The United Kingdom of Israel:
Saul, David & Solomon
Foreshadow Christ the King

Lesson 6 David & Jonathan: Two Best Friends
the First Book of Samuel 18:1—19:24

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for The United Kingdom of Israel
cross references in The United Kingdom of Israel
next lesson: The Priest Ahimelech Helps David Flee from Saul

This material coordinates with Lesson 6 on pages 38–42 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”
—the Second Book of Samuel 7:12–13

welcome to our in-depth study of Saul, David & Solomon
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson videos, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has been granted an imprimatur and may be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the First Book of Samuel 16:1—17:58
In Lesson 5 David Is Anointed by Samuel, the LORD asks Samuel to stop grieving over Saul and go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. Samuel expresses concern that Saul will have him killed, but God tells Samuel to say he’s going to Bethlehem to offer sacrifice. Samuel expects to anoint one of Jesse’s sons, but none of the sons presented appears to be the one chosen by God. Samuel learns that there’s yet another son, the eighth and youngest, who’s sent for and anointed in front of his family. The Spirit of the LORD comes mightily upon David from that day forward. Meanwhile, an evil spirit begins tormenting Saul. David is sent for and asked to play the lyre to soothe Saul. The Philistines gather for battle against Saul’s army, and their champion Goliath challenges Saul’s troops to send their best warrior to fight him. David volunteers, and Saul agrees to let David fight. Saul outfits David with armor and weapons, but David isn’t used to this battle gear so he goes to face Goliath with only his sling and some stones. His first stone fells Goliath, and David then uses Goliath’s own sword to cut off the Philistine’s head. David credits the LORD with the victory.

map notes—Ramah & Naioth
Ramah, previously identified as Samuel’s home, is located in the hill country that’s part of territory allotted to the half-tribe of Ephraim. It isn’t far from territory allotted to the tribe of Benjamin. Naioth, which means “habitations,” is the name of a small settlement lying just on the city’s outskirts, what today probably would be called a suburb. It seems to have been the center for a college or school of prophets established by Samuel. These were the same type of intermediaries encountered by Saul immediately after he was anointed king, and they aren’t to be confused with Samuel or with those who later are called by God to hold the office of prophet for the purpose of speaking for the LORD to the king. The people at the school at Naioth have genuine devotion to God, and their religious enthusiasm is sincere. They differ from Samuel and the other canonical prophets in that they have made a vocational choice to promote religious enthusiasm among the people through music and other self-imposed means. These somewhat inappropriately named prophets aren’t, however, called by the LORD to speak on his behalf. Click on the map (above right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 41 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

is Saul also among the prophets? (19:50)
This question, initially posed in the First Book of Samuel 10:12 and now posed again in the First Book of Samuel 19:24, has an easy answer—no. Saul isn’t among the prophets. For more information about why not, take some time to watch the video overview for this lesson. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses the type of religious enthusiasm that overtakes Saul, and how those who prophesy in such a manner differ from the people holding the office of prophet, a role filled by Samuel. Matthew also mentions how Saul’s situation points out some of the pitfalls associated with sin, a discussion that’s relevant for present-day Christians. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King offers an in-depth look at the characteristics that distinguish a prophet.


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. You can follow along as author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 6, “David & Jonathan,” on pages 38–42 in the study book.

significant gifts
Jonathan gives his robe, armor, and weapons to David in a gesture that goes beyond simple friendship and indicates Jonathan’s total trust in David as a man of honor. The act gains significance because weapons such as those Jonathan possesses are not readily available to most of the other descendants of Jacob. Not only does Jonathan trust David to protect them both, he has no fear that David will use the weapons against him or against his father Saul.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the contrast between Saul & Jonathan?
The eighteenth chapter in the First Book of Samuel emphasizes a big difference between the attitudes of Jonathan and Saul toward David. This appears to be a continuation of a biblical focus on the sometimes uneasy relationship between fathers and sons.

?  What information about Samuel’s sons is provided in the eighth chapter in the First Book of Samuel?
?  How do you think it’s possible for Samuel’s sons to behave in a way that’s so different from what they must have been taught by their father?
?  How do you think it’s possible for Jonathan to be so well disposed toward David when Jonathan’s father Saul isn’t?
?  Consider what may have influenced Samuel to regard Saul as a substitute son.
?  Based on your previous knowledge of the Old Testament, who are some other fathers and sons who didn’t see eye to eye?
?  What point might the biblical authors be trying to make when they describe the descendants of Jacob as children of God?
?  Consider how the Old Testament view of God the Father compares with the New Testament view.

