Lives of Scripture

Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, served as one of David's trusted couriers during Absalom's rebellion. As David fled Jerusalem, he arranged for Jonathan and Ahimaaz, son of the priest Zadok, to wait at En-rogel outside the city and relay word of Absalom's plans, since neither could safely be seen entering the city themselves (2 Samuel 15:27-28, 36). When their role was discovered, a servant girl helped hide them; a boy still spotted them and reported it to Absalom's men, but Jonathan and Ahimaaz took shelter in a man's house at Bahurim, climbing down into a well in the courtyard, which the man's wife covered with a covering and spread grain over to disguise it. The pursuers, misled by her answer that the men had already crossed the river, gave up the search, and Jonathan and Ahimaaz emerged safely to carry Hushai's crucial counsel to David -- intelligence that shaped the outcome of the entire rebellion (17:17-20). Jonathan reappears years later at the very end of David's reign: while Adonijah was proclaiming himself king at a feast at En-rogel, Jonathan arrived with news that shattered the celebration -- David had instead made Solomon king, with Zadok anointing him and the city shouting with joy (1 Kings 1:41-45). Jonathan's brief but pivotal appearances mark him as a loyal, resourceful servant at two of the most dangerous turning points in David's reign.