The Song of the Bow

Read aloud

David laments over Saul and Jonathan and orders that the sons of Judah be taught the Song of the Bow. The narrator says it is written in the Book of Jashar. The song opens by mourning Israel’s fallen glory, then pleads that the news not become an occasion for rejoicing in the Philistine cities of Gath and Ashkelon.

David calls for no dew or rain on Mount Gilboa and remembers the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil. He says that Jonathan's bow did not turn back and Saul's sword did not return empty. The poem honors their courage without pretending the war had no cost.

David says Saul and Jonathan were beloved and lovely in life and not divided in death. He remembers Saul's provision for Israel's daughters and turns directly to Jonathan's love, which was wonderful to him, passing the love of women. The cry, “How the mighty have fallen,” returns at the end as David mourns the loss of Israel’s warriors.

David's lament refuses to reduce Saul and Jonathan to a simple contrast between a bad king and a good friend. It remembers courage, public service, and deep love while naming the devastation of their deaths. The poem does not excuse Saul's pursuit of David, but it will not let grief be narrowed to the feelings of the survivor.

The command not to tell Gath turns mourning into a concern for how Israel's loss will be received by its enemies. David also asks the mountains of Gilboa to share the grief. A household can practice this kind of honest lament: speak of what was good, name what was lost, and resist making another person's death serve your own story.