David's lament over Saul and Jonathan

David's Lamentation gained a strong reputation among the gay community as David's gay-erotic confession about his fallen friend Jonathan. Although much of the theory stems from ignorance (the phrase "the beloved and pleasant", for example, does not refer to the relationship between David and Jonathan at all, it is talking about Jonathan and his father Saul) there is no doubt that there are some hints in the text that raise questions ("I am pleased with your love for the love of women").

The background to the speech

But beyond the yellow (or maybe pink) side of the mourning, a much more interesting question concerns the politics behind the obituary. As we know, David did not fight alongside his people at Gilboa. He spent the battle among the Philistines as their protégé (Saul as I recall tried to assassinate him and he found refuge in the Philistine Gaza). After Saul and Jonathan are killed, David returns to Judah with the aim of taking over the throne to which Shmuel had assigned him. He is in a sensitive situation, as if at the decisive moment he was absent from the battlefield, and therefore must prove his loyalty to the people and the legacy of Saul with signs and examples.

The lamentation speech conveys the message well, and achieved the goal. David manages to move us with his pain over the personal loss combined with the national defeat. The lament moves repeatedly from the personal sorrow for Saul and Jonathan to the national preoccupation with the issues of defeat, the psychological warfare against the Philistines, and even the loss of the weapons of war.

David, on the other hand, demonstrably avoided engaging in politics. Unlike many famous obituaries (of Lincoln, Dayan, Rabin), there is no promise here to follow in the footsteps of the dead or to complete his work - David turns to another path and he does not need to make a political commitment. Following the speech, David takes an important step forward in his struggle to gain legitimacy as king over all the tribes of Israel.

David's Lament - King David eulogizes Saul and Jonathan

The deer Israel is on your platforms, space, where did heroes fall?

Do not preach in Gath, do not preach outside Ashkelon,

Let the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, let the daughters of the blind rejoice.

Indeed, in Gilboa Al-Tal and Al-Matar are upon you and breasts of donations

Because there the defender of the mighty is disgusted, the defender of Saul without Christ in oil

From the blood of the dead from the milk of heroes, Jonathan's bow will not be drawn back

And Saul's sword will not return empty.

Shaul and Yonathan, the beloved and pleasant in their lives,

And in their death they were not separated.

Light eagles from mighty lions

The daughters of Israel to Saul at Kina

Your clother is with Eden,

The gold witness on your clothing.

How did heroes fall in the midst of the war,

Yonathan on your platforms is a space

I'm sorry for you, my brother Yonatan, you are very nice to me

Your love for me is more amazing than the love of women

Where did heroes fall and weapons of war be lost?

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