But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.

1 SAMUEL 20:22KJV
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1 Samuel 20:22 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 20:22 mean?

1 Samuel 20:22 means that if Jonathan tells his servant, “The arrows are beyond you,” it is a secret sign to David that he must leave because it is not safe for him to stay; Jonathan is letting David know that the LORD wants him to go away. This verse is part of a plan between Jonathan and David to communicate danger without revealing it to others.

Jonathan is speaking to David through a prearranged signal involving arrows, because Saul, Jonathan’s father, wants to harm David. Jonathan uses this coded message so David can know whether it is safe to return or if he must flee. The phrase “for the LORD hath sent thee away” shows that David’s departure is seen as guided by God, not just by human fear or circumstance.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 20:22

  • “arrows” (חֵצִים, ḥētsîm): This word refers to literal arrows, which Jonathan uses as part of the secret signal. The use of arrows allows Jonathan to communicate with David from a distance, keeping the message hidden from others.
  • “beyond” (הָלוֹא, halō’): This word means “farther away” or “past.” Jonathan’s instruction that the arrows are “beyond” the servant is the agreed-upon sign that David must leave for his safety.
  • “way” (הָלַךְ, hālak): This word means “go” or “depart.” Jonathan tells David to “go your way,” making it clear that David should leave immediately.
  • “LORD” (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible. Jonathan frames David’s departure as being directed by the LORD, giving spiritual weight to the decision.
  • “away” (שָׁלַח, shālaḥ): This verb means “to send.” Jonathan says the LORD has “sent” David away, emphasizing that David’s leaving is not just a personal choice but is understood as God’s will.

Why 1 Samuel 20:22 matters

  • This verse clears up how Jonathan and David communicated secretly, showing their loyalty and the danger David faced from Saul.
  • The mention of the LORD sending David away highlights that even in dangerous situations, the characters see God’s hand guiding their actions.
  • Understanding the coded message helps make sense of the larger story, where trust, friendship, and divine guidance are central themes.

Where else these words appear

“man” Hebrew H5958 · used in 2 verses

  • 1 Samuel 17:56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is.

“beyond” Hebrew H1973 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
  • Numbers 32:19 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.
  • Isaiah 18:7 In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.

“arrows” Hebrew H2671 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
  • Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
  • Proverbs 25:18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.