Were Jonathan and David in love? Were they a couple? From Genesis 2:22-24 & 1 Sam. 18:1-3.
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
* * *
After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
Also, when Saul plots to kill David, because Jonathan “had taken a great liking to David,” he tips him off. 1 Sam 19:1. Also, from this reading, after Jonathan confirms that Pops is definitely interested in killing David (including a cool signal with arrows scene), we get this:
David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
1 Sam 20:41-42. I had not remembered these passages. I did remember David’s eulogy for Jonathan which is usually pointed to for this point. I’m not sure what I think.
For the record, I have zero doubt that gay people lived during time of the House of David. I am unsure if people had an understanding of two men being in love, and am even more unsure that the Biblical authors would have recorded it. As for an unintentional capturing of a gay romance, well? It’s hard to believe that the data was transmitted with sufficient “signal fidelity” to reveal something unintentional. Nonetheless, we are reaching the part of the story where there is reason to believe that these are real people. There was a House of David, and quite likely a King David. So, who knows.
Interesting Note: It was evidently controversial as to whether Saul was among the Prophets. 1 Sam 19:23-24 has a story about Saul falling into a trance and prophesying while looking for David, and there is a similar story about him joining Samuel’s prophets shortly after being chosen to be kind, again, falling into a trance. 1 Sam 10: 9-11. In both cases the question “Is Saul also among the prophets?” is presented with the implied answer, “Uh, no.”
Translational note: When David prays to God in the Psalms,
Psalm 59 was specifically for this part of the story, btw, the Spanish has David use the informal “eres” and “tu” rather than the form “es” and “Ud.”
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