שמואל א, פרק כ׳, פסוק ב׳

Jonathan attempts to calm David's deep fears, confidently assuring him that Saul has no intention of taking his life. This reassurance raises an obvious question: how could Jonathan make such a promise when Saul had already thrown a spear at him, sent guards to his house, and actively hunted him down?

The primary approach among commentators is that Jonathan viewed those past attacks as the result of temporary fits of an evil spirit. He firmly believed that whenever his father was in his right mind, he harbored no desire to cause David any harm [רד״ק, רלב״ג, מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, others explain that Jonathan thought the guards and the pursuit were merely efforts to capture David and prevent him from fleeing, rather than a plot to execute him [מלבי״ם].

Jonathan argues that it would be a profound disgrace for Saul to break the explicit oath he had previously sworn to never put David to death [מצודת דוד, אלשיך, חומת אנך]. This strong conviction is also rooted in Jonathan's own royal standing. As the beloved and respected heir to the throne, he is accustomed to his father sharing every matter with him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He reasons that in the past, when Saul genuinely wanted to kill David, he revealed his plans openly. Therefore, there would be no reason to hide such intentions now [אלשיך].

Furthermore, if David had any concern that Saul might have found a legal loophole to undo his previous oath, Jonathan completely rejects the idea. Because the oath was originally made directly to Jonathan himself, his father could not possibly cancel it without informing him first [אלשיך, חומת אנך]. Weighing all these factors, Jonathan concludes that David's fears are entirely unfounded and simply have no basis in reality [ביאור שטיינזלץ].