{"id":58441,"date":"2019-06-27T22:36:22","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T19:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=58441"},"modified":"2023-01-22T11:38:02","modified_gmt":"2023-01-22T09:38:02","slug":"jonathan-and-david-a-story-for-lgbt-pride-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/jonathan-and-david-a-story-for-lgbt-pride-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan And David: A Story For LGBT Pride Week?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chapter 19 of I Samuel opens with King Saul urging his son Jonathan, along with the king\u2019s courtiers, to kill David. We meet David in Chapter 16, when David\u2019s father Jesse, upon Saul\u2019s request, sends young David out to fight for his king. Saul seems to develop an immediate jealousy of David \u2013 perhaps his jealousy is a manifestation of his paranoia.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan\u2019s feelings for David are quite different than his father\u2019s. In the beginning of Chapter 18, we are told that, \u201cJonathan loved David as <\/span>k\u2019nafsho<\/span><\/em>, translated as \u201cJonathan loved David as himself.\u201d And here at the beginning of Chapter 19, Jonathan refuses to heed his father as \u201c[he] was very fond of David,\u201d some translations rendering it \u201c[he] much desired David.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The question is often asked if David reciprocates the feelings? If we look to II Samuel 1:26, it seems that he does. After Jonathan\u2019s death, David laments, \u201c You were most dear to me. Your love was wonderful to me, greater than the love of women.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Were they lovers? We will never know what, if anything, occurred between them physically. We do know, through the plain reading of the text, that there is no shame in or condemnation of their expressions of their love. Saul does not laugh at his son when Jonathan refuses to carry out his father\u2019s urging. God does not choose someone other than David to be king after Saul, punishing him for his \u201cunnatural\u201d love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some people, however, are quick to say that Leviticus 18:22 could not possibly allow for Jonathan and David to have loved each other as though they were in a same-sex relationship. But Leviticus 18:22 is ambiguous at best. \u201cYou [male person] do not lay with a male in the layings of a woman.\u201d No one actually knows what this means.<\/span><\/p>\n

It seems that should Jonathan and David had lived in the late 20<\/span>th<\/span> century or later, they might be the grand marshals of their local LGBT Pride parade. Coincidentally, many of those parades occurred this past weekend and many more will happen next weekend, as LGBT Pride is typically celebrated at the end of June.<\/span><\/p>\n

A quick word about Jonathan\u2019s love for David <\/span>k\u2019nafsho<\/span><\/i>, in Chapter 18. My last name is Nafshi. My same-sex partner and I took this last name when we wed 17 years ago. We took it from <\/span>Shir Hashirim <\/span><\/i>3:4, <\/span>mat-tzati et she-ahavah nafshi<\/span><\/i>, \u201cI have found the one whom my soul loves\u201d or \u201cI have found my soul mate.\u201d I believe that Jonathan would have called David his soul mate.<\/span><\/p>\n

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