1 Samuel 20:16
New International Version
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD call David’s enemies to account.”

New Living Translation
So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the LORD destroy all your enemies!”

English Standard Version
And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD take vengeance on David’s enemies.”

Berean Standard Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

King James Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.

New King James Version
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

New American Standard Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD demand it from the hands of David’s enemies.”

NASB 1995
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”

NASB 1977
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May Yahweh require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”

Amplified Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David. [He added,] “May the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies. [that is, hold them accountable for any harm they inflict on David].”

Christian Standard Bible
Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

American Standard Version
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David's enemies.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Jonathan shall rise with that of the house of David, and LORD JEHOVAH shall be avenged upon the enemies of David!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
should it happen that the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, then let the Lord seek out the enemies of David.

Contemporary English Version
Jonathan and David made an agreement that even David's descendants would have to keep. Then Jonathan said, "I pray that the LORD will take revenge on your descendants if they break our promise."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies.

English Revised Version
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And the LORD shall require it at the hand of David's enemies.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
At that time, if Jonathan's name is cut off from David's family, then may the LORD punish David's house."

Good News Translation
may our promise to each other still be unbroken. If it is broken, the LORD will punish you."

International Standard Version
Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: "May the LORD punish any violation of this covenant by the hand of David's enemies."

JPS Tanakh 1917
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: 'The LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.'

Literal Standard Version
So Jonathan cuts [a covenant] with the house of David, and YHWH has sought [it] from the hand of the enemies of David;

Majority Standard Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”

New American Bible
the name of Jonathan must never be cut off from the family of David, or the LORD will make you answer for it.”

NET Bible
and called David's enemies to account." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David.

New Revised Standard Version
Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD seek out the enemies of David.”

New Heart English Bible
if the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David, then may the LORD require it at the hand of the enemies of David."

Webster's Bible Translation
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.

World English Bible
So Jonathan made a covenant with David’s house, saying, “Yahweh will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought it from the hand of the enemies of David;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant
15and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” 16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.” 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 23:21
If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to keep it, because He will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin.

1 Samuel 20:42
And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.'" Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.

1 Samuel 22:8
Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today."

1 Samuel 25:22
May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of Nabal's men survive until morning."

Jeremiah 40:9
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.


Treasury of Scripture

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.

made [heb] cut

1 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

Genesis 15:18
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Let the Lord

1 Samuel 25:22
So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

1 Samuel 31:2
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

2 Samuel 4:7,8
For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night…

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1 Samuel 20
1. David consults with Jonathan for his safety
11. Jonathan and David renew their covenant by oath
18. Jonathan's token to David
23. Saul, missing David, seeks to kill Jonathan
35. Jonathan affectionately takes his leave of David














(16) So Jonathan made a covenant.--It is not necessary to supply (as in the English Version) "saying," but it is better to understand this verse as a remark interposed in the dialogue by the narrator, and to translate the Hebrew literally, "So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, and Jehovah required it at the hand of David's enemies."

Verse 16. - This verse also is very difficult, but it is probably to be taken as an insertion of the narrator: "So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David" - that is, so as to bind his descendants - "saying, Let Jehovah require it at the hand of David's enemies." These last words probably are a euphemism, and mean David himself. So Rashi explains the words. The courtesy of an Oriental forbade his saying, May Jehovah punish David for it, but he prays that God would requite it on some one. But if the Divine anger visits even David's enemies for it, how much more the guilty perjurer himself.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Jonathan
יְהוֹנָתָ֖ן (yə·hō·w·nā·ṯān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3083: Jonathan -- 'the LORD has given', the name of a number of Israelites

made a covenant
וַיִּכְרֹ֥ת (way·yiḵ·rōṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

with
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

the house
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of David, saying,
דָּוִ֑ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

“May the LORD
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

hold
מִיַּ֖ד (mî·yaḏ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

David’s
דָוִֽד׃ (ḏā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

enemies
אֹיְבֵ֥י (’ō·yə·ḇê)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct
Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary

accountable.”
וּבִקֵּ֣שׁ (ū·ḇiq·qêš)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after


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OT History: 1 Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 20:15
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