Reference: Jonathan
Hastings
1. A Levite, the 'son' of Gershom (wh. see); according to Jg 18:30 he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan up to the Captivity. Jonathan was taken into the service of Micah as 'father and priest' (Jg 17:10); but, not long after he had taken up his abode there, six hundred Danites came that way and induced Jonathan to leave Micah and join them as their priest (Jg 18:11-31). 2. The eldest son of Saul; he appears, in the first instance, as a brave and successful leader in battle. 1Sa 13; 14 contain a graphic account of the way in which the Israelites threw off the Philistine yoke; in this campaign Jonathan took a leading part. He first of all, at the head of a thousand men, smote the Philistine garrison in Geba; this was the signal for the outbreak of war. The Philistine army gathered together and encamped in Michmash. Jonathan, accompanied only by his armour-bearer, at great risk surprised an advanced post of the Philistines, and slew about twenty men; the suddenness and success of this coup so terrified the Philistines that the whole host of them fled in panic. The popularity of Jonathan is well illustrated by the fact that the people prevented Saul from carrying out a vow which would have cost Jonathan his life (1Sa 14:24-46). The implicit trust which Saul placed in Jonathan is seen in the words of the latter in 1Sa 20:2 : 'Behold my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me.' The faithfulness and trustworthiness of Jonathan as here shown gives an insight into what must have been that friendship for David which has become proverbial. All the characteristics of truest friendship are seen in Jonathan in their full beauty
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And Micah will say to him, Dwell with me, and be to me for a father and for a priest, and I will give to thee ten of silver for days, and an equipment of garments, and means of life. And the Levite will go in.
And they will remove from thence from the families of the Danites, and from Zorah and from Eshtaol, six hundred men girded with weapons of war. And they will go up and encamp in the City of Forests, in Judah: for this they called that place the camp of Dan, even to this day: behold, it behind the City of Forests. read more. And they will pass from thence to mount Ephraim, and they will come even to the house of Micah. And the five men going to search the land of Laish will answer and say to their brethren, Knew ye that there is in these houses an ephod, and a teraphim, and a carved thing, and a molten? and now know ye what ye will do. And they will turn aside there and come to the house of the youth the Levite, of the house of Micah, and they will ask him for peace. And the six hundred men girded with their weapons of war, stood at the door, which were of the sons of Dan. And the five men having gone to search the land will go up; they will come in there; they took the carved thing and the ephod, and the teraphim and the molten thing: and the priest stood at the door of the gate, and the six hundred men girded with weapons of war. And these came in to Micah's house, and they will take the carved thing, the ephod, and the teraphim, and the molten thing; and the priest will say to them, What are ye doing? And they will say to him, Be silent; put thy hand upon thy mouth and go with us, and be to us for father and for priest: is it good for thee to be priest to the house of one man, or for thee to be priest to a tribe and to a family in Israel? And the priest's heart will be joyous, and he will take the ephod, and the teraphim, and the carved thing, and will go in the midst of the people. And they will turn and go and put the little ones and the cattle and the wealth before them. They were far off from the house of Micah, and the men that were in the houses which were with the house of Micah, were called together, and they will overtake the sons of Dan. And they will call to the sons of Dan, and they will turn their faces and say to Micah, What to thee that thou criedst out? And he will say, My gods which I made, ye took away, and the priest, and ye will go: and what to me yet? and what this ye will say to me, What to thee? And the sons of Dan will say to him, Thy voice shall not be heard with us lest men bitter of soul shall strike upon you, and thy soul was taken away, and the soul of thy house. And the sons of Dan will go to their way: and Micah will see that they were strong above him, and he will turn and turn back to his house. And they took what Micah made, and the priest which was to him, and they will go to Laish, upon a people quiet and confiding: and they will strike them with the mouth of the sword, and they will burn the city with fire. And there was none delivering, for it was far off from Sidon, and the word was not to them with man; and it is in the valley which is to the house of the street And they will build the city and dwell in it And they will call the name of the city, Dan, in the name of Dan their father, who will be born to Israel. And yet Laish the name of the city at first. And the sons of Dan will raise up to them the carved thing: and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Danites even to the day of the captivity of the land.
