1 Samuel 20:25

1Sa 20:25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, [even] upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.

Ver. 25. And Jonathan arose,] viz., To sit down at the table by his father; or perhaps in honour of Abner, and to give him place; as not willing to sit so near his father, but pretending some other thing to avoid the danger which be feared.

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.

1Sa_20:25

Davids place warn empty.

The empty place

And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Sauls side, and Davids place was empty (1Sa_20:25). I shall look at these words in the spirit of accommodation to the ordinance of the Lords Supper. There, too, will be a feast, a feast provided not by an earthly king, but by Him who is the King of kings. Let us consider some of the reasons which may probably be assigned for these vacant places.

1. But some places are empty. Some are empty, and we may envy the men and women, brothers and sisters in Christ, who once sat there, but will sit there no more. They are gone to claim the inheritance of which the Lord said, I will give it you.

2. But other places are vacant not through this heavenly translation. And as we ask, Where are they who usually occupy them? the answer comes, They are suffering under the Lords hand. Yes, many places are empty for this reason, and where this is the reason the vacancy is no reproach.

3. Sometimes Davids place is empty because he is engaged in Christian work.

4. Other places, too, are vacant from motives which are entitled to tender consideration, and which also require as tender correction. They fear they are not in a true and befitting mood for the sacrament. They are cold. They know not bow it is, but somehow the spiritual temperature is low.

5. But other places are empty for reasons less worthy. Their blank spaces tell, it may be, of hearts that are dying through habitual sin, or habitual neglect of the very conditions of life. (E. Mailer, D. D.)

The empty place: A Christmas Day sermon

I. The empty place in the persecutors house: Davids place was empty. David had good reason for vacating his place at Sauls table, for the passionate king was so malicious, and so embittered against him, that he sought his life. The child of a Roman noble had stepped into some little place where humble and unlettered people met to hear the gospel preached, to sing songs in the name of Jesus, and to keep holy one day in the week; and there that youthful heart had learnt the story of the cross, and by the grace of God had been brought to love the Saviour. As soon as the fact was made known, the officers of justice would take away the child from the fathers house, and hale the young believer off to prison, and so another seat was empty. You know how it was in our own land, how many a seat was empty during the persecutions of Queen Mary. If martyr days should come back again, could we vacate our places? Could the husband let his wife and children go for Christs sake?

II. There is another place which sometimes becomes empty, that is, the place of sinful pleasures. This empty place is the result of the working of Gods grace in the heart.

III. The place of our occupation has been empty.

IV. During the past year, many of you now present have had a place is the assembly of Gods people.

V. I have now to say just a few words specially to the members of the church about their place at the prayer meeting.

VI. There is another Davids place that is sometimes empty, and that ought not to be so, it is the place of christian service.

VII. Again, I hope that our place at the Lords table will not be empty at any time when it is possible for us to occupy it.

VIII. When you will be keeping the Christmas feast, there will be many family gatherings, and in those family gatherings there will be some households where Davids place will be empty.

IX. There will be no empty place in heaven. In that great family gathering up above, they will not be able to say, Davids place is empty. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:25 Abner was Saul’s cousin and served as commander of Saul’s army (14:50; 17:55). His importance is indicated by his position beside the king at this festival.

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

SAUL, MISSING DAVID, SEEKS TO KILL JONAHAN. (1Sa. 20:24-40)

the king sat upon his seat, as at other times . . . by the wall--The left-hand corner at the upper end of a room was and still is in the East, the most honorable place. The person seated there has his left arm confined by the wall, but his right hand is at full liberty. From Abner's position next the king, and David's seat being left empty, it would seem that a state etiquette was observed at the royal table, each of the courtiers and ministers having places assigned them according to their respective gradations of rank.

Jonathan arose--either as a mark of respect on the entrance of the king, or in conformity with the usual Oriental custom for a son to stand in presence of his father.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 25. The king sat upon his seat] It seems that there was one table for Saul, Jonathan, David, and Abner; Saul having the chief seat, that next to the wall. As only four sat at this table, the absence of any one would soon be noticed.

