2 Samuel 1:17-27 Meaning: When Your Enemy Falls
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!”
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
19The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23Saul 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.
24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son
18(and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
19Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!
20Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23Saul 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.
24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet delicately, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.
26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: Thy love to me was wonderful, Passing the love of women.
27How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!
17And David lamenteth with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son;
18and he saith to teach the sons of Judah `The Bow;' lo, it is written on the book of the Upright: --
19`The Roebuck, O Israel, On thy high places is wounded; How have the mighty fallen!
20Declare it not in Gath, Proclaim not the tidings in the streets of Ashkelon, Lest they rejoice--The daughters of the Philistines, Lest they exult--The daughters of the Uncircumcised!
21Mountains of Gilboa! No dew nor rain be on you, And fields of heave-offerings! For there hath become loathsome The shield of the mighty, The shield of Saul--without the anointed with oil.
22From the blood of the wounded, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan Hath not turned backward; And the sword of Saul doth not return empty.
23Saul 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!
24Daughters of Israel! for Saul weep ye, Who is clothing you in scarlet with delights. Who is lifting up ornaments of gold on your clothing.
25How have the mighty fallen In the midst of the battle! Jonathan! on thy high places wounded!
26I am in distress for thee, my brother Jonathan, Very pleasant wast thou to me; Wonderful was thy love to me, Above the love of women!
27How have the mighty fallen, Yea, the weapons of war perish!'
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son;
18and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher: —
19The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20Tell [it] not in Gath, carry not the tidings in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, no rain upon you, nor fields of heave-offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, [as] not anointed with oil.
22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their lives, Even in their death were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with splendour, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.
26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant wast thou unto me; Thy love to me was wonderful, passing women's love.
27How are the mighty fallen, and the instruments of war perished!
Meaning in one sentence
David, the man Saul hunted, composes a public lament for the king who tried to kill him. Discover the profound meaning behind this ancient elegy.
Context
Saul and Jonathan have just died on Mount Gilboa. An Amalekite messenger brings the news to David, claiming he killed Saul himself. David weeps, tears his clothes, and orders the man executed for touching the Lord's anointed. Then David does something unexpected. He composes a funeral dirge, a structured, public lament, and commands that it be taught to the people of Judah. The song is called 'The Bow,' likely after Jonathan's weapon. It was later preserved in the ancient collection known as the Book of Jashar. The lament moves from a call for national mourning, to a poetic curse on the battlefield, to praise of the fallen warriors, and finally to David's raw, personal grief for his friend Jonathan.
Key Words
The word lament here (qi·nah) means more than sadness. It is a formal dirge, a song with structure and refrain. Grief that needs a shape. David does not just cry; he composes, he teaches, he makes sure this loss is remembered rightly. Grief can be work, and that work is holy.
The song is called The Bow (qe·shet). Some think it is named after Jonathan's weapon in verse 22. But the bow also appears in the final line, 'weapons of war have perished.' When an archer’s bow is still, the fighting is over. The name may remind Israel of what they have lost: not just soldiers, but their defenders.
David’s love for Jonathan is described with the word wonderful (nif·le·'a·tah), from a root meaning to be extraordinary or beyond one’s power. This is not ordinary affection. It is a bond so strong it defies explanation. David does not compare it to other loves to diminish them, but to say: what I had with Jonathan was like nothing else I have known.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have long read this passage as a model of magnanimity. Matthew Henry, a Reformed pastor, wrote that David's lament shows 'he had no malice against Saul, but a great value for him.' John Wesley's notes add that the curse on Gilboa is 'a passionate representation, not a proper imprecation', grief speaking in poetry, not literal judgment. Modern readers across traditions note that David honors Saul as 'the Lord's anointed,' even though Saul had been rejected by God. Catholic and Orthodox readers often connect this to the importance of praying for the dead. Evangelicals focus on David's willingness to forgive. All agree: David models a heart that does not gloat over an enemy's fall.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think David cursed the mountains of Gilboa literally, and that the land is still barren because of his words. In fact, the language is poetic hyperbole. David is not pronouncing a permanent curse but expressing horror: 'This place should never bear fruit again, because here our heroes fell.' The mountains still receive dew and rain. The line is grief speaking, not a prophet pronouncing judgment. Wesley and others call it a 'passionate representation' of pain.
Living This Out
Think of someone who has opposed you, perhaps unfairly. Maybe a boss, a family member, a former friend. If you heard they had died, what would you say? David could have listed Saul's faults. He could have said nothing. Instead, he gave Saul a public funeral. He praised his courage, his strength, his service to Israel. He told the whole nation to weep. This week, ask yourself: is there someone I need to speak well of, even if they have wronged me? Not to pretend the hurt never happened. But to honor what was good, and to let God be the judge. That kind of grief is hard work. But it can heal something in you.
Main takeaway: David honors his fallen enemy because he sees past the conflict to the image of God and the anointing of God that remains.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
David was very sad when King Saul died. Even though Saul had been mean to David, David wrote a special song to remember the good things about him. When we are sad about someone, we can remember the good times.
For ages 9, 12
David had every reason to be glad that his enemy was gone. Instead, he wept and asked the whole nation to mourn. This shows us something important: we can honor people even when we disagree with them. David saw that Saul was still God's chosen king, and he respected that. You might have someone you struggle with, a classmate, a sibling. Try to remember one good thing about them today. It doesn't erase the hard stuff, but it might change how you see them.
Questions People Ask
Why is the lament called 'The Bow'?
Most scholars think 'The Bow' refers to Jonathan's bow, mentioned in verse 22. It may also be a poetic name for the song itself. The bow was a symbol of strength and skill. By naming the song after it, David memorializes Jonathan's courage and reminds Israel of the weapon that could no longer defend them.
What is the Book of Jashar?
The Book of Jashar ('the Upright') was an ancient collection of songs and poems about Israel's heroes. It is also mentioned in Joshua 10:13, where a poem about the sun standing still is quoted from it. This book no longer exists, but it preserved David's lament for later generations.
Did David actually curse the mountains of Gilboa?
The words sound like a curse, but they are a poetic expression of grief. David is saying, in effect, 'This place should never see a harvest again, because here our greatest fell.' John Wesley called it a 'passionate representation.' The land still has dew and rain; we are not meant to take the words literally.
What does 'your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women' mean?
David is not comparing romantic love unfavorably. He is saying that the bond he shared with Jonathan was extraordinarily strong, deeper than even the love between a man and a woman, which in his culture was the most intimate bond. This is a statement about the depth of their friendship, not a criticism of marriage.
Why did David include Saul in his lament?
Saul had tried to kill David many times. Yet David consistently refused to harm him because Saul was 'the Lord's anointed.' For David, honoring God meant honoring the man God had chosen as king, even after God had rejected him. The lament shows that David's respect for God's authority outweighed his personal grievance.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study