complete verse (2 Samuel 1:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Samuel 1:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “Oh, my brother Jonathan, I cry because of your death.
    I loved you much and you, too, loved me much,
    more than how a woman loves a man.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Oh Jonathan, my brother I lament for you,
    you are one who is very pleasing to me, and whom I love.
    Your love for me has been amazing,
    Your love has been even more beautiful than the love of women.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I am- indeed -grieving because of you, Jonatan, my sibling/(brother)!
    I really love/loved you, and your love for me (is/was) more than the love of women.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Jonathan, my dear friend, I grieve for you;
    you were very dear to me.
    You loved me in a wonderful manner;
    it was better than the way that a woman loves her husband and her children.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Samuel 1:26

In some languages, addressing the dead person directly may be very natural, but this may not be the case in others. Here David speaks as if he were talking directly to his dead friend Jonathan. On the close personal relationship between David and Jonathan, see 1 Sam 18–20 and 23.14-18.

I am distressed: the verb should be appropriate to indicate the kind of anguish or grief felt at the death of a very close friend or relative. Most modern English versions use the verb “grieve.”

My brother Jonathan: some ancient texts omit the name (see Anchor Bible), but the best available textual evidence includes it. The word brother is not meant in a literal sense. If it is likely to be taken in this way in the receptor language, then it may be better to translate “my dearest friend” or something similar. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente says “You were dearest to me, Jonathan, like a brother.”

Your love to me may sound rather one-sided, but translators should not make it sound too reciprocal. See the comments at 1 Sam 18.1

Passing the love of women: the idea of love between two political figures is not uncommon in the Old Testament. Non-biblical texts from the ancient Near East show that kings who were in political alliance were said to “love” one another. In such contexts, the primary semantic element is that of loyalty. Hiram is said to have “loved” David (1 Kgs 5.1), and the context clearly shows the political overtones of the word. The love that existed between David and Jonathan is clearly described elsewhere (see 1 Sam 20.17). While some commentators have suggested the possibility of a homosexual relationship between David and Jonathan, this is highly doubtful. But there was obviously a strong bond between the two men. By referring to the love of women, the writer probably had in mind both the love of a wife for her husband and that of a mother for her children. While some translations speak of “love for women” (New American Bible), this is less likely to be the intended meaning. Some translators may have to say something like “Your love for me was wonderful; you loved more than a woman loves her children or her husband.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .