2 Samuel 1:23
New International Version
Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

New Living Translation
How beloved and gracious were Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

English Standard Version
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.

Berean Standard Bible
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

King James Bible
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

New King James Version
“Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

New American Standard Bible
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, And in their deaths they were not separated; They were swifter than eagles, They were mightier than lions.

NASB 1995
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

NASB 1977
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not parted; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Legacy Standard Bible
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, And in their death they were not separated; They were swifter than eagles, They were mightier than lions.

Amplified Bible
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely and friends in their lives, And in their death they were not separated; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Christian Standard Bible
Saul and Jonathan, loved and delightful, they were not parted in life or in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Saul and Jonathan, loved and delightful, they were not parted in life or in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

American Standard Version
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided: They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Shaul and Yonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not separated. They were swifter than eagles, and they were stronger than lions!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Saul and Jonathan, the beloved and the beautiful, were not divided: comely were they in their life, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, and they were stronger than lions.

Contemporary English Version
It was easy to love Saul and Jonathan. Together in life, together in death, they were faster than eagles and stronger than lions.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Saul and Jonathan, lovely, and comely in their life, even in death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

English Revised Version
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Saul and Jonathan were loved and well-liked while they were living. They were not separated even when they died. They were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.

Good News Translation
"Saul and Jonathan, so wonderful and dear; together in life, together in death; swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

International Standard Version
Saul and Jonathan, loved and handsome in life, in death were not separated. Swifter than eagles they were, and more valiant than lions.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant In their lives, even in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Literal Standard Version
Saul and Jonathan! They are loved and pleasant in their lives, | And in their death they have not been parted. They have been lighter than eagles, | They have been mightier than lions!

Majority Standard Bible
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

New American Bible
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and dear, separated neither in life nor death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!

NET Bible
Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved during their lives, and not even in their deaths were they separated. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

New Revised Standard Version
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

New Heart English Bible
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely, not separated. Lovely in their life, and in their death they were not separated. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.

Webster's Bible Translation
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

World English Bible
Saul 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.

Young's Literal Translation
Saul and Jonathan! They are loved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they have not been parted. Than eagles they have been lighter, Than lions they have been mightier!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David's Song for Saul and Jonathan
22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not retreat, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. 23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful in life, were not divided in death. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and luxury, who decked your garments with ornaments of gold.…

Cross References
Judges 14:18
Before sunset on the seventh day, the men of the city said to Samson: "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?" So he said to them: "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have solved my riddle!"

2 Samuel 1:24
O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and luxury, who decked your garments with ornaments of gold.

Proverbs 30:30
a lion, mighty among beasts, refusing to retreat before anything;

Song of Solomon 5:16
His mouth is most sweet; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 4:13
Behold, he advances like the clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!


Treasury of Scripture

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

pleasant.

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.

1 Samuel 20:2
And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

they were

1 Samuel 31:1-5
Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa…

swifter

2 Samuel 2:18
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;

1 Chronicles 12:8
And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;

stronger

2 Samuel 23:20
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:

Judges 14:18
And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

Proverbs 30:30
A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;

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2 Samuel 1
1. The Amalekite who accused himself of Saul's death is slain
17. David laments Saul and Jonathan with a song














(23) Lovely and pleasant.--This applies peculiarly to Jonathan, but also in a good degree to Saul in his earlier years and his better moments, which David chose at this moment to recall. It also applies truthfully to them both in their relations to each other.

Verse 23. - Lovely and pleasant. The words of the Authorized Version contain a beautiful antithesis, which, however, does not exist in the Hebrew, which celebrates the close union of father and son in life as well as in death.

"Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and pleasant,
Neither in their lives nor in their death were they divided."
Notwithstanding Saul's rash vow, Jonathan had ever been his father's faithful friend and companion, nor had his affection for David made him untrue to the ties of natural affection. And David generously commends his friend for thus acting.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Saul
שָׁא֣וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

and Jonathan,
וִיהוֹנָתָ֗ן (wî·hō·w·nā·ṯān)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3083: Jonathan -- 'the LORD has given', the name of a number of Israelites

beloved
הַנֶּאֱהָבִ֤ים (han·ne·’ĕ·hā·ḇîm)
Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 157: To have affection f

and delightful
וְהַנְּעִימִם֙ (wə·han·nə·‘î·mim)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 5273: Pleasant, delightful

in life,
בְּחַיֵּיהֶ֔ם (bə·ḥay·yê·hem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

were not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

divided
נִפְרָ֑דוּ (nip̄·rā·ḏū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6504: To break through, spread, separate

in death.
וּבְמוֹתָ֖ם (ū·ḇə·mō·w·ṯām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

They were swifter
קַ֔לּוּ (qal·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7043: To be slight, swift or trifling

than eagles,
מִנְּשָׁרִ֣ים (min·nə·šā·rîm)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5404: The eagle

they were stronger
גָּבֵֽרוּ׃ (gā·ḇê·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1396: To be strong, to prevail, act insolently

than lions.
מֵאֲרָי֖וֹת (mê·’ă·rā·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 738: A lion


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OT History: 2 Samuel 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 1:22
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