Context No. 2940 of 4322 · 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 1:17-27: in context

17David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son 18(and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar): 19“Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain on you, and no fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled and cast away, the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil. 22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, Jonathan’s bow didn’t turn back. Saul’s sword didn’t return empty. 23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions. 24You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you delicately in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your clothing. 25How the mighty have fallen in the middle of the battle! Jonathan was slain on your high places. 26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. 27How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished!”

David composes a lament over Saul and Jonathan, its refrain returning again and again to grief over the fallen. He calls Israel to weep, forbids the news to be told in the Philistine cities, praises Saul and Jonathan as swift and strong, and pours out his sorrow for Jonathan: your love to me was wonderful.

What stands out is David's generosity in his grief. Saul had hunted him for years and tried again and again to kill him; David could have met the news of his death with relief. Instead he writes a lament honoring Saul, refusing to gloat, and mourns Jonathan with deep tenderness. He grieves even the man who wronged him, choosing to remember the good rather than settle old scores over a grave. This is a heart that will not let bitterness have the last word, even over an enemy.

When someone who wronged me falls, can I refuse to gloat, and honor whatever was good in them, as David did over Saul?

Sources

2 Samuel 1:19: "Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!"
2 Samuel 1:26: "I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan... Your love to me was wonderful."
Proverbs 24:17: "Don't rejoice when your enemy falls. Don't let your heart be glad when he is overthrown."