Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 23:16

"And Jonathan, Saul`s son, arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God." — 1 Samuel 23:16 (ASV)

And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David. — Some have suggested that the account of the last interview between the friends really belongs to the secret meeting between David and Jonathan recounted in 1 Samuel 20, and that it has been transposed. However, such a view is quite untenable, as the narrative here is circumstantial and even mentions the scene of the interview—'the wood,' or, less probably, the town named 'Horesh.' The expression strengthened his hand in God is added by the narrator to show how severely tried the future king was at this juncture, even though so many gallant spirits rallied around him.

The determined and relentless hostility of the king of the land (his sovereign and once his friend) — the apparent hopelessness of his struggle — the cruel ingratitude of large groups of his fellow countrymen (such as the men of Ziph) — his homeless, outlawed condition: all these things naturally weighed upon David's nervous and enthusiastic temperament, making him easily depressed.

His sad forebodings in his desolation and loneliness at this time are breathed forth in many of the Psalms that tradition ascribes to him. At such a juncture, the warm sympathy and the steady anticipation of a sunnier future from someone like Jonathan were a genuine help to David. Jonathan was far-sighted enough, when David’s fortunes were at their lowest ebb, to look confidently forward to a time when all these thick, dark clouds of trouble would pass away.

Jonathan, we know (1 Samuel 20:14–15), possessed enough confidence in David’s future fortune even to ask the hunted exile to remember him, the prince, with kindness when he would come into his kingdom. We can well imagine that such warm sympathy and such glowing, trustful words raised the outlaw's spirits and gave him new courage to face the grave difficulties of his dangerous position.