The Mighty Have Fallen

David is not finished mourning over the calamity of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. Having dealt with the Amalekite who claimed to have taken Saul’s life, David sets his poetic hand to write a lament for Israel’s fallen king and his eldest son. He calls it “the Song of the Bow,” for it mentions that weapon with which Jonathan was so proficient. And he commands that it be taught to the people nationwide, as a mechanism to help Israel grieve for its fallen king.

The theme of this lament is stated in verse 19: “The beauty of Israel is slain…. The mighty have fallen.” In other words, Israel’s “pride and joy,” its greatest warriors, have died in battle. In David’s eyes, this is a national shame. He expresses his desire that the Philistines will not gloat over this triumph, knowing full well that they will do so and that they will attribute the victory to their gods. Further, David declares that the mountains of Gilboa ought to be a barren place, for Israel was left desolate there. “The shield of the mighty” was “cast away” (lost) on those hills, soiled in the grime of the earth where it fell. But David also says that Jonathan’s bow and Saul’s sword “did not return empty.” These heroes of Israel went down fighting.

David then turns his focus to Saul and Jonathan, saying only positive things about the fallen king and his son. As Matthew Henry writes, “He was very generous to Saul, his sworn enemy…. Though he had done him a great deal of wrong, David does not wreak his revenge upon his memory when he is in his grave.” He especially celebrates the special father-son relationship between Saul and Jonathan. They were loving and respectful of one another—Saul kept Jonathan with him, and Jonathan stayed loyal to his father despite his love for David. Thus, it was fitting that they should die together. Furthermore the women of Israel, David says, should weep for Saul, for he brought a measure of national security and prosperity.

Finally, David expresses his deep distress over Jonathan’s fall. There is nothing improper in this love between these men. Henry writes, “He had reason to say that Jonathan’s love to him was wonderful; surely never was the like, for a man to love one who he knew was to take the crown over his head, and to be so faithful to his rival: this far surpassed the highest degree of conjugal affection and constancy.”