read the Catechism—an interpretation to avoid
The First Book of Samuel 18:1, which records that Jonathan loved David, occasionally is interpreted as suggesting a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan. Scripture scholars base their rejection of this idea on the fact that the Hebrew word for love used in the First Book of Samuel 18:1 is not the typical word used for sexual activity. The same Hebrew word appears in the First Book of Samuel 16:21 and the First Book of the Kings 5:1, where it has political and diplomatic connotations. The idea of a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan also can be rejected by Catholics because it flies in the face of Church teaching found in paragraphs 2357–2359 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2357     Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358     The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359     Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

benefits of spiritual friendship
St. Aelred of Rievaulx (1110–1167) wrote extensively about spiritual friendship—the category into which David and Jonathan’s relationship falls. According to St. Aelred:

“Nothing is more to be sought, harder to find, sweeter to experience, or more fruitful to possess than friendship. For it bears fruit both in this life and the next, showing forth all virtues in its sweetness, and in its strength destroying vice. Without friendship there hardly can be any happiness among humans; they may well be compared to animals if they have no one to rejoice with them in good fortune or to sympathize with them in sorrow, no one to whom they can unburden themselves in time of trouble, or with whom they can share some especially uplifting or inspiring insight.”

biblical vocabulary—timbrel
The timbrel mentioned in the First Book of Samuel 18:6 is a musical percussion instrument similar to a tambourine.

demonic possession—you could look it up in our archives
The First Book of Samuel 18:10-11 records Saul acting deranged when an evil spirit rushes upon him. This follows a report in the First Book of Samuel 16:14 about the Spirit of the LORD departing from Saul after David is anointed king. There’s a good reason why. Before the Spirit of the LORD departs from Saul, Saul first departed from the LORD. Learn how New Testament use of language changed ideas about demonic possession by reading Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

biblical vocabulary—going out & coming in
The First Book of Samuel 18:13 describes Saul making David commander of a thousand fighting men, and records that David went out and came in before the people. In Scripture, this phrase indicates David’s behavior as connected with his military duties—he leads the troops when they go out to battle, and he leads their return. Because David regularly is going out and coming in from his successful military exploits, he becomes a popular figure with the people.

putting a price on human life 
The marriage present mentioned in the First Book of Samuel 18:24 was commonly something of value given to a woman’s father by her husband as payment for the bride. It reflects the view in ancient cultures that considered women to be property. The price that Saul asks David to pay for the hand of Michal is based less on Saul’s assessment of his daughter’s value and more on Saul’s hope that David will be killed when attempting to fulfill the requirement. That David delivers double what’s asked suggests he places a far higher value on Michal than her father does.

The price Saul names—the foreskins of 100 Philistines killed in battle—emphasizes that male descendants of Jacob are circumcised. This practice, instituted in the seventeenth chapter in the book of Genesis, is a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. All males among God’s people—and their slaves—were to be circumcised. Anyone not circumcised would be “cut off” from the people of God. To this day, circumcision is regarded by the Jews as the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. Can you identify the sign of God’s New Covenant instituted by Jesus Christ? Learn more about the institution of circumcision as a sign of the Old Covenant in Lesson 10 God’s Covenant with Abraham in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

read the Catechism—how well do you know your faith?
“Image” on page 41 in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King has room for only part of the story. The book of Genesis 1:26 usually is interpreted as men and women being created in the image and likeness of God. Most people assume that image and likeness are synonymous, but there’s an important theological distinction to consider.

Do you know what that distinction is? To learn more, read paragraph 705 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

pray with the Psalms—an emotional prayer  
Psalm 59 is David’s prayer describing his feelings when Saul sent men to kill him. The First Book of Samuel 19:11–17 provides an account of this event. Asking God to overcome our enemies can be unsettling, but Psalm 59 demonstrates how to speak to God when oppressed. Prayed at Tuesday Vigils (Week I), Psalm 59 will be included as part of Lesson 5 Awake, O LORD! Come to Our Help! in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, which is scheduled for publication in last summer of 2025.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the First Book of Samuel 18:1—19:24.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the First Book of Samuel 18:1—19:24 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on the biblical text in this lesson in the study book The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

O God, you value humility as the virtue directly opposed to pride.
Teach us also to value humility when we see it in other people, 
and to cultivate an attitude of humble obedience 
in our relationship with you. 
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus, 
who embraced humility to the point of death of a cross
in order to free men and women from slavery to sin. Amen.

Lesson 7 The Priest Ahimelech Helps David Flee from Saul—the First Book of Samuel 20:1—22:23
Lesson 5 David Is Anointed by Samuel—the First Book of Samuel 16:1—17:58

you also may like our study of Scripture & the Rosary (digital only)
Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels, a 26-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, looks at the biblical foundations of the Rosary. The study includes lessons on Pope St. John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary), the Apostles’ Creed, and the Luminous Mysteries as well as the original 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. Color photographs of stained glass windows depict key scenes in the lives of Jesus and Mary. Free digital lessons rotate throughout the year on our website.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.