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Old Testament
Dr. Gavrilyuk
April 27, 2018
Jonathan: A Betraying Son or Fearless Friend

There are a wide variety of sibling relationships portrayed in the Old Testament. From

Cain and Abel to Absalom and Amnon, many of the stories show how vengeance and trickery

lead to obtaining a desired effect in the world. In comparing several of these stories to the

relationship between Jonathan and David, we can see how they too desire an effect in the world.

Right away in the book of Genesis we are given a story about how Cain is jealous with

his brother, Abel. Cain is a farmer while Abel is a shepherd. This seemingly insignificant detail

about their lines of work strikes the first note of discord in the two brother’s relationship. As the

brothers grow older, Cain notices that whenever Abel brings a sacrifice before the Lord, the Lord

accepts it wholeheartedly. When Cain himself brings a sacrifice before the Lord, the Lord does

not have regard for it. Because of this, “Cain was very angry and his countenance fell” (Gen 4:5).

The seeds of jealousy are sown in Cain’s heart and he begins to look for ways to become better

than his brother. One day, Cain sees an opportunity and invites Abel to work in the field with

him. Cain’s wrath gets the better of him and he kills Abel because he does not try to master his

temptations. The main motivator of Cain’s actions is jealousy while Abel is moved to worship

God. Cain kills Abel as a last resort in his attempt to become better than his brother. Cain is

ultimately successful in this quest, however, not without being cursed by God for the murder he

commits.

Another story of brotherly trickery in Genesis is between Esau and Jacob. Esau is the first

son born to Isaac while Jacob is the second. Jacob’s “hand had taken hold of Esau’s heel” and

“the children struggled together within [Rebekah]” show how conflict between the two was

already an issue, even before the two brothers were grown (Gen 25: 22,26). As the two grew
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older, more conflict arose: “Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a

quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his game; but Rebekah loved

Jacob” (Gen 25: 27-28). Jacob, eager to gain the birthright from his brother, seeks an opportune

moment to have the upper hand against his brother. This moment comes one day when Esau

returns from the fields, famished from his strenuous work. He begs his brother to give him some

food and water. Jacob agrees on the condition that Esau trade his birthright for the food given to

him. Esau complains at first, but then “he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob” (Gen 25:

33). Now that Jacob has the birthright, he has a greater chance of inheriting his father’s fortune

and blessing. Isaac is old and cannot see, so he is the perfect target for trickery. With a little help

from Rebekah, Jacob goes to Isaac’s tent while Esau is out in the field hunting game to make a

stew for his father. Isaac, thinking Jacob is Esau because of the way he is dressed and the meal

he has prepared for him, “kissed him….and blessed him” (Gen 27:27). Esau returns moments

later to find that his brother has taken his blessing from him and he is enraged. In his anger he

vows to kill Jacob for taking a pleasant future away from him. With the future that Jacob has

acquired, he escapes Esau’s wrath and goes to stay with Rebekah’s brother La’ban. As the years

pass, the two brothers gain wives and livestock, so much so that “their possessions were too great

for them to dwell together; the land of their sojournings could not support them because of their

cattle” (Gen 36:8). This separation causes even more divide as it shows how the brothers

compete with each other and never seem to come to an agreement or understanding as to why

Isaac took his father’s blessing instead of Esau. Jacob ultimately seems to act out of a state of

jealousy and sense of entitlement to gain his brother’s fortune as the oldest child.

Taking a deeper look into Jacob’s lineage, a conflict arose among Joseph and his older

brothers. Jacob has twelve sons most of whom were born to him while he was younger.
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However, Joseph and Benjamin, two of Israel’s (Jacob’s) youngest sons are born to him when he

is much older. As a result of this, “Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children” and

“his brothers…hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (Gen 37:3,4). Joseph’s gift from

God was his ability to interpret dreams. He was given a dream which symbolized that his whole

family would reverence him by bowing down before him like one would a king. This made his

brothers even more jealous of him. One day, Jacob sent Joseph out to his brothers to make sure

that everything was going well. Joseph’s brothers saw him from a distance and their anger boiled

in their blood. They said to one another, “Let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits”

(Gen 37:20). One of the brothers, Reuben, intervened and said they should simply leave him in

the pit so that his death would not be on their hands. They saw a traveling caravan and realized

they could make a profit if they sold Joseph to them. The brothers agreed and then “sold him to

the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt” (Gen 37:28). As

Joseph grows older in the land his ancestors were enslaved in, he becomes famous for his gift to

interpret dreams. This gives him the opportunity to become a high ranking official of the king.

