World English Bible
- After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag,
- on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and earth on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the earth and showed respect.
- David said to him, “Where do you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.”
- David said to him, “How did it go? Please tell me.” He answered, “The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”
- David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”
- The young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed close behind him.
- When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. I answered, ‘Here I am.’
- He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
- He said to me, ‘Please stand beside me, and kill me, for anguish has taken hold of me because my life lingers in me.’
- So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”
- Then David took hold on his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did likewise.
- They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
- David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” He answered, “I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.”
- David said to him, “Why were you not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
- David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and cut him down!” He struck him so that he died.
- David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have slain the LORD’s anointed.’”
- David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son
- (and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
- “Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
- Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
- You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain on you, and no fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled and cast away, the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
- From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, Jonathan’s bow didn’t turn back. Saul’s sword didn’t return empty.
- Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
- You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you delicately in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
- How the mighty have fallen in the middle of the battle! Jonathan was slain on your high places.
- I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.
- How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished!”
“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.