RYAN - What was the nature of the relationship between Jonathan and David?
"I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women." (2 Samuel 1:26)
When I read this, I thought it sounds like he's gay. Other areas in 1 Samuel may lead to this manner of thinking. I don't buy it or at least don't want to. Can you explain their relationship and if he is gay, how is this explained?

JOEL - There are many Bible scholars who have interpreted a few scriptures into meaning that David had homosexual feelings towards Jonathan. However, