What Does 1 Samuel 20:12 Mean?
And Jonathan said to David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have searched out my father about tomorrow, or the third day, and behold, if there is good toward David, and I do not then send to you and uncover your ear;
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;THE KEY
Jonathan’s “shew it thee” is literally an uncovering of David’s ear: the promise sends hidden knowledge into hearing.
THE MEANING
Jonathan (יְהוֹנָתָן, Yehonatan, “YHWH has given”) speaks for David (דָּוִד, David, “beloved”), vowing to send what he learns and uncover David’s ear to it. For the reader now, care appears as hidden knowledge made available to the beloved. What is known becomes shared through disclosure.
THE ROOT
וְגָלִיתִי
ve-galiti
GROWS FROM
גלה
Uncover, expose, disclose.
The Hebrew says “I will uncover your ear,” where the KJV says “shew it thee.” Disclosure is pictured as removing a covering so what is hidden can enter hearing; the same root also describes revealing a secret.
ALSO GROWS
Uncover your ear: Uncover your ear; disclose something to you.
וְגָלִיתִי אֶת־אָזְנֶךָ
This is the phrase Jonathan uses: revealing the news means opening David’s ear to it.
ve-galah: And he reveals or discloses.
וְגָלָה
Amos uses the same root for making a hidden secret known, linking revelation with uncovering.
אֶשְׁלַח
eshlaḥ
GROWS FROM
שלח
Send forth, release, let go.
“send” in this verse is eshlaḥ. Jonathan’s news is not left held within him: he sends it out to David. The root carries both sending and release, so the promise gives hidden knowledge a way to move toward the one who needs to hear it.
ALSO GROWS
shalach: Send away or release.
שָׁלַח
The same verb can name letting something go; here, Jonathan releases the news from secrecy by sending it.
Shiloach: Sent; the name of the pool called Siloam in John 9:7.
שִׁלֹחַ
The name preserves the root’s sense of being sent forth, connecting Jonathan’s message with the wider language of sending.
THE PATTERN
Disclosure uncovers what is hidden and brings it into hearing.
Now the LORD had uncovered the ear of Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,For you, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have uncovered the ear of your servant, saying, I will build you a house; therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer before your face.For the Lord GOD does nothing, unless he uncovers his secret to his servants the prophets.THE THREAD
Now the LORD had uncovered the ear of Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,The Hebrew phrase here also means that the LORD uncovered Samuel’s ear. Jonathan promises to do the same for David by sending him what he learns; in both verses, revelation opens hearing to what was hidden.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
You can read any verse this way in the app, keep it as a card, and send it on.
A Bible app where you send verses from your keyboard and in Messages, and every verse has a Deep Dive.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us