I am in distressצַר לִיover you,עָלֶיךָmy brotherאָחִיJonathan;יְהוֹנָתָןyou were very pleasantנָעַמְתָּ מְאֹדto me;לִּיyour loveאַהֲבָתְךָto meלִיwas more wonderfulנִפְלְאַתָהthan the loveמֵאַהֲבַתof women.נָשִׁים
2 Samuel 1:26
Study it in the app“I am in distress over you, my brother Jonathan; you were very pleasant to me; your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women.”
David mourns Jonathan, whose love was wonderful to himFriendship
With the Hebrew beneath
2 Samuel 1:26, word by word
- I am in distressצַרtsar
distress
To be in a tight spot, or to leave others no way out, like a besieged city.
Where else “tsar” appears- my brotherאָחִachi
brother
A son of the same father or the same mother.
Where else “achi” appears- Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehonatan
Jonathan
Jonathan: the long form ("Jehonathan") of the same name as יוֹנָתָן; the Hebrew uses both for the same people, and this translation spells them alike. It means "YHWH has given".
Where else “yehonatan” appears- you were very pleasantנָעַמְתָּnaamta
be pleasant
Be pleasant, delightful.
Where else “naamta” appears- you were very pleasantמְאֹדmeod
very
To a very high degree: the word that adds force to what is said.
Where else “meod” appears- your loveאַהֲבָתְahavat
love
Love: the affection that joins one person to another; also the love of YHWH for his people.
Where else “ahavat” appears- was more wonderfulנִפְלְאַתָהniflata
wonder
What YHWH does, beyond what a person can do or understand.
Where else “niflata” appears- of womenנָשִׁיםnashim
woman
An adult female person: single, married or widowed.
Where else “nashim” appears
Translation note
It can be understood as the loyal love of Jonathan, who exposed himself for David before his father and yielded the throne to him (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:13-17, 30-33; 23:16-18).
The context
25How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
26 · This verse (above)
27How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished!”