Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
David and Jonathan were brothers, not lovers.
David and Jonathan are held up as quintessential best friends. However, interestingly, the Old Testament and the New Testament never refer to Jonathan and David as such. Instead, when David grieved Jonathan's death, he called him “my brother". Likewise, in 1 Samuel 18:1 we read, "The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David."
This distinct expression of a soul knit to a soul is found in the Bible. Only one other time in Genesis 44:30, Judah explained that his father's soul, Jacob, was knit to his younger brother's soul, Benjamin, as his life or soul is bound up or knit in the boy's life or soul. Jacob and Benjamin were not lovers. Rather, Jacob had a deep, unconditional and enduring love for his son, totally devoid of any sexual or romantic implication. The knitting of souls communicates a non-sexual familial love.
If you would like to expand on this topic, watch the full video: youtu.be/rP9mW-Q2QUw?si=8EFQxKjBTt3mKcWc
#OldTestament #BibleContext #Hermeneutics #BestFriends
David and Jonathan were brothers, not lovers.
David and Jonathan are held up as quintessential best friends. However, interestingly, the Old Testament and the New Testament never refer to Jonathan and David as such. Instead, when David grieved Jonathan's death, he called him “my brother". Likewise, in 1 Samuel 18:1 we read, "The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David."
This distinct expression of a soul knit to a soul is found in the Bible. Only one other time in Genesis 44:30, Judah explained that his father's soul, Jacob, was knit to his younger brother's soul, Benjamin, as his life or soul is bound up or knit in the boy's life or soul. Jacob and Benjamin were not lovers. Rather, Jacob had a deep, unconditional and enduring love for his son, totally devoid of any sexual or romantic implication. The knitting of souls communicates a non-sexual familial love.
If you would like to expand on this topic, watch the full video: youtu.be/rP9mW-Q2QUw?si=8EFQxKjBTt3mKcWc
#OldTestament #BibleContext #Hermeneutics #BestFriends
