Question 1

Why was David so upset when he heard Saul and Jonathan were dead?

Accepted Answer

David’s grief came from several places at once. Jonathan was his closest friend, so losing him felt like losing a brother. David also respected Saul as the king God had once chosen, even though Saul had hunted him. He did not rejoice that his enemy was gone. Instead, he saw the fall of Saul and Jonathan as a deep loss for Israel, God’s people. So he tore his clothes, wept, and fasted, showing real sorrow for his friend, his king, and his nation.

Question 2

Why did David have the Amalekite killed for saying he slew Saul?

Accepted Answer

David had already refused several chances to harm Saul because he saw Saul as the Lord’s anointed king. When the Amalekite claimed he finished Saul off and then brought the crown and bracelet, he was saying he had raised his hand against God’s chosen ruler. Even if his story was not fully true, his own words showed a lack of fear and respect toward God’s order. David judged him by his confession and ordered his death to show how serious it was to attack the Lord’s anointed.

Question 3

What does the phrase "How are the mighty fallen" mean here?

Accepted Answer

The line “How are the mighty fallen” is David’s way of grieving the death of strong and honored leaders. Saul and Jonathan had been brave in battle and important for Israel’s life as a nation. Their fall in war showed how quickly human strength can be broken. David repeats this line in his song to press in the sorrow and shock of their deaths. It is not gloating, but a sad cry over the loss of warriors and the suffering of God’s people.

Question 4

Why does David praise Saul in his lament, even though Saul hunted him?

Accepted Answer

In his lament, David speaks about the good he can honestly say about Saul. He remembers Saul’s courage, strength in battle, and the way he had blessed the daughters of Israel with fine clothing and ornaments. David does not list Saul’s sins or the times Saul tried to kill him. Instead, at Saul’s death, he chooses to honor the office and to remember the good. This shows a heart free from bitterness, willing to mourn an enemy and respect the role God had given that man.

Question 5

What does David mean by Jonathan’s love being better than the love of women?

Accepted Answer

When David says Jonathan’s love was better than the love of women, he is talking about the depth of their loyal friendship. Jonathan had given up his own claim to the throne to support David. He protected David at great risk to himself and stayed faithful even when his father opposed David. David is not speaking about romantic love but about covenant loyalty and selfless care. He is saying that Jonathan’s devotion and faithfulness to him were beyond anything he had known in other close relationships.

Question 6

Why does David tell them not to announce this in Gath or Askelon?

Accepted Answer

Gath and Askelon were Philistine cities. David did not want Israel’s enemies to rejoice over the death of Saul and Jonathan and the defeat of Israel’s army. He says, “Tell it not in Gath,” so that the daughters of the Philistines would not celebrate and mock God’s people. His heart is for God’s honor and for the dignity of Israel. Even in grief, he is thinking about how this defeat might give joy and pride to those who hate Israel.

Question 7

What is the meaning of David’s curse on the mountains of Gilboa?

Accepted Answer

David calls for the mountains of Gilboa to have no dew or rain because that is where Saul’s shield was thrown away and where the king fell. This is poetic language, not a spell. In his sorrow, David speaks of the land itself sharing the sadness of what happened there. By wishing dryness on those fields, he is marking that place as the scene of a dark day in Israel’s story, when the anointed king and his son died in battle against their enemies.

Question 8

Why did David want the children of Judah to learn this lament and the bow?

Accepted Answer

David told them to teach this lament to the children of Judah so that future generations would remember Saul and Jonathan’s courage and the cost of that battle. Mention of the bow likely looks back to Jonathan’s skill in war and forward to Judah being trained and ready. In one instruction, David is both shaping their memory and preparing them. He wants the people not to forget their fallen leaders and also to be equipped for the struggles that still lay ahead.

Question 9

What does this passage show about how to treat leaders who fail?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that even when a leader has failed in many ways, there is still a place for respect. David had suffered greatly because of Saul, yet he did not rejoice at Saul’s death or speak only of his sins. He mourned him, honored the role God had given him, and punished the man who claimed to kill him. For us, it points to grieving sin and harm, but also refusing to gloat over a fallen leader. We can mourn, pray, and leave final judgment with God.

2 Samuel 1:1

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

Saul’s Death Reported to David

David’s Song for Saul and Jonathan

Saul’s Death Reported to David

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2 Samuel 1:1

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

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Saul’s Death Reported to David

David’s Song for Saul and Jonathan

Saul’s Death Reported to David

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