Was David and Jonathan Homosexual?

By Peter Salemi

Many “Gay Theologians” as they are called, believe that David and Jonathan was Homosexual. What does 1 Samuel 18 really say?

This is a very popular proof text many used to justify homosexuality in the Bible. Many quote first Samuel 18 saying that, “Jonathan loved him [David] as his own soul.” (vv.1, 3; 1 Sam 20:17); that “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David,” implying a sexual encounter. Another scripture says, “Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments,” (v.4) and that they “kissed” each other with great emotion (1 Samuel 20:41). The scripture also says they made a “covenant” with one another-was this a marriage between the two? Is this a valid conclusion to draw from these texts?

The Biblical Explanation

First, the fact that Jonathan “Loved” David does not mean he loved him in a sexual way. The context in the Bible is clear. This means a great friendship between the two individuals. It says, “…and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Notice what Deuteronomy 13:6 says, “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul…” This term “friend” is applied very loosely in all Eastern countries, “other expressions are added” (JFB Commentary, emphasis added) to show the degree of intimacy of a close friend, or not so close friend. Here in this instance and with David and Jonathon the friendship was very close but nothing here indicates a homosexual relationship. In fact the Bible indicates that there were like “brothers,” as David said when Jonathan died, “my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love [Brotherly Love] to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” (2 Samuel 1:26). The expression is of the cordial brotherly love that united them.

The expression “passing the love of women” has no sexual connotation to it at all; it is merely talking about being faithful one to another in their friendship as the CEV Bible says, “more faithful than a wife to her husband.” “By this strong expression, comparing Jonathan’s love for David to that of the faithful wife for her husband…” (Lange’s Commentary, emphasis added). The meaning is quite clear; they never betrayed one another, no secrets, and complete trust one with another. As this source concludes about the faithfulness of the two, “The whole setting of this narrative reveals that despite the political issues that should have interfered with their relationship (with Jonathan by birth heir to the throne, and realizing that David was chosen by God to rule instead)…Jonathan, the tender and faithful friend of David, shielded David’s life at the peril of his own and gave eloquent witnesses to the existence and power of unselfish love. This is NOT a portrait of homosexual relationship but of friends who rose to the heights of self-abnegation” (Homosexuality, Marriage and the Church, p.33, emphasis added).

Their soul “knit” Together?

What does the expression, “the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” (1 Sam 18:1) mean? Homosexual coitus? Absolutely not! Again, all one has to do is look at the scriptures to understand the meaning of it all!

The same expressive phrase is used of Jacob’s love for his son Benjamin in Genesis 44:30, “seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;” which might be rendered “seeing his soul is knit up with the lad’s soul.” (K&D Commentary). “In the Hebrew it is precisely the same expression as found in 1 Samuel 18:1” (Homosexuality, Marriage and the Church, p.31, emphasis added).

Here “in the case of Jacob and his son Benjamin, the phrase undoubtedly refers to a close, affectionate, but not homosexual attachment, and by using precisely the same phraseology regarding David and Jonathan, the narrator of their story also undoubtedly intended to describe a legitimate non-homosexual bond of affection between the two men” (ibid, p.31, emphasis added).

What about Jonathan and David “kissing” one another? Does this mean they were homosexual? Again the scriptures and culture shows a different picture. The act of a man kissing another man does not necessarily connote sexual attraction. I come from an Italian background and men kiss each other on the cheek all the time. Kissing is a common cultural greeting in many places around the world, as it was for men during that time. There are numerous examples of men kissing one another in the Bible, and “never with sexual connotations” (ibid, p.32). (See 1 Sam 10:1; 2 Sam 14:33; 2 Sam 15:5; 2 Sam 19:39; 2 Sam 20:9).

The emotion they expressed when the “kissed” was not an orgasm as some suggest but “weeping” as the text says, “they kissed each other and wept together-but David wept the most” (1 Sam 20:41 NIV).

The Covenant between Jonathan and David

Now the “covenant” David and Jonathan made was not a marriage covenant between the two. Rather this was a “covenant of loyalty and regal recognition set in the context of transferring throne rights to David and symbolized by Jonathan giving David his cloak and armour” (ibid, p.32, emphasis added). This is why Jonathan “stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.” (1 Sam 18:4). It was a transfer of rights to David and also a “symbol of his deep respect for David and commitment to him” (When Critics Ask, p.165). Jonathan knew David was chosen by God to lead Israel and they established a Covenant that Jonathan would be loyal and faithful to him when he took the throne!

Jonathan and David were Heterosexual

The scriptures demonstrate that Jonathan and David was both heterosexual.

First, David’s love/lust for Bathsheba (2 Sam 11) reveals that his sexual preference was for women not men. Added to that, judging by the number of wives David had, it looks like he had too much heterosexuality (1 Sam 25:42-43; 2 Sam 5:13).

Jonathan was married had children (see 1 Sam 20:42; 2 Sam 9).

Let me conclude with this last thought. David and Jonathan knew the Law of God. David was a lover of the law of God and meditated on it day and night. “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). David and Jonathan knew what the law said about homosexual activity, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination…If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination:” (Lev 18:22; Lev 20:13). They knew it was a sin in Israel subject to death; there was no way David or Jonathan would have committed this crime and have gotten away with it. Just like David did not get away with his crime of murder of Uriah the Hittite-And David was King at this point. There is no evidence of these two individuals being homosexual.

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