1 Samuel 20:3

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Taking an oath, David again said,“Your father is very much aware of the fact that I have found favor with you, and he has thought,‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the LORD lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Deut 6:13 : 13 You must revere the LORD your God, serve him, and take oaths using only his name.
  • 1 Sam 25:26 : 26 “Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as surely as you live, it is the LORD who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal.
  • 1 Sam 27:1 : 1 David Aligns Himself with the Philistines David thought to himself,“One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”
  • 2 Kgs 2:6 : 6 Elijah said to him,“Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together.
  • 2 Kgs 2:2 : 2 Elijah told Elisha,“Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
  • 2 Kgs 2:4 : 4 Elijah said to him,“Elisha, stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
  • 1 Sam 1:26 : 26 She said,“My lord. Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the LORD.
  • 1 Sam 17:55 : 55 Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army,“Whose son is this young man, Abner?” Abner replied,“As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
  • Deut 28:66 : 66 Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be terrified by night and day and will have no certainty of surviving from one day to the next.
  • 2 Sam 15:21 : 21 But Ittai replied to the king,“As surely as the LORD lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means death or life, there I will be as well!”
  • Ps 116:3 : 3 The ropes of death tightened around me, the snares of Sheol confronted me. I was confronted with trouble and sorrow.
  • Jer 4:2 : 2 You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath saying,‘As surely as the LORD lives!’ If you do, the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are and will make him the object of their boasting.”
  • Jer 38:16 : 16 So King Zedekiah made a secret promise to Jeremiah and sealed it with an oath. He promised,“As surely as the LORD lives who has given us life and breath, I promise you this: I will not kill you or hand you over to those men who want to kill you.”
  • 1 Cor 15:30-31 : 30 Why too are we in danger every hour? 31 Every day I am in danger of death! This is as sure as my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • 2 Cor 1:9-9 : 9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him that he will deliver us yet again,
  • Heb 6:16 : 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • 1 Sam 20:1-2
    2 verses
    83%

    1 Jonathan Seeks to Protect David David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked,“What have I done? What is my offense? How have I sinned before your father? For he is seeking my life!”

    2 Jonathan said to him,“By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing large or small without making me aware of it. Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”

  • 1 Sam 20:8-17
    10 verses
    83%

    8 You must be loyal to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the LORD’s name. If I am guilty, you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”

    9 Jonathan said,“Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”

    10 David said to Jonathan,“Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

    11 Jonathan said to David,“Come on. Let’s go out to the field.”When the two of them had gone out into the field,

    12 Jonathan said to David,“The LORD God of Israel is my witness. I will feel out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know?

    13 But if my father intends to do you harm, may the LORD do all this and more to Jonathan, if I don’t let you know and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. May the LORD be with you, as he was with my father.

    14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die!

    15 Don’t ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth

    16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

    17 Jonathan once again took an oath with David, because he loved him. In fact Jonathan loved him as much as he did his own life.

  • 4 Jonathan replied to David,“Tell me what I can do for you.”

  • 79%

    41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, knelt with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David.

    42 Jonathan said to David,“Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together in the name of the LORD saying,‘The LORD will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”

  • 1 Sam 19:1-7
    7 verses
    77%

    1 Saul Repeatedly Attempts to Take David’s Life Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much.

    2 So Jonathan told David,“My father Saul is trying to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find a hiding place and stay in seclusion.

    3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak about you to my father. When I find out what the problem is, I will let you know.”

    4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf to his father Saul. He said to him,“The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial for you.

    5 He risked his life when he struck down the Philistine and the LORD gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”

    6 Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice and took an oath,“As surely as the LORD lives, he will not be put to death.”

    7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly.

  • 39 For as surely as the LORD, the deliverer of Israel, lives, even if it turns out to be my own son Jonathan, he will certainly die!” But no one from the army said anything.

  • 77%

    17 He said to him,“Don’t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.”

    18 When the two of them had made a covenant before the LORD, David stayed on at Horesh, but Jonathan went to his house.

  • 76%

    43 So Saul said to Jonathan,“Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him,“I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey. I must die!”

    44 Saul said,“God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!”

    45 But the army said to Saul,“Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the LORD lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death.

  • 75%

    31 For as long as this son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established. Now, send some men and bring him to me. For he is as good as dead!”

    32 Jonathan responded to his father Saul,“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

    33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan in order to strike him down. So Jonathan was convinced that his father had decided to kill David.

    34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David.

    35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David.

  • 3 Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life.

  • 1 Saul Comes to Fear David When David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life.

  • 2 Sam 1:4-5
    2 verses
    74%

    4 David inquired,“How were things going? Tell me!” He replied,“The people fled from the battle and many of them fell dead. Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead!”

    5 David said to the young man who was telling him this,“How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

  • 17 David’s Tribute to Saul and Jonathan Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.

  • 73%

    28 Jonathan replied to Saul,“David urgently requested that he be allowed to go to Bethlehem.

    29 He said,‘Permit me to go, for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go to see my brothers.’ For that reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

  • 39 (Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.)

  • 73%

    10 Today your own eyes see how the LORD delivered you– this very day– into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity on you and said,‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s chosen one.’

    11 Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life.

  • 23 With regard to the matter that you and I discussed, the LORD is the witness between us forever!”

  • 24 In the same way that I valued your life this day, may the LORD value my life and deliver me from all danger.”

  • 21 So now swear to me in the LORD’s name that you will not kill my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.”

  • 10 David went on to say,“As the LORD lives, the LORD himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away.

  • 1 Then one day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer,“Come on, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison that is opposite us.” But he did not let his father know.

  • 26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan! You were very dear to me. Your love was more special to me than the love of women.

  • 7 The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, in light of the LORD’s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul.