NOTES for Sa2 1:1-27

The messenger who told David of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan presents this sorrowful event quite differently from the way it is told in the last chapter of First Samuel. If desired, the discrepancy could be explained by the existence of different narrative traditions, but it is much more plausible to suppose that the Amalekite credited himself with actions he had not performed, hoping to earn a reward.

He knew David poorly. During the long period of armed opposition to Saul, when he repeatedly had the opportunity to strike him down, David preserved Saul's life and continued to show him the greatest respect. Therefore David could not endure the killing of Saul, who, despite all his sins and lawless deeds, remained the Anointed One.

David expressed his grief for the dead in a lament, and it is important to note which qualities of Saul and Jonathan he honors. David remembers their courage, their military service to Israel, and highly values the familial love between them, since they were not separated even in death. And the song ends with a final chord, an outpouring of grief for the most beloved of people, Jonathan, dearer than whom David would never again have any friend.