1 Samuel 20:2
20:2 Jonathan 1 said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing 2 large or small without making me aware of it. 3 Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”
1 Samuel 20:12-13
20:12 Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness. 4 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? 5
20:13 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 6 and send word to you so you can go safely on your way. 7 May the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading “he will not do,” rather than the Kethib of the MT (“do to him”).
3 tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.”
4 tc The Hebrew text has simply “the Lord God of Israel.” On the basis of the Syriac version, many reconstruct the text to read “[is] my witness,” which may have fallen out of the text by homoioarcton (an error which is entirely possible if עֵד, ’ed, “witness,” immediately followed ַָדוִד, “David,” in the original text).
5 tn Heb “and uncover your ear.”
6 tn Heb “uncover your ear.”
7 tn Heb “in peace.”