1 Samuel 20:39

Contemporary English Version

but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

Hebrew Names Version
But the boy didn't know anything: only Yonatan and David knew the matter.

King James Version
But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Lexham English Bible
But the boy did not know anything about this; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

English Standard Version
But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

New Century Version
(The boy knew nothing about what this meant; only Jonathan and David knew.)

New English Translation
(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.)

Amplified Bible
But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

New American Standard Bible
But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But the boy knewe nothing: onely Ionathan and Dauid knew the matter.

Legacy Standard Bible
But the young man did not know of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

Complete Jewish Bible
but the boy didn't understand anything about the matter — only Y'honatan and David understood.

Darby Translation
And the lad knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Easy-to-Read Version
The boy knew nothing about what went on. Only Jonathan and David knew.

George Lamsa Translation
But the lad knew not anything; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Good News Translation
not knowing what it all meant; only Jonathan and David knew.

Literal Translation
And the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the boy knewe nothinge, onely Ionathas and Dauid knewe of ye matter.

American Standard Version
But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Bible in Basic English
But the boy had no idea what was going on; only Jonathan and David had knowledge of it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the lad wist nothing of the matter, only Ionathan an Dauid wist it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But the lad knew not any thing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

King James Version (1611)
But the lad knew not any thing: onely Ionathan and Dauid knew the matter.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the boy knew nothing, only Jonathan and David knew.

English Revised Version
But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Berean Standard Bible
But the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and outerli he wiste not what was doon; for oonli Jonathas and Dauid knewen the thing.

Young's Literal Translation
And the youth hath not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word.

Update Bible Version
But the lad didn't know anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Webster's Bible Translation
But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

World English Bible
But the boy didn't know anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

New King James Version
But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

New Living Translation
He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal.

New Life Bible
The boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew what had happened.

New Revised Standard
But the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, the lad, knew, nothing, only Jonathan and David, knew the matter.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he knew not at all what was doing: for only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

Revised Standard Version
But the lad knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.

Contextual Overview

³⁵ In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a servant boy along ³⁶ and told him, "When I shoot the arrows, you run and find them for me." The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow so that it would go beyond him. ³⁷ When the boy got near the place where the arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted, "Isn't the arrow on past you?" ³⁸ Jonathan shouted to him again, "Hurry up! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, ³⁹ but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. ⁴⁰ Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Take these back into town." ⁴¹ By the day after tomorrow, everyone will think you've been gone a long time. Then go to the place where you hid before and stay beside Going-Away Rock. I'll shoot three arrows at a target off to the side of the rock, and send my servant to find the arrows. You'll know if it's safe to come out by what I tell him. If it is safe, I swear by the living Lord that I'll say, "The arrows are on this side of you! Pick them up!" But if it isn't safe, I'll say to the boy, "The arrows are farther away!" This will mean that the Lord wants you to leave, and you must go. But he will always watch us to make sure that we keep the promise we made to each other. So David hid there in the field. During the New Moon Festival, Saul sat down to eat by the wall, just as he always did. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to him. But David's place was empty. Saul didn't say anything that day, because he was thinking, "Something must have happened to make David unfit to be at the Festival. Yes, something must have happened." The day after the New Moon Festival, when David's place was still empty, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't that son of Jesse come to eat with us? He wasn't here yesterday, and he still isn't here today!" Jonathan answered, "The reason David hasn't come to eat with you is that he begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go. My family is offering a sacrifice, and my brother told me I have to be there. Do me this favor and let me slip away to see my brothers.'" Saul was furious with Jonathan and yelled, "You're no son of mine, you traitor! I know you've chosen to be loyal to that son of Jesse. You should be ashamed of yourself! And your own mother should be ashamed that you were ever born. You'll never be safe, and your kingdom will be in danger as long as that son of Jesse is alive. Turn him over to me now! He deserves to die!" "Why do you want to kill David?" Jonathan asked. "What has he done?" Saul threw his spear at Jonathan and tried to kill him. Then Jonathan was sure that his father really did want to kill David. Jonathan was angry that his father had insulted David so terribly. He got up, left the table, and didn't eat anything all that day. In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a servant boy along and told him, "When I shoot the arrows, you run and find them for me." The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow so that it would go beyond him. When the boy got near the place where the arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted, "Isn't the arrow on past you?" Jonathan shouted to him again, "Hurry up! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Take these back into town." After the boy had gone, David got up from beside the mound and bowed very low three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and cried, but David cried louder. ⁴² Jonathan said, "Take care of yourself. And remember, we each have asked the Lord to watch and make sure that we and our descendants keep our promise forever." David left and Jonathan went back to town.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 9:27 - Bid the servant

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the lad knew not anything,.... What was meant by shooting the arrows, and by shooting them beyond where he was, and by bidding him make haste to bring them:

only Jonathan and David knew the matter; what was signified by them, those being signs agreed upon between them.