This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 1 Samuel 20, the chapter where David and Jonathan plot together to learn whether King Saul intends to kill David. It is written for a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. Each question includes a leader’s answer or discussion note, so you can move straight from the text into conversation.
1 Samuel 20 at a Glance
David opens the chapter by asking Jonathan what he has done wrong, because Saul seems determined to take his life. Jonathan does not believe his father would act that way, and David presses him with an oath. The two friends then agree on a test: David will skip the new moon feast, and Jonathan will watch how Saul reacts and signal the result with arrows shot near a stone.
The second half of the chapter shows the test playing out. Saul notices David’s empty seat, grows furious at Jonathan, and throws a spear at him. Jonathan carries the signal to the field, sends his servant off with a misleading message, and the two friends say a tearful goodbye, renewing their covenant before the Lord.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first, before anyone offers interpretation. Ask group members to point to the exact words and actions in the text, and keep the discussion anchored to what the chapter states. Let the group give quiet time for each question before reading the answer aloud.
1 Samuel 20:17
Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
(WEB)
This verse names the depth of Jonathan’s love for David and explains why he renews his oath. Reading it aloud helps the group hear the emotional core of the friendship before turning to the plan.
1 Samuel 20:3
David swore moreover, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, ‘Don’t let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:’ but truly as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
(WEB)
David’s oath here reveals how close he feels to death and why he presses Jonathan so urgently. Hearing it slowly lets the group feel the weight of David’s fear.
1 Samuel 20:13
The LORD do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don’t disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace. May the LORD be with you, as he has been with my father.
(WEB)
Jonathan calls on the Lord to deal with him if he fails to warn David, making the covenant a matter of faithfulness before God. Reading it aloud sets the tone for the whole chapter’s commitments.
1 Samuel 20:26
Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean.”
(WEB)
Saul’s silence and his assumption about David’s uncleanness show how he reads events through his own fears. This verse makes a good starting point for discussing how people explain away uncomfortable truths.
1 Samuel 20:42
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the LORD’s name, saying, ‘The LORD is between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.
(WEB)
The chapter closes with Jonathan’s blessing of peace and the Lord’s watch over both families. Reading it last gives the group a sense of hope to carry into the closing prayer.
Memory Verse for 1 Samuel 20
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you for the friends you have given us, people who keep their word and stand with us in danger. Help us to be honest with one another, to speak truth with care, and to resist the urge to explain away what we would rather not face. Where fear has pressed on us, as it pressed on David, remind us that you stand between us and those we love. Give us the courage to be a Jonathan to someone who needs a faithful friend this week. Keep our covenants with one another and with you, and let our friendships reflect your steady love. Amen.
