1st Same Gender Loving Couple in the Bible?
The 1st Same Gender Loving Couple in the Bible?
By Samuel Marcus Brown
Traditional Christians and non-Christians will accuse me or anyone else of twisting the scriptures; even if we actually read and understand the story within the context of how it was actually written.
It would be considered a "holy" offense to most traditional Christians and non-Christians and their ideology for anyone to assume or even allow the thought of anything close to homosexuality to enter their brain when it comes down to the story of David & Jonathan in the books of 1st & 2nd Samuel in the bible.
The definition of ideology is a meaningful belief system: a set of beliefs, values, and opinions that shapes the way a person or a group such as a social class thinks, acts, and understands the world.
Our hard lined anti-homosexual Christian tradition has trained us not to read anything extra into the heavily passionate expressions of love shared between David & Jonathan. When you read the story of David and Jonathan in the King James Version of the bible; it is abundantly clear that they had a special love for each other that was expressed like no other covenant of love between 2 individuals through-out the entire bible.
I have extracted 9 passages of scripture from the story of David & Jonathan from 1st and 2nd Samuel; after reading the passages, I would like for you to grab your King James Version of the bible in order to read the entire story; 1st Samuel 13th chapter through 2nd Samuel 1st chapter. Your interpretation of the story may or may not differ from mine however, understanding the story within it's context is the key; not ones ideology.
1 Samuel 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
1 Samuel 20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
**30Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?**
41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
1 Samuel 23:17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
2 Samuel 1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
A few years ago I read this very fascinating "observation" regarding the story of David & Jonathan; it was linked in one of the comments on my blog site. This "unknown" writer did an outstanding job of chronicling the above verses and chapters in 1st & 2nd Samuel with historical data infused with his or her personal commentary.
The reader who sent me that link back then did not indicate if he wrote this piece or not even after reaching out to him. I have decided to share it with everyone. Open your heart and soul to this very captivating historic experience.
The bible is a book that despite it's graphic detail of murders of entire cities, cutting off of hundreds of dead men's foreskins, beheadings, and fire and brimstone all-over, is actually pretty conservative when it comes to sex.
Most of the sexual situations and implications are hidden in allegory or colorful, well chosen language. This is done as to be direct in what it's trying to say, without being too blunt and unsettling to the reader or congregation being spoken to.
One of the stories that contain several innuendos that are constantly ducked and weaved is the tale of David and Jonathan.
It is a story that would be described as a romantic friendship. A romantic friendship is a term in literature that more-so applied to men in the 1500's-1800's. It described a deep intimate friendship between two men where the relationship went deeper than that of a man and woman. These were relationships where men sometimes lived under each others roof, sometimes slept in the same bed, and shared all that the other had.
These men in romantic relationships were usually grown men with beards and money and businesses and education. Or they were dirt poor and dirty with nothing but their families and their friendship to one another. But the friendships were deep, spiritual, life-long, and sometimes out in the open.
They even included blood covenants of sorts. Sometimes it was almost like a civil union.
It was small and intimate and not always legal binding but a testament of commitment and love to one another. In other words these men had these marriages mainly for themselves and not as an institution of society like traditional marriage between a man and a woman.
So how does this apply to David and Jonathan. Well the King James version of the Bible was written by you guessed it King James the 1st. A man who ruled in Scotland in the mid 1500's.
King James was open with his bi-sexuality to the point where it made people extremely uncomfortable, having live-in male lovers and courtesans and the whole nine yards.
He oversaw the editing of the final version of the bible you and me read today.
The bible needed to be a book that people could carry around with them, instead of an entire encyclopedia. To spread the message of the word of God, the story needed to be simplified dramatically. And so it was simplified.....dramatically.
Every word in the bible was meticulously translated from other languages, entire books were cut out, stories chopped in pieces and re-edited
What was lost in the original text is still preserved in the Jewish and Greek translations which tell us a lot more about certain stories and passages.
What we can find in the story of David and Jonathan in the original Greek are constant emphasis on Phallic images. And a language of love usually only reserved for a man and a woman. What we have in the tale of David and Jonathan is the deepest love story in the bible. And it's between one man and another.
It was a Romantic Friendship including a "Marriage of Brotherhood" or a Blood Covenant in the very beginning of the story.
1 Samuel 18:3-18:4
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
I won't get into the implications of the entire story too much as the numerous homoerotic text have been covered over and over again. Just do a google search and there are a hundred sites which can help explain these better than I ever can.
But there is one verse that always seems to be missed, and it is an important one.
1 Samuel 20:30
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
It sounds strange but it's not.
The words "sin of thy mothers nakedness", almost always refers to sexual deviation in the bible. As it was thought that if a child of a certain age had seen his mother completely naked he/she would be sexually malformed for life. It's an old wives tale.
The words "son of a rebellious woman" is basically an off- hilt insult to someone's character, kinda like calling someone a "son of a bitch" would be today. It is not necessarily an insult to one's own mother.
The word "have chosen" is in the original Greek are a lean on the words Comrade or Paired with or Bonded together.
Ok.
So here is the context of the situation. Saul the king of Israel has been repeatedly trying to kill David by spontaneously throwing his spear at him on some Dr. Jekyl type madness every time David plays his wonderful harp music for him.
David eventually gets scared of Saul and his mental problems and goes into hiding by himself, away from everyone in some cave out in yonder.
Prince Jonathan(Saul's son) finds David in his hiding place and tells him he is being silly and his father wouldn't really want to kill him.
But, David stays in hiding away from Saul just in case.
King Saul knows that David and Jonathan are very very close, to the point were it makes Saul uncomfortable as he sees David as a threat to his son's throne and his lineage. There is a looming tone in the story that David will one day be the King of Israel. Saul does not like that idea, and is insanely jealous of David for a variety of reasons.
He thinks his son Jonathan is throwing everything away for his love of David.
So while sitting over the dinner table having a feast one day Saul quietly ask Jonathan where David is, as he hasn't been seen in a few days.
Jonathan dodges the question with some made up bullcrap answer that Saul easily sees through.
Saul becomes enraged, at his son and shouts:
You son of a Bitch!!!!
Don't you think that I already know you have chosen David as you Lover/Comrade in the confusion of your twisted sexually versus your right to the throne. You are a disgrace to yourself __________________________________
Then Saul bluntly ask Jonathan to go find David and Bring him back so he can kill him.
1 Samuel 20:31
For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
Yeah he was pretty blunt with it. He was saying that you will never inherit your rightful place on the throne unless David is gone.
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Jonathan then ask Saul, Why should he die? What has he done?
1 Samuel 20:32
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?
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Saul answers Jonathan kindly by picking up his trusty javelin and hurling it at his own son.
1 Samuel 20:33
And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
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After that stunt Jonathan obviously hauls ass out the room like a bat out of hell.
Jonathan realized a while ago that David is the right man for the throne, the one chosen by God to rule over Israel.
In order to keep this destiny from being sidelined and to protect David's life, he has to keep his distance away from him permanently. If he is seen with David again his father has a chance of finding him and killing him. So the men cry together and hold each other and say their final goodbyes. And these sweet words are spoken as they solidify their covenant to one another.
Samuel 20:41-42
And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
There is so much more to the story, that is just as beautiful, including the famous words of David to Jonathan after he has died in battle. If you want to know more you can research that for yourself.
But I draw attention to this verse 1 Samuel 20:30 as it seems to be one that no-one can explain.
It's a verse obviously drawing attention to some perceived sexual sin. All other verses in the text can be explained away as a deep male friendship.
This one indeed cannot. It is obvious in it's implications. It's Sexual.
King James and those men who edited the bible in the 15th century knew what they were doing, and they knew what the original writers were trying to imply with this story. I'm sure many of them has set foot in that world of romantic male friendships and have been blessed with it's graces. It was a common concept throughout their day.
They left in more words and innuendos than they needed to, to color the story in a way that certain perceptive people would get the idea. Or, at least to install the proper picture in the back of your mind.
The question is do people in this world of today get the picture at all.
Or do they simply just refuse to see it.............
Author, Unknown
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