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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

2 Samuel 1:5

David pressed the young soldier for details: "How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Saul;   Temple;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ziklag;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Samuel, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Israel;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount gilboa;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Dwelling;   Jonathan;   Scripture;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samuel, Books of;   Young Men;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hafá¹­arah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David asked the young man who had brought him the report, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
Hebrew Names Version
David said to the young man who told him, How know you that Sha'ul and Yonatan his son are dead?
King James Version
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
Lexham English Bible
Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?"
English Standard Version
Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
New Century Version
David asked him, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
New English Translation
David said to the young man who was telling him this, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
Amplified Bible
So David said to the young man who informed him, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
New American Standard Bible
Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid saide vnto the yong man that tolde it him, Howe knowest thou that Saul and Ionathan his sonne be dead?
Legacy Standard Bible
So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
Contemporary English Version
David asked, "How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?"
Complete Jewish Bible
David asked the young man who had told him this, "How do you know that Sha'ul and Y'honatan his son are dead?"
Darby Translation
And David said to the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
Easy-to-Read Version
David said to the young soldier, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
George Lamsa Translation
And David said to the young man, Tell me, how did Saul and Jonathan his son die?
Good News Translation
"How do you know that Saul and Jonathan are dead?" David asked him.
Literal Translation
And David said to the youth who was telling him, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Dauid sayde vnto the yonge ma that brought him this worde: How knowest thou that Saul and Ionathas his sonne are deed?
American Standard Version
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
Bible in Basic English
And David said to the young man who gave him the news, Why are you certain that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid sayd vnto the young man that tolde it him: Howe knowest thou that Saul and Ionathan his sonne be dead?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David said unto the young man that told him: 'How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?'
King James Version (1611)
And Dauid said vnto the yong man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Ionathan his sonne be dead?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David said to the young man who brought him the tidings, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
English Revised Version
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
Berean Standard Bible
David asked the young man who had brought him the report, "How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid seide to the yong man, that telde to hym, Wherof woost thou, that Saul is deed, and Jonathas, his sonne?
Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto the youth who is declaring [it] to him, `How hast thou known that Saul and Jonathan his son [are] dead?'
Update Bible Version
And David said to the young man that told him, How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
World English Bible
David said to the young man who told him, How know you that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
New King James Version
So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"
New Living Translation
"How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?" David demanded of the young man.
New Life Bible
David said to the young man, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
New Revised Standard
Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said David unto the young man who was telling him, - How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to the young man that told him: How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son, are dead?
Revised Standard Version
Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

Contextual Overview

1Shortly after Saul died, David returned to Ziklag from his rout of the Amalekites. Three days later a man showed up unannounced from Saul's army camp. Disheveled and obviously in mourning, he fell to his knees in respect before David. David asked, "What brings you here?" He answered, "I've just escaped from the camp of Israel." "So what happened?" said David. "What's the news?" He said, "The Israelites have fled the battlefield, leaving a lot of their dead comrades behind. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead." David pressed the young soldier for details: "How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?" "I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him. ‘Yes sir,' I said, ‘at your service.' He asked me who I was, and I told him, ‘I'm an Amalekite.'" "Come here," he said, "and put me out of my misery. I'm nearly dead already, but my life hangs on." "So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn't last much longer anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to my master. Here they are." In lament, David ripped his clothes to ribbons. All the men with him did the same. They wept and fasted the rest of the day, grieving the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, and also the army of God and the nation Israel, victims in a failed battle. Then David spoke to the young soldier who had brought the report: "Who are you, anyway?" "I'm from an immigrant family—an Amalekite." "Do you mean to say," said David, "that you weren't afraid to up and kill God 's anointed king?" Right then he ordered one of his soldiers, "Strike him dead!" The soldier struck him, and he died. "You asked for it," David told him. "You sealed your death sentence when you said you killed God 's anointed king." Then David sang this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, and gave orders that everyone in Judah learn it by heart. Yes, it's even inscribed in The Book of Jashar. Oh, oh, Gazelles of Israel, struck down on your hills, the mighty warriors—fallen, fallen! Don't announce it in the city of Gath, don't post the news in the streets of Ashkelon. Don't give those coarse Philistine girls one more excuse for a drunken party! No more dew or rain for you, hills of Gilboa, and not a drop from springs and wells, For there the warriors' shields were dragged through the mud, Saul's shield left there to rot. Jonathan's bow was bold— the bigger they were the harder they fell. Saul's sword was fearless— once out of the scabbard, nothing could stop it. Saul and Jonathan—beloved, beautiful! Together in life, together in death. Swifter than plummeting eagles, stronger than proud lions. Women of Israel, weep for Saul. He dressed you in finest cottons and silks, spared no expense in making you elegant. The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen in the middle of the fight! Jonathan—struck down on your hills! O my dear brother Jonathan, I'm crushed by your death. Your friendship was a miracle-wonder, love far exceeding anything I've known— or ever hope to know. The mighty warriors—fallen, fallen. And the arms of war broken to bits. 3 Shortly after Saul died, David returned to Ziklag from his rout of the Amalekites. Three days later a man showed up unannounced from Saul's army camp. Disheveled and obviously in mourning, he fell to his knees in respect before David. David asked, "What brings you here?" He answered, "I've just escaped from the camp of Israel." 4 "So what happened?" said David. "What's the news?" He said, "The Israelites have fled the battlefield, leaving a lot of their dead comrades behind. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead." 5 David pressed the young soldier for details: "How do you know for sure that Saul and Jonathan are dead?" 6"I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him. ‘Yes sir,' I said, ‘at your service.' He asked me who I was, and I told him, ‘I'm an Amalekite.'" 9 "Come here," he said, "and put me out of my misery. I'm nearly dead already, but my life hangs on." 10 "So I did what he asked—I killed him. I knew he wouldn't last much longer anyway. I removed his royal headband and bracelet, and have brought them to my master. Here they are."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

