In the Bible, Jonathan is the son of King Saul.According to the Bible, he was a close friend of King David. Jonathan defeated a garrison of philistines at Geba.Jonathan is an admirable figure in the Bible. According to the text, the Lord had chosen David to ascend to the throne after Saul. Even when his father went against his friend, David, and conspired to kill him, Jonathan refused to side with his father. Jonathan secretly told his friend to hide and saved him from his father. He remained faithful to his friend. Jonathan gifted his friend a bow, armor, sword, and clothes. As Jonathan had fought for Israel, Jonathan had hope that David would fight for them too.If you like this article, be sure to check out other fun facts articles on Kidadl. You may be interested in reading facts about Moses from the Bible and facts about Leah from the Bible.Jonathan’s Life HistoryJonathan means ‘God has Given’.His name in Hebrew is Yahweh. Yahweh means gifted. He was from the family of Benjamin. The family of Benjamin was known for its strong warriors. He was born and lived in Israel in 1000 BC. It was not an easy time for Jonathan and his family, as they were under the rule of philistines. He had great education as his father became the King of Israel. He was very powerful locally. He had great leadership qualities. He was excellent in archery, like his father, King Saul. He was a nobleman. He was known for his integrity. There was a deep hatred for David in the heart of Saul. Jonathan protected him at all costs. David was married to Jonathan’s sister and was, therefore, his brother-in-law. He was known for his obedience to God, while his father was known for his foolishness and disobedience to God.According to the Bible, the prophet Samuel said that Jonathan’s best friend would ascend to the throne. Jonathan always protected David with his life. He warned David of the anger of his father. He revealed his father’s plot to kill David so that David could hide from him. The Bible says that Jonathan provided his wholehearted loyalty to David. He gave some armor to David as a gift. His sword, his bow, and his arrow were also given to David to prove Jonathan’s devotion. By being faithful to David, Jonathan proved his belief in God’s decree. According to the text, when Solomon prophesized that the line of Saul would not inherit the throne, and David would be chosen to rule the land instead, Jonathan agreed without resistance. Saul died with only his armor-bearer beside him.The Role Of Jonathan In The BibleDuring the war against the Philistines, Jonathan showed great composure and faith.While his father was battling with his troops against the enemies, Jonathan went only with his armor-bearer. He had faith in God and said that God would surely save him. According to the Bible, the Lord heard his prayer, and he and his companion killed 20 members of the Philistine army. Then, in the Bible, God sent an earthquake to the enemy army, and there was panic in the enemy camp. King Saul, on the other hand, made the army take an oath. Jonathan was absent when this absurd request was being made and was in another place. When King Saul came to hear about this, he demanded that Jonathan be killed. After much persuasion from the army, King Saul did not kill his son. The outpost at Michmash was captured by Jonathan. He left Geba, leaving Saul’s army. Though he was persuaded many times by Saul to help him in his plan to kill David, Jonathan took no heed for his father’s words.According to the text, Jonathan and David were the best of friends. There was probably no other friendship like theirs mentioned in the Bible. He was a follower of David and believed in his capability to rule the kingdom. He always battled with armies against the ruler of the Philistines. His wife was Rizpah. She was the mother of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth grew up to be disabled as he fell down while escaping from the battle lands. Both of his feet did not work due to the accident, but David took great care of him and gave him a position in his council of advisors.What was Jonathan in the Bible known for?Jonathan pledged his allegiance to the house of David.Jonathan is mentioned in the Bible as being thirty years old. That was at the time of his father’s accession to the throne. Due to his father, King Saul’s, pursuit of disobedience, God decided to give the leadership to the house of David. According to the Bible, Jonathan knew that it was a decree from God. He left his father’s presence to support David. Jonathan loved David as his own soul. He recognized King David as the future king, and this angered his father. In Saul’s insanity, he attempted to kill his own son, Jonathan, by throwing a spear at his son. Jonathan was saved. King Saul also insulted Jonathan and his mother, Ahinoam, in fierce anger. Jonathan died during the Philistine garrison at the age of 42.In the Bible, Merib Baal, his only son, was five years old when he died. His brothers also died in the battle against the Philistines and helped defeat them to a great extent. Jonathan was a loyal friend of David, instead of his father, as, according to the Bible, it came in a divine message from the Lord that David would succeed. Jonathan lived a life of faith, and Jonathan defended the land in the battle against the Philistines. David’s famous elegy was ‘The Song of the Bow’. It was created after the death of his dear friend Jonathan. They were one of the best examples of how friends should be in the Bible.What role did Jonathan have with David in the Bible?Jonathan was the closest friend of David in the Bible.According to the text, he was the best companion of David. He fought alongside David against the Philistines. His two brothers, Malchishua and Abinadab, also fought with him. Those three died in the war. King Saul was also badly wounded in the war. The Bible says that when he saw that his sons were dead, he commanded his armor-bearer to kill him. His armor-bearer refused to kill him. King Saul killed himself by falling on a sword. His armor-bearer was also sad and killed himself.Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan. He was five years old. Fearing that enemies would take the life of this young boy, a nurse took him to Gilbah. During the journey to the royal residence, she fell with the baby in her arms, and both of them were left disabled. Just like this, the line of Saul ended as it was prophesized. Jabesh Gilead gave Saul and his sons a fitting burial. David became the next king. As a sign of friendship, he adopted the son of Jonathan and treated him as his own son once he gained control of Israel.According to the Bible, David had been loyal to Saul, as Saul was appointed by God. Samuel had also prophesized that David would be the king after Saul. Though David had a lot of opportunities to kill Saul, he did not kill him for he believed that it was not his calling to kill him. He believed that the Lord would, in due time, hand over the kingdom to him. He wanted Saul to be the king, as long as God had planned for him. He believed in God’s timing and knew that when his time would come, he would be bestowed the land by God himself. In the Bible, Saul was chosen to lead the nation of Israel. Young David was also anointed by Samuel to lead the nation. This caused animosity between King Saul and David. King Saul had attempted to kill David at many points in his life, but he was saved by Jonathan. In the battle against the Philistines, Saul and his son Jonathan both died, passing on the leadership to David. David ruled Judah for seven years, and then continued to rule Israel for 40 years.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! 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In the Bible, Jonathan is the son of King Saul.
