchy. Philistine pressure from
the coast threatened the central hill country.
• Cultural note – In the ancient Near East, bringing
news of a king’s death could earn a rich reward—if the news favored the
new ruler. The Amalekite messenger assumes David will rejoice. He
misreads both the man and his God.
Cross references:
– 1 Samuel 24 : 6; 26 : 9 – David twice spares Saul, saying, “I will not
lift my hand against the LORD’s anointed.”
– Exodus 17 : 8-16 – Israel’s long conflict with Amalek.
Hebrew detail: The messenger calls himself a “gēr” (גֵּ֫ר) in v. 13, a resident foreigner. Such a person lived under Israelite law but did not own land. His status was fragile; perhaps that fuels his attempt to impress.
Reflection: When truth is trimmed to fit our advantage, it becomes a lie in God’s sight. David discerns the deceit, for Saul died by his own sword (1 Samuel 31 : 4).
David and his men tear their clothes, weep, and fast—traditional acts
of grief. Yet David also executes the Amalekite for claiming to slay
Saul.
Theology: Human life is sacred, and those set apart by God carry an
added weight. David will not build his throne on an act of convenient
killing.
Western readers often miss how honor-shame dynamics work here. To claim the death of a king, even falsely, is to seize honor in a tribal world. David answers with justice that restores honor to God, not to himself.
Literary artistry:
• Refrain – “How the mighty have fallen” (vv. 19, 25, 27) frames the
poem.
• Imagery – Mountains, dew, shield, bow, oil; nature itself joins the
mourning.
• Chiasm – The central focus (v. 23) celebrates Saul and Jonathan
together, holding rivals in tension.
Hebrew note: v. 19 reads, “Your glory (צְבִי, tsevi, also “gazelle”) lies slain.” A wordplay links beauty and swiftness; the glory of Israel is both lovely and quick, yet now still.
Lost book: v. 18 mentions the Book of Jashar (“Book of the Upright”), now lost. Scripture hints that God’s people have always preserved songs and stories to teach courage and grief.
Theology of grief: David praises even his enemy Saul. He does not deny Saul’s faults, yet he remembers grace. Jonathan’s love is called “wonderful, passing the love of women” (v. 26, New International Version). This is not romantic language but covenant loyalty (Hebrew ḥesed).
Cross references:
– Psalm 22 – Another lament that opens raw and ends in hope.
– Matthew 5 : 4 – “Blessed are those who mourn.”
• Augustine saw David’s mercy as a shadow of Christ’s forbearance
toward sinners.
• John Calvin noted that David’s lament teaches leaders to mourn
national sorrow, not exploit it.
• Charles Spurgeon preached that “The Song of the Bow” shows how to keep
our speech seasoned with grace toward the dead, refusing cheap
triumph.
• When power shifts at work or in church, resist the thrill of
gossip. Honor even those who opposed you.
• Write your own lament. Name the loss, repeat a refrain, speak truth,
and end with trust.
• Fast or give up a comfort for a day, linking bodily hunger to
prayerful grief.
Hymn suggestion: “Be Still, My Soul” (words by Katharina von Schlegel, 1752). Its gentle call to trust through sorrow pairs well with David’s song.
Lord of covenant love,
teach us the bow of lament.
Keep our tongues from twisting truth,
our hearts from seeking gain in another’s fall.
Give us tears that honor the living and the dead,
and hopes that rise in the shadow of Your Anointed Son,
Jesus Christ, our king forever.
Amen.