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

(25) David’s place was empty.—All took place as the two friends had calculated. Saul’s seat was by the wall—then, as now, in the East the highest place of honour was opposite the door. The exact meaning of the phrase, “and Jonathan arose,” has been disputed. The LXX. translate here from a different text thus: “He (Saul) went before Jonathan.” Keil speaks of this, however, as “the senseless rendering of the Greek Version.” The sense in which this difficult passage is understood by Abarbanel and Rashi seems on the whole the best. Understanding that Jonathan had already seated himself after Saul, and that David’s absence was observed, “he (Jonathan) arose and seated Abner at Saul’s side,” that is, in the place left vacant by David’s absence, in order that the seat next to Saul might not be empty, he himself having taken the seat on the other side of Saul. This rendering considers vayêshev as causative, a verb in the Hipnil conjugation, written defectively, as in 2Ch_10:2; so Lange, who also quotes Kitto as suggesting an explanation of Saul’s expecting David’s presence at all at the new moon feast. David, after the strange events at Naioth by Ramah, would suppose (so the king thought) that Saul’s feelings towards him had undergone a complete change, and that now, after the ecstasy into which Saul had fallen, he would be once more friendly with him as aforetime.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25. upon a seat by the wall] Saul occupied the place of honour at the top or the centre of the table opposite the entrance.

and Jonathan arose] This appears to mean that Jonathan first occupied his usual seat by Saul’s side, but when Abner entered resigned the place to him, probably not wishing to sit next his father in David’s absence. The Sept. has a different reading, “And he preceded Jonathan,” which is equally obscure. Josephus says, “When they had sat down beside Saul, Jonathan on the right, and Abner on the left.”

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.

And the king sat upon his seat as at other times,.... Upon the seat he usually sat on:

even upon a seat by the wall; on a couch by the side of the wall; or, as Jarchi and R. Isaiah say, at the head of the couch by the wall, which was the most honourable place; and Kimchi observes, it was the custom in those days to eat meat sitting on beds or couches, see Sa1 28:23,

and Jonathan arose; either in reverence to his father, when he came in and took his seat, or in respect to Abner upon his coming in, being the son of Saul's uncle, and general of the army; for though he arose, he did not depart, it is plain he sat down again, Sa1 20:34. Kimchi thinks, that after Jonathan had sat down at the side of his father, he arose and placed Abner there, because he would not be near his father, that if he should be wroth with him on account of David, he might not be near him to smite him:

and Abner sat by Saul's side; according to Josephus (c) Jonathan sat at his right hand and Abner on the left, and it was usual for the master, or principal person, to sit in the middle; so Dido in Virgil (d). Abarbinel places them thus, Saul was at the head of the table, and David was used to sit by him, and Jonathan by David, and Abner by Jonathan; and now the king sat in his place, and Jonathan in his place, and Abner after him; and David's place being empty, Jonathan was left next to his father, without any between; wherefore he now arose from his place, and Abner sat on that side where Saul was, so that Abner was between Jonathan and Saul:

and David's place was empty; where he used to sit at table, he not being there, and no one taking it.

(c) Antiqu. l. 6. c. 11. sect. 9. (d) "----- mediamque locavit". Aeneid. 1. prope finem. Vid. Servium in ib.

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

Arose, out of respect. Septuagint, "he had the precedence over Jonathan" alone, as the latter sat "on the king’s right hand, and Abner on the left," Arabic. (Calmet) --- David’s place was after Abner. (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).

Jonathan arose, to wit, from his seat where he was sat next to the king, whence he arose, and stood up at Abner’s coming, to do honour to him, who was his father’s cousin, and the general of the army. David’s place seems to have been next to Abner, on the same side with him.

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

25. Upon a seat by the wall — The uppermost seat opposite the entrance to the room, and consequently by the wall. See cut appended to note on Mat_23:6.

And Jonathan arose — The meaning seems to be that Jonathan was sitting by Saul’s side, and when Abner entered he arose and gave to him the seat of honour he had himself been occupying.

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

Arose - He rose from his seat where he was sat next the king, and stood at Abner's coming, to do honour to him, who was his father's cousin, and the general of the army.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

On the seat against the wall. At the head of the couch, next to the wall.

Yonoson rose. He stood up from his place, because it is not proper for a son to recline beside his father; their custom was to eat while reclining on couches, and Dovid would recline between Yonoson and Shaul. Now that Dovid did not come, Yonoson did not recline until Avneir sat down beside Shaul, and afterwards, Yonoson sat beside Avneir. And if you say that he did not sit as all, Scripture states, 'And Yonoson rose from the table,' implying that he had been sitting.

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.