1 Samuel 20:7 Meaning: How Do You Know When Evil Is Determined?
If he says, ‘It is well,’ your servant shall have peace; but if he is angry, then know that evil is determined by him.
If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him.
If thus he say: Good; peace is for thy servant; and if it be very displeasing to him--know that the evil hath been determined by him;
If he say thus, It is well, — thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by him.
Meaning in one sentence
David and Jonathan devise a test to see if Saul's anger is settled malice. What 'evil determined' means for trust and safety.
Context
David is hiding from Saul, who has already tried to kill him several times. He has come to his friend Jonathan, Saul's son, and the two have renewed a covenant of loyalty. Jonathan still hopes his father's rage is just a passing fit. So David proposes a test. At the new moon feast, David will be absent. If Saul asks where he is, Jonathan will give a cover story about a family sacrifice in Bethlehem. How Saul responds to the news, whether he accepts it calmly or burns with anger, will tell them what is really in his heart. This verse is the plan in Jonathan's own words: a calm response means peace; rage means the evil against David is settled and final.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words carry the weight of this verse. The first is tov, the word Jonathan will listen for. It means 'good' or 'well.' A simple 'good' from Saul would signal that David has nothing to fear, the king's heart is at rest. But the opposite is charah, a verb that means 'to burn' or 'to be kindled.' It is not ordinary annoyance. It is a fire that has caught and blazed up. Jonathan is watching for that burn.
The third word is the most sobering. When Jonathan says 'evil is determined,' the Hebrew verb is kalah. It means 'to finish, complete, accomplish.' Saul's hostility is not a mood that might pass. It is something he has brought to a conclusion in his own mind. The evil is finished, settled, decided. And shalom, the word for peace in the first half of the verse, is the opposite: wholeness, safety, everything in its right place. Jonathan will know which reality they are living in by one simple signal.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this verse as a wise way to discern settled malice. Reformed commentators like Matthew Henry note that Jonathan's test was needed because David had already experienced Saul's murderous fits, but the king could sometimes appear calm. The test would reveal the true, lasting intent. Baptist commentator John Gill describes the 'evil determined' as 'settled obstinate malice' that has become 'implacable and inveterate.' The Douay-Rheims Catholic translation renders it 'his malice is come to its height,' suggesting a culmination of bad intent. Lutheran commentators like Keil and Delitzsch observe that David could not assume Saul's insanity was permanent; he needed evidence. All these readings agree: this is not about a single flash of temper but about a heart that has made up its mind to harm.
A common misunderstanding
It is easy to read 'evil is determined by him' and think this means something like 'fate has decided evil against you.' But the Hebrew verb kalah is active: Saul himself has determined the evil. It is not a mysterious destiny. It is a king who has settled in his own heart to destroy David. The test is not about reading omens; it is about watching whether a person's anger is a passing storm or a completed decision.
Living This Out
You may have a relationship where you are not sure if someone's harsh words are just a bad day or a settled grudge. This verse does not tell you to assume the worst. It tells you to look for evidence. Pay attention to patterns, not isolated explosions. A person who is consistently enraged, who burns at the mere mention of your name, may be showing you that their heart has made a decision. The wise response is to see it clearly and take it seriously, just as David and Jonathan did. And if you are the one who is angry, ask yourself: is this a fire that needs to be put out, or a fire I have been feeding?
Main takeaway: When a person's anger is settled and deliberate, you are seeing evil that has been determined, not a passing storm.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jonathan was watching to see if Saul was still angry or if he was okay. Sometimes you can tell how someone feels by watching what they do. If they keep being mad, it means they have decided to stay mad.
For ages 9, 12
David and Jonathan made a plan to find out if Saul's anger was just a bad mood or something deeper. Jonathan would say David was at a family event. If Saul said 'that's fine,' he was safe. But if Saul got really angry, that was a sign his heart had already decided to hurt David. This verse reminds us that we can watch people's reactions over time to know if a relationship is healthy or dangerous.
Questions People Ask
What does 'evil is determined by him' mean in 1 Samuel 20:7?
It means that Saul has made up his mind to harm David. The Hebrew word for 'determined' (kalah) means 'finished' or 'completed.' This is not a sudden burst of anger but a settled, deliberate intention. Jonathan would know from Saul's furious reaction that the king's hostility was no longer changeable.
Why did David and Jonathan need a test? Couldn't they just talk to Saul?
Saul had already tried to kill David several times, but he also had moments of calm. Jonathan hoped his father's anger might have passed. A direct confrontation could have been dangerous. The test at the feast gave them a safe way to read Saul's true feelings without putting David at further risk.
Does this verse mean we should test everyone who is angry with us?
No. This was a specific situation between David, Jonathan, and a dangerous king. The broader principle is wisdom: when a relationship involves repeated harm, it is right to look for signs of whether the person's anger is temporary or fixed. But we are not called to set up tests for everyone who disagrees with us.
What is the covenant mentioned in the context of this verse?
In 1 Samuel 20:8, David reminds Jonathan that they have made a 'covenant of the Lord' together. This was a solemn promise of loyalty and protection between them, made before God. Jonathan's willingness to test his own father for David's sake shows how seriously he took that covenant.
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