1 Samuel 20:13

1Sa 20:13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father [to do] thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

Ver. 13. And the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.] Much joy mayest thou have of the kingdom after him; and the will of the Lord be done, whatever becometh of me. See 1Sa 23:17. Pellican therefore was mistaken in thinking that Jonathan’s affection was somewhat abated toward David while he thought of the succession of the kingdom; and that therefore he was so hard of belief that his father intended mischief toward him.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:13 may the Lord strike me: Jonathan invoked a curse upon himself to reassure David that he would keep his promise. • as he used to be with my father: Jonathan recognized that David had received the blessing from God that his father had once had. The divine favor that had brought Saul into royal office (9:14–10:1) would bring David into royal office as Saul’s replacement. Jonathan accepted this even though he was the natural successor to Saul.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The Lord punish me most grievously.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 13. The Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.] From this, and other passages here it is evident that Jonathan knew that the Lord had appointed David to the kingdom.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. The Lord do so, &c.] See on 1Sa_3:17.

the Lord be with thee, &c.] Cp. 1Sa_18:12. Jonathan already foresees David’s destiny, as is clear from the following verses. See also 1Sa_23:17.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan,.... Recompense evil more than can be thought of and expressed, should he neglect to inform David of the good disposition of Saul unto him:

but if it please my father to do thee evil; if he seems determined upon it to take away thy life:

then I will show it thee; not by a messenger, by whom it would not be safe to communicate it, lest by that means Saul would know where he was, and come and slay him; but Jonathan would come himself, and acquaint him with it:

and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; give him leave, and advise him to depart, and provide for his own safety, adding his blessing on him, and prayer for him:

and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father; in the beginning of his reign, giving him counsel and advice in all things, and victory over his enemies, succeeding and prospering him in whatsoever he engaged in; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord be for thy help, &c.''

Jonathan seemed to be fully apprized that David was to succeed in the kingdom.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Father, at the beginning of his reign. Jonathan foresees that David will be his father’s successor. (Calmet) --- Hence he commends himself and family to his protection. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Lord give thee that honour and success in all thy affairs which he hath given to my father. Jonathan undoubtedly knew of Samuel’s final and irrevocable sentence of Saul’s rejection from the kingdom, and of the substitution of some other person after God’s own heart in his stead; and that David was this person he might strongly suspect, (that which even Saul suspected,) both from his eminent piety, and wisdom, and valour, and universal worth, and from the great things which God had done, both by him and for him, in preserving and advancing him by such unusual methods; and it is most likely that Jonathan did ask David about it, and that David did faithfully inform him of the whole truth, as may be gathered both from the words here following, and from 1Sa 23:17. And that the knowledge hereof did not raise jealousy, and envy, and rage in him, who was the next heir of the crown, as it did in his father, must be ascribed to Jonathan’s piety towards God, to whose disposal he cheerfully submitted himself, and to his sincere friendship to David, in whose happiness he rejoiced as in his own.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. The Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father — These words, according to Keil, express the presentiment in Jonathan’s soul that David was yet to occupy the throne of Israel. This conviction is expressed more clearly in the next two verses. We may believe that Saul had now fully made up his mind that David was his rival for the throne; that he was the man after God’s own heart of whom Samuel had told him; and perhaps the fact that Samuel had anointed him at Beth-lehem was now generally known. Jonathan’s entering, with all these facts before him, into a solemn covenant with the house of David, and with no animosity, no jealousy, no harsh words, but still loving his rival as his own soul, is the most marvellous instance of human friendship and tenderness with which the records of our race acquaint us.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So may Adonoy do to Yonoson. The Holy One, Blessed is He, when I question my father, and find that he is favorable toward you, if I do not [send word] through a messenger and reveal to you, for good I am able to reveal. But if it pleases my father to do evil to you, that I will not reveal [by messenger], lest my father find out your whereabouts, but I will personally reveal it to you.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.