Why did David bow three times in 1 Samuel 20:41? Text of 1 Samuel 20:41 “When the servant had gone, David rose from the south side of the stone, fell facedown to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.” Immediate Narrative Setting David has just learned, through Jonathan’s pre-arranged signal with arrows, that Saul intends to kill him. The meeting beside the stone Ezel is the last safe face-to-face encounter the two friends will have before David enters his long exile. Emotions are heightened, yet protocol and covenantal faithfulness still govern their actions. Ancient Near-Eastern Etiquette of Prostration 1. Prostration (Hebrew שָׁחָה, shākhāh) signified total submission or homage to a superior. 2. Multiple bows intensified the degree of respect. The Amarna Letters (14th century BC, EA 15, EA 28) show Canaanite vassals writing, “I prostrate myself seven times and seven times at the feet of the king, my lord.” 3. Within Israel the gesture could honor both royal authority (2 Samuel 14:4) and covenant benefactors (Ruth 2:10). Why Exactly Three Bows? 1. Complete, Emphatic Respect Hebrew narrative often uses the triad to convey completeness (e.g., “holy, holy, holy,” Isaiah 6:3). Three bows equal “perfect homage.” 2. Recognition of Jonathan’s Royal Status Jonathan is crown prince; David, though secretly anointed king (1 Samuel 16:13), still honors the office Jonathan holds and the palace line he represents. 3. Sealing the Covenant Witness Their earlier covenant invoked the LORD as witness (1 Samuel 20:16–17). A three-fold act would publicly affirm David’s acceptance of the covenant’s stipulations for mutual kindness to each other’s houses. 4. Testimony Before God In Torah practice, threefold actions often function as legal witness (Deuteronomy 19:15). David’s repeated bow serves almost as sworn testimony that he will keep the covenant when he ascends the throne. Covenant Loyalty and Self-Abasement David’s bows express gratitude for Jonathan’s life-risking loyalty (20:30-34). Bowing lowers David physically beneath Jonathan, dramatizing servant-hood even though David will later outrank Jonathan. Such humility anticipates the Messiah-King who “emptied Himself” (cf. Philippians 2:6-8). Symbolic Foreshadowing The humble, persecuted David typifies Christ, persecuted yet destined for the throne (Luke 24:27). Jonathan, relinquishing his claim and defending David, foreshadows those who “decrease” that Christ may increase (John 3:30). Archaeological Corroboration of Customs • Lachish Ostracon 1 (c. 588 BC) preserves the phrase, “Your servant bows,” matching biblical idiom. • Reliefs from Sargon II’s palace at Khorsabad depict subject kings bowing thrice before the Assyrian monarch, confirming regional norms of multiplied prostrations. Practical and Devotional Takeaways • Honor rightful authority even when God has promised future promotion. • Covenant faithfulness demands visible, costly gestures. • True friendship is willing both to submit and to sacrifice. Concise Answer David bowed three times to Jonathan as the culturally recognized, complete expression of respect and gratitude to the crown prince, to reaffirm their covenant before God, and to humble himself despite his own divine anointing—modeling covenant loyalty and foreshadowing the humility of the coming Messiah. |
    |