Years go by without him seeing his family and he seems to keep them in his daily thoughts. A

famine that was predicted by one of Joseph’s dreams strikes the country, even the land of

Canaan. Because of this Israel’s sons come seeking to buy grain to sustain their family. Joseph,

who has since become a just man as the second in command under Pharaoh, takes Simeon

hostage and gives his other brothers some grain asking that they bring back Benjamin to get all

the grain they sought. Joseph’s brothers come back with Benjamin and are given a banquet as a

reward for their efforts. On their journey back, Joseph overtakes them and searches their bags

because the royal cups of the Pharaoh had been “stolen”. Joseph finds the cups and brings his

brothers back to Egypt where he takes Benjamin as a prisoner. Judah, one of the oldest sons,
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begs for Benjamin to be released, but Joseph will not release him. Judah repents of the wrong he

has done because he feels that some sort of evil must be preventing Benjamin’s release. It is at

this time that Joseph reveals himself to his brothers because he wants them to join him in Egypt,

and it seems like the only way to bring them safely back with Israel. He tells them how “God

sent [him] before [them] to preserve for them a remnant on earth” (Gen 45:7). Israel and the rest

of his family come to Egypt and this is how the book of Genesis ends. The story of Joseph shows

how God can bring a greater good out of the evil that one endures as long as there is a desire to

reconcile and make peace with those who were the cause of conflict.

Since we have examined several different sibling relationships, we shall now turn to the

relationship between David and Jonathan. David and Jonathan’s relationship is quite different

than many of the other relationships examined thus far in that the two men become so close to

each other that it seems as if they are brothers. Samuel writes that David loved Jonathan “as he

loved his own soul” (1 Sam. 20:17). This love is the strongest filial love that is seen between two

men in the Bible. The strength that it takes for Jonathan to help David become great as king of

Israel over Jonathan’s own father who was the king shows the humility that Jonathan has in his

relationship. To show the investment that he makes in their relationship, Jonathan “stripped

himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword

and his bow and his belt” (1 Sam 18:4). This shows that Jonathan desires David to take what he

should have gotten as the king’s son: Honor, glory, the strength of a warrior, and the service of a

loyal friend. Now that the covenant has been made between Jonathan and David, the betrayal of

Saul is permanent. Jonathan has pledged his whole life to helping David take the throne as the

next king after Saul rather than taking the glories of the kingship for himself. He realizes how

David will be a much better king than he could ever be and so he decides to set his heart upon
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that task as opposed to struggling as a king and ruining his father’s reputation. This key point is

the whole motivation behind why Jonathan betrays his father: He recognizes who he is and

realizes that David is better fit for the throne than he ever will be. For Jonathan to betray his

father it is as if one wishes to cut a branch off of a tree and plant it in other soil so that it might

spring up as another tree apart from the original tree which it had been given life and nurturing.

This shows the length to which Jonathan goes in his sacrifice of self. For not only is the betrayal

a difficult task, but one that requires him to give completely of himself and not have any

duplicity in him. This means that Jonathan will die helping David attain the throne. For when

David takes power, the men who are to protect David and his line of kings will kill all from the

line of Saul since he is seen as an enemy of David’s line. As David takes the throne, he

remembers the covenant that Jonathan made with him. Though Jonathan is killed fighting for the

king that he has put in power, David continues to preserve his covenant in honoring Jonathan’s

name and his lineage through his son Mephibosheth. David says that he will “restore to

[Jonathan’s son] all the land of Saul…and eat at [his] table always” (2 Sam 9:7). David shows

how much Jonathan means to him and goes to great lengths to fulfill the covenant brought about

by Jonathan. Now it is no longer Jonathan who is pledging his whole life to David for his

betterment, but David is now pledging his good fortune and kingship before the line of Jonathan.

Just as Jonathan asked in 1 Samuel 20:15 that “the name of Jonathan [not] be cut off from the

house of David”, so David upholds this covenant and helps Mephibosheth to live a healthy and

prosperous life. Now this relationship is much different than any of the other ones that have been

examined thus far. There is not an ounce of conflict between David and Jonathan and their love

for each other is mutual because each loves the other “as he loved his own soul” (1 Sam 20:17).

They perform acts for each other because of that love rather than out of the desire to overtake the
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other or make the other seem weak in their eyes. David and Jonathan will forever be remembered

as two men who define a meaningful and lasting friendship, even after one of the parties has

passed from this life.

In summary, many of the sibling relationships in the Bible were filled with jealousy,

malice, and evil. The intention in these relationships was to become the best person possible

rather than to make peace and grow in the relationship between the two siblings. The closest

relationship comparable to David and Jonathan’s would have to be Joseph’s relationship with his

brother Benjamin. They loved each other very much and never did anything to harm the other,

only build each other up to be the best man they could be for God’s glory. David and Jonathan

are a drop of cool water amidst the heat of conflict between the other sibling relationships in the

Bible. It is extremely edifying to see how two men can go to such great lengths to preserve a

meaningful friendship and brotherhood with each other.

Bible Version: Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition