1 Samuel 20:39
“But the boy didn’t know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.”
What does 1 Samuel 20:39 mean?
In this tense moment, Jonathan is helping David escape from King Saul's deadly jealousy by using a secret signal involving arrows. The boy carrying Jonathan's bow and arrows has no idea he's part of a coded message, which actually protects him, should Saul later interrogate him. Only Jonathan and David understand what the arrow landing means, and that shared secret becomes the heartbreaking confirmation that David must flee for his life. There's something deeply human here, too: sometimes those closest to us carry the weight of secrets we can't share more widely. Jonathan's willingness to be the only other person who knows demonstrates the depth of his friendship and his willingness to stand alone with David in a dangerous situation.