Discovery Box1 Samuel 20:17 
Context20:17 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. 1
1 Samuel 20:41
Context20:41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, 2 knelt 3 with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David.
1 tn Heb “for [with] the love of his [own] life he loved him.”
2 tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.
3 tn Heb “fell.”
