1 Samuel 20:14
New International Version
But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed,

New Living Translation
And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die,

English Standard Version
If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die;

Berean Standard Bible
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,

King James Bible
And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

New King James Version
And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die;

New American Standard Bible
And if I am still alive, will you not show me the faithfulness of the LORD, so that I do not die?

NASB 1995
“If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die?

NASB 1977
“And if I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die?

Legacy Standard Bible
And if I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of Yahweh, that I may not die?

Amplified Bible
If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness and faithfulness of the LORD, so that I will not die?

Christian Standard Bible
If I continue to live, show me kindness from the LORD, but if I die,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If I continue to live, treat me with the LORD’s faithful love, but if I die,

American Standard Version
And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And, oh, that as I live, perform with me the grace of God before I shall die!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if indeed I continue to live, then shalt thou deal mercifully with me; and if I indeed die,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And if I live, thou shalt shew me the kindness of the Lord: but if I die,

English Revised Version
And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But as long as I live, [promise me that you will] show me kindness because of the LORD. And even when I die,

Good News Translation
And if I remain alive, please keep your sacred promise and be loyal to me; but if I die,

International Standard Version
If I remain alive, don't fail to show me the LORD's gracious love so that I don't die.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not;

Literal Standard Version
and not only while I am alive do you do the kindness of YHWH with me, and I do not die,

Majority Standard Bible
And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die,

New American Bible
Only this: if I am still alive, may you show me the kindness of the LORD. But if I die,

NET Bible
While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the LORD, or else I will die!

New Revised Standard Version
If I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the LORD; but if I die,

New Heart English Bible
And if I am still alive, deal loyally with me. But if I die,

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt, not only while yet I live, show me the kindness of the LORD, that I may not die:

World English Bible
You shall not only show me the loving kindness of Yahweh while I still live, that I not die;

Young's Literal Translation
and not only while I am alive dost thou do with me the kindness of Jehovah, and I die not,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant
13But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father. 14And as long as I live, treat me with the LORD’s loving devotion, that I may not die, 15and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household—not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”…

Cross References
Genesis 40:14
But when it goes well for you, please remember me and show me kindness by mentioning me to Pharaoh, that he might bring me out of this prison.

1 Samuel 20:13
But if my father intends to bring evil on you, then may the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if I do not tell you and send you on your way in safety. May the LORD be with you, just as He has been with my father.

1 Samuel 20:15
and do not ever cut off your loving devotion from my household--not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

1 Samuel 20:23
And as for the matter you and I have discussed, the LORD is a witness between you and me forever."

1 Samuel 24:21
So now, swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's house."

2 Samuel 9:1
Then David asked, "Is there anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?"

2 Samuel 9:3
So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family to whom I can show the kindness of God?" Ziba answered, "There is still Jonathan's son, who is lame in both feet."


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

the kindness

2 Samuel 9:3
And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

Ephesians 5:1,2
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; …

Jump to Previous
Alive Death Die Killed Kind Kindness Live Loyal Show Unfailing
Jump to Next
Alive Death Die Killed Kind Kindness Live Loyal Show Unfailing
1 Samuel 20
1. David consults with Jonathan for his safety
11. Jonathan and David renew their covenant by oath
18. Jonathan's token to David
23. Saul, missing David, seeks to kill Jonathan
35. Jonathan affectionately takes his leave of David














(14) And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not.--The Hebrew of this and the next verse is again very confused, abrupt, and ungrammatical, but this is evidently to be attributed to the violent emotion of the speaker. We have, doubtless (as above suggested). David's own report of what took place, and the words of his dead friend had, no doubt, impressed themselves with a sad accuracy on his heart.

The Syriac and Arabic renderings have been followed by Maurer, Ewald, Keil, Lange, and others, who change v'lo ("and not") in the first two clauses of 1Samuel 20:14, into the interjection v'lu (and "O that," or "would that"). They render them, "And mayest thou, if I still live, show to me the favour of the Lord, and if I die, not withdraw thy favour from my house for ever, not even when Jehovah shall cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth."

The last words, "when Jehovah shall cut off," tells us with striking clearness how thoroughly convinced was Jonathan that in the end David's cause, as the cause of their God, would surely triumph. Mournfully he looked on to his father's downfall and his own (Jonathan's) premature death; and in full view of this he bespoke the interest of his friend--though his friend would probably in a few hours become an exile and outlaw--on behalf of his own (Jonathan's) children, who would, he foresaw, before many years had expired, be landless, homeless orphans.

Verses 14, 15. - The construction of this passage is very difficult if we retain the three negatives of the Masoretic text; but most commentators, following the reading of the Syriac as regards at least one of them, consider that the Masorites have been mistaken in the vowels which they have attached to the consonants (see on 1 Samuel 1:7). Read with other vowels, two of these negatives become interjections of desire - O that; and the whole may be translated, "And O that, while I still live, yea, O that thou wouldst show me the kindness of Jehovah, - i.e. great unfailing kindness, such as was that of Jehovah to Israel, - that I die not, nor shalt thou cut off thy kindness from my house forever." It was the sanguinary custom in the East on a change of dynasty to put all the seed royal to death (1 Kings 15:29; 1 Kings 16:11, etc., and comp. 2 Samuel 19:28). As then Jonathan foresaw that it was Jehovah's will to transfer the kingdom to David, he binds him by the memory of his own true love to him to show mercy to his race.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And
וְלֹ֖א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

as long as
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I live,
חָ֑י (ḥāy)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

treat
תַעֲשֶׂ֧ה (ṯa·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

me
עִמָּדִ֛י (‘im·mā·ḏî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 5978: Against, by, from, me, mine, of, that I take, unto,

with the LORD’s
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

loving devotion
חֶ֥סֶד (ḥe·seḏ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

that I may not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

die,
אָמֽוּת׃ (’ā·mūṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


Links
1 Samuel 20:14 NIV
1 Samuel 20:14 NLT
1 Samuel 20:14 ESV
1 Samuel 20:14 NASB
1 Samuel 20:14 KJV

1 Samuel 20:14 BibleApps.com
1 Samuel 20:14 Biblia Paralela
1 Samuel 20:14 Chinese Bible
1 Samuel 20:14 French Bible
1 Samuel 20:14 Catholic Bible

OT History: 1 Samuel 20:14 You shall not only while yet (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 20:13
Top of Page
Top of Page