· Translation: KJV

1 Samuel 20:37When the boy was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

The setting

Field outside Gibeah, Israel, ~1020 BC. Jonathan shouts the coded message that will send his best friend into exile forever.

The emotion here: voice breaking while trying to sound casual

The original word

halah (הָלְאָה) — beyond, farther away, the word that means 'run for your life'

Why it matters

This was the last time David and Jonathan would see each other alive

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 20:37

Jonathan is shouting loud enough for David to hear from his hiding place, but the boy doesn't understand the real message

Common misconceptionPeople think Jonathan is just giving directions to a servant, but he's actually screaming 'RUN!' to save David's life.

Bible Genome reading

1 Samuel 20:37 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJonathan
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability40%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance90%
Standalone20%
Themes:warning signalsfriendship

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Samuel 20

1 Samuel 20:37 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Jonathan. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include warning signals, friendship. Notable phrases: arrow beyond him.

Your reflection

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