How knowest: Proverbs 14:15, Proverbs 25:2

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 14:1 - Jonathan

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning— Day Six.
Genesis 8:22
For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop."
Psalms 104:20
class="poetry"> O my soul, bless God ! God , my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed, Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent. You built your palace on the ocean deeps, made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings. You commandeered winds as messengers, appointed fire and flame as ambassadors. You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever. You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters; Then you roared and the water ran away— your thunder crash put it to flight. Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them. You set boundaries between earth and sea; never again will earth be flooded. You started the springs and rivers, sent them flowing among the hills. All the wild animals now drink their fill, wild donkeys quench their thirst. Along the riverbanks the birds build nests, ravens make their voices heard. You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns; earth is supplied with plenty of water. You make grass grow for the livestock, hay for the animals that plow the ground. Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy, Their faces glowing with health, a people well-fed and hearty. God 's trees are well-watered— the Lebanon cedars he planted. Birds build their nests in those trees; look—the stork at home in the treetop. Mountain goats climb about the cliffs; badgers burrow among the rocks. The moon keeps track of the seasons, the sun is in charge of each day. When it's dark and night takes over, all the forest creatures come out. The young lions roar for their prey, clamoring to God for their supper. When the sun comes up, they vanish, lazily stretched out in their dens. Meanwhile, men and women go out to work, busy at their jobs until evening. What a wildly wonderful world, God ! You made it all, with Wisdom at your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations. Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting, sardines and sharks and salmon. Ships plow those waters, and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them. All the creatures look expectantly to you to give them their meals on time. You come, and they gather around; you open your hand and they eat from it. If you turned your back, they'd die in a minute— Take back your Spirit and they die, revert to original mud; Send out your Spirit and they spring to life— the whole countryside in bloom and blossom. The glory of God —let it last forever! Let God enjoy his creation! He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake, points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt. Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live! Oh, let my song please him; I'm so pleased to be singing to God . But clear the ground of sinners— no more godless men and women! O my soul, bless God !
1 Corinthians 3:13
But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I'll nurse you since you don't seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything's going your way? When one of you says, "I'm on Paul's side," and another says, "I'm for Apollos," aren't you being totally infantile? Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It's not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God's field in which we are working. Or, to put it another way, you are God's house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive—but just barely. You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God's temple, you can be sure of that. God's temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple. Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times. Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom. What the world calls smart, God calls stupid. It's written in Scripture, He exposes the chicanery of the chic. The Master sees through the smoke screens of the know-it-alls. I don't want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said unto the young man that told him,.... These tidings:

how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? this he particularly inquired after, as what most affected him, and was most material for him to know; and his meaning is, whether he had this of his own sight and knowledge, or by report.


 
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