1 Samuel 20:3

20:3 Taking an oath, David again ¹  said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact ²  that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ³  ‘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!”

1 Samuel 20:16-17

20:16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant ⁴  with the house of David. ⁵  20:17 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. ⁶ 

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¹ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”

² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

³ tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.

⁴ tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied.

⁵ tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the Lord will seek from the hand of the enemies of David.” The translation assumes that the main clauses of the verse have been accidentally transposed in the course of transmission. The first part of the verse (as it stands in MT) belongs with v. 17, while the second part of the verse actually continues v. 15.

⁶ tn Heb “for [with] the love of his [own] life he loved him.”