How did David show he loved Jonathan?

Answer 1

A:

Jonathan is described in First Samuel as Saul's son, who distinguished himself against the Philistines. He would certainly seem to be a great friend to David, even saving David's life when King Saul sought to kill him. When we look deeper, we see that Jonathan seems to have developed a homosexual fondness for David, as for example 1 Samuel 18:1: "And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

In return, David demonstrates his love for Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1:26: "I am distressed for thee my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women."

In 1 Samuel 20:30 we find that Saul had become aware of their relationship: "Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?" By appearing to confirm the existence of a homosexual relationship between Jonathan and the future King David, this adds to our understanding of 2 Samuel 1:26.

Answer 2

1 Samuel 18:3-4 says "And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt" (NIV).