And the sons of Dan will raise up to them the carved thing: and Jonathan, son of Gershom, son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Danites even to the day of the captivity of the land. And they will set up to them Micah's carved thing, which he made, all the days the home of God was in Shiloh.
And the man Israel was pressed in that day: and Saul will curse the people, saying, Cursed the men who shall eat bread till the evening, and I was avenged of mine enemy. And all the people tasted not bread. And all the land came into a thicket; and honey will be upon the face of the field. read more. And the people will come to the thicket, and behold, the honey went; and none putting his hand to his mouth, for the people will be afraid of the oath. And Jonathan heard not in his father's causing the people to swear: and he will stretch forth the extremity of the rod which is in his hand, and he will dip it in the droppings of the honey, and he will turn back his hand to his mouth, and his eyes will see. And a man from the people will answer and say, Thy father adjuring, adjured the people, saying, Cursed the man who shall eat bread this day. And the people were wearied. And Jonathan will say, My father troubled the land: see, now, that mine eyes saw, because I tasted a little of this honey. But if eating, the people ate this day from the spoil of his enemies which he found; for now was not the blow greater against the rovers? And they will strike the rovers in that day, from Michmash to the oak: and the people were greatly wearied. And the people will make to the spoil, and they will take sheep and oxen, and the young of oxen, and they will slaughter on the earth: and the people will eat upon the blood. And they will announce to Saul, saying, Behold, the people sinning against Jehovah to eat upon the blood. And he will say, Ye acted treacherously: roll to me this day a great stone. And Saul will say, Be ye dispersed among the people, and say to them, Bring near to me a man his ox, and a man his sheep, and slaughter here and eat; and ye shall not sin against Jehovah to eat with the blood. And all the people will bring near, each his ox in his hand this night, and they will slaughter there. And Saul will build an altar to Jehovah: this altar he began to build to Jehovah. And Saul will say, We will go down after the rovers by night, and we will plunder among them till the light of the morning, and we will not leave a man among them. And they will say, Do all the good in thine eyes. And the priest will say, We will draw near here to God. And Saul will ask in God, Shall I go down after the rovers? wilt thou give them into the hand of Israel? And he will not answer him in that day. And Saul will say, Draw near here all the corners of the people: and know and see in what was this sin this day. For Jehovah lives, having saved Israel, for if it is in Jonathan my son, for dying he shall die. And none from all the people answered him. And he will say to all Israel, Ye shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on one side. And the people will say to Saul, Do the good in thine eyes. And Saul will say to Jehovah the God of Israel, Give the truth. And Jonathan will be taken, and Saul: and the people will come forth. And Saul will say, Cast between me and between Jonathan my son. And Jonathan will be taken. And Saul will say to Jonathan, Announce to me what thou didst And Jonathan will announce to him and say, Tasting, I tasted with the extremity of the rod which was in my hand, a little honey, and behold, I shall die. And Saul will say, So will Jehovah do, and so will he add; for dying, thou shalt die, Jonathan. And the people will say to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who did this great salvation in Israel? Far be it: Jehovah lives if there shall fall from the hair of his head to the earth; for he did with Jehovah this day. And the people will let Jonathan go free, and he died not. And Saul will come up from after the rovers: and the rovers went to their place.
And it will be as he finished to speak to Saul, and the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David, and Jonathan will love him as his soul.
And he will say to him, Far be it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will not do a word great or a word small, and not disclose mine ear: and wherefore will my father hide from me this word? this is not.
And he will say to him, Far be it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will not do a word great or a word small, and not disclose mine ear: and wherefore will my father hide from me this word? this is not.
And Jonathan will say to David, Jehovah, God of Israel when I shall search out my father about this time to-morrow, the third day, and behold, good to David, and I shall not then send to thee, and uncover thine ear.
And David will hide in the field: and it will be the new moon, and the king will sit down to the bread to eat And the king will sit upon his seat as from time to time, to a seat of the wall: and Jonathan will rise, and Abner will sit by Saul's side, and David's seat will be reviewed. read more. And Saul spake not anything in that day, for he said, It is an accident; he is not clean; for he is not clean. And on the morrow, of the month the second, and David's place will be reviewed: and Saul will say to Jonathan his son, Wherefore came not the son of Jesse also yesterday, also this day to the bread? And Jonathan will answer to Saul, Asking, David asked of me even for the House of Bread: And he will say, Send me away now, for a sacrifice of the family to us in the city; and my brother he commanded me: and now if I found grace in thine eyes, I will slip away now and see my brethren. For this he came not to the table of the king. And Saul's anger will kindle against Jonathan, and he will say to him, Son of crooked rebelliousness, did I not know that thou choosest to the son of Jesse to thy shame and to the shame of thy mother's nakedness? For all the days which the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, thou shalt not stand, and thy kingdom. And now send and take him to me, for he is the son of death. And Jonathan will answer Saul his father and say to him, Wherefore shall he die? What did he? And Saul will lift up his spear against him to strike him, and Jonathan will know that it was finished from his father to kill David. And Jonathan will rise from the table in the heat of wrath, and he will not eat bread in the day of the month the second, for he was grieved for David because his father reproached him.
Distress to me for thee, my brother Jonathan: thou wert sweet to me exceedingly: thy love to me was wonderful above the love of women.
And the king will say to Zadok the priest., Thou seest: turn back to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar, your two sons with you.
And Jonathan and Ahimaaz standing by the fountain of Rogel; and a maid-servant went and announced to them, and they will go, and announce to king David, for they will not be able to be seen to come to the city. And a boy will see them and be will announce to Absalom; and they two will go quickly and will come to the house of a man in Bahurim, and to him a well In his enclosure; and they will go down there, read more. And the woman will take and spread the covering upon the mouth of the well and she will spread the medicine upon it; and the word will not be known. And Absalom's servants will come to the woman to her house, and they will say, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? and the woman will say to them, They passed over the brook of waters. And they will seek and not find; and they will turn back to Jerusalem.
And he will reproach Israel, and Jonathan, son of Shimeab, David's brother, will strike him.
And the sons of Jada the brother of Shammai: Jether and Jonathan: and Jether will die without sons.
And over the treasures of the king, Azmaveth son of Adiel: and over the treasures in the field, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the towers, Jehonathan son of Uzziah:
And Jehonathan, David's uncle, counseling a man of understanding, and he a scribe: and Jehiel son of Hachmoni with the sons of the king:
And from the sons of Adin: Ebed, son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males.
But Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahaziah, son of Tikvah, stood upon this: and Meshullam and Sabbethai the Levite helped them.
The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, being written heads of the fathers: and the priests for the kingdom of Darius the Persian.
And from the sons of the priests with trumpets: Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah the son of Mattaniah, son of Michaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph:
And the chiefs will be angry against Jeremiah and they struck him, and gave him to the house of bonds the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they made it for a house of prison. For Jeremiah came to the house of the pit, and to the vaults, and Jeremiah sat there many days. read more. And king Zedekiah will send and take him, and the king will ask him in his house in secret, and say, Is there a word from Jehovah? and Jeremiah will say, There is: and he will say, Into the hand of the king of Babel shalt thou be given. And Jeremiah will say to king Zedekiah, What did I sin against thee, and against thy servants, and against this people that thou gavest me to the house of the prison? And where now your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, The king of Babel shall not come against you and against this land? And now, hear now my lord the king: my mercy shall fall now before thy face, and thou shalt not cause me to turn back to the house of Jonathan the scribe, and I shall not die there.
And say thou to them, I cause my supplication to fall before the king, not to turn me back to the house of Jonathan, to die there.
And they will come to Gedaliah to Mizpeh, and Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan, sons of Kareah, and Seraiah, son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maachathite, they and their men.