2 Samuel 1:17
New International Version
David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,

New Living Translation
Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan,

English Standard Version
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,

Berean Standard Bible
Then David took up this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,

King James Bible
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

New King James Version
Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

New American Standard Bible
Then David sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan,

NASB 1995
Then David chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son,

NASB 1977
Then David chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then David chanted with this funeral lament over Saul and Jonathan his son,

Amplified Bible
Then David sang this dirge (funeral song) over Saul and his son Jonathan,

Christian Standard Bible
David sang the following lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
David sang the following lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,

American Standard Version
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son

Contemporary English Version
David sang a song in memory of Saul and Jonathan,

English Revised Version
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
David wrote this song of mourning for Saul and his son Jonathan.

Good News Translation
David sang this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,

International Standard Version
So David intoned this song of lament about Saul and his son Jonathan,

Majority Standard Bible
Then David took up this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan,

NET Bible
Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.

New Heart English Bible
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

Webster's Bible Translation
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son:

World English Bible
David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And David laments with this lamentation over Saul, and over his son Jonathan;

Young's Literal Translation
And David lamenteth with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son;

Smith's Literal Translation
And David will set up this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David made this kind of lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then David mourned a lamentation over Saul and over his son Jonathan, in this way.

New American Bible
Then David chanted this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan

New Revised Standard Version
David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And David lamented with this song of mourning over Saul and over Jonathan his son

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And David lamented this lamentation for Shaul and for Jonathan his son
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David's Song for Saul and Jonathan
17Then David took up this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and he ordered that the sons of Judah be taught the Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of Jashar:…

Cross References
2 Samuel 3:33-34
And the king sang this lament for Abner: “Should Abner die the death of a fool? / Your hands were not bound, your feet were not fettered. As a man falls before the wicked, so also you fell.” And all the people wept over him even more.

2 Chronicles 35:25
Then Jeremiah lamented over Josiah, and to this day all the male and female singers recite laments over Josiah. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Book of Laments.

Lamentations 2:10
The elders of the Daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence. They have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth. The young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground.

Jeremiah 9:17-20
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them. / Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water. / For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’” ...

Ezekiel 19:1
“As for you, take up a lament for the princes of Israel

Amos 5:16-17
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail. / There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Luke 19:41-44
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it / and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes. / For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. ...

John 11:35
Jesus wept.

Acts 8:2
God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.

Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

1 Corinthians 12:26
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Philippians 2:27
He was sick indeed, nearly unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.

1 Thessalonians 4:13
Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

Revelation 18:9-11
Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. / In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” / And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo—


Treasury of Scripture

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

lamented

2 Samuel 1:19
The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

Genesis 50:11
And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.

2 Chronicles 35:25
And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.

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2 Samuel 1
1. The Amalekite who accused himself of Saul's death is slain
17. David laments Saul and Jonathan with a song














Then David
The phrase "Then David" marks a significant transition in the narrative. David, the anointed king-in-waiting, steps into a new role as a mourner. The Hebrew root for David, "דָּוִד" (Dawid), means "beloved." This highlights David's deep emotional capacity and his ability to love even those who opposed him, such as Saul. David's actions here set a precedent for godly leadership, demonstrating compassion and respect for God's anointed.

took up
The phrase "took up" indicates an intentional action. In Hebrew, the word used is "קִינָה" (qinah), which means to chant a dirge or lament. This suggests a formal and public expression of grief. David's decision to lament publicly for Saul and Jonathan shows his respect for their positions and his understanding of the importance of honoring the fallen, regardless of personal history.

this lament
The term "lament" refers to a mournful song or poem. In Hebrew culture, laments were a common way to express sorrow and were often used in times of national tragedy. The lament serves as a vehicle for communal grief and reflection. David's lament is not just personal but also serves to unite the people in mourning, acknowledging the loss of their king and prince.

for Saul
Saul, the first king of Israel, was a complex figure. Despite his pursuit of David, Saul was still the Lord's anointed. The Hebrew name "שָׁאוּל" (Sha'ul) means "asked for" or "prayed for," reflecting Israel's desire for a king. David's lament for Saul demonstrates his respect for God's chosen leader and his ability to separate personal grievances from his duty to honor God's anointed.

and his son Jonathan
Jonathan, Saul's son, was David's closest friend. The Hebrew name "יְהוֹנָתָן" (Yehonatan) means "Yahweh has given." Jonathan's loyalty to David, despite his father's animosity, exemplifies true friendship and covenant loyalty. David's lament for Jonathan is deeply personal, reflecting the profound bond they shared. This highlights the biblical ideal of friendship rooted in mutual respect and love.

(17) Lamented with this lamentation.--This is the technical expression for a funeral dirge or elegy, such as David also composed on the death of Abner (2Samuel 3:33-34), and Jeremiah on the death of Josiah (2Chronicles 35:25). It is the only instance preserved to us (except the few lines on the death of Abner) of David's secular poetry. "It is one of the finest odes of the Old Testament, full of lofty sentiment, and springing from deep and sanctified emotion, in which, without the slightest allusion to his own relation to the fallen king, David celebrates without envy the bravery and virtues of Saul and his son Jonathan, and bitterly laments their loss." (Keil.)

Verse 17. - David lamented with this lamentation. The Hebrew word for "lamentation" is kinah, a technical term for an elegy or poem commemorative of the dead. Thus Jeremiah wrote a kinah in memory of King Josiah (2 Chronicles 35:25); and there is little doubt that the "lamentations" there spoken of were a collection of dirges, in which probably this ode written by David held an honoured place. In 2 Samuel 3:33, 34 we have a short kinah in Abner's honour, which possibly formed part of a longer poem, of which those two verses only are quoted as sufficing to prove, not only David's innocence, but also his indignation at Joab's foul deed. In both these places we have remains of David's secular poetry, and find it marked by the same strong emotion and the same sublimity of thought as distinguish his psalms. We observe also the nobleness of David's nature in his total silence concerning himself, and his generous eulogy, not of Jonathan only, but also of Saul. The mean envy and the implacable jealousy of the latter are no more remembered, and he sees in him, not the personal foe, but the brave king who has fallen in his country's cause.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then David
דָּוִ֔ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

took up
וַיְקֹנֵ֣ן (way·qō·nên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6969: To strike a, musical note, chant, wail

this
הַזֹּ֑את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

lament
הַקִּינָ֖ה (haq·qî·nāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7015: An elegy, dirge

for
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Saul
שָׁא֖וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

and his son
בְּנֽוֹ׃ (bə·nōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

Jonathan,
יְהוֹנָתָ֥ן (yə·hō·w·nā·ṯān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3083: Jonathan -- 'the LORD has given', the name of a number of Israelites


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OT History: 2 Samuel 1:17 David lamented with this lamentation over Saul (2Sa iiSam 2 Sam ii sam)
2 Samuel 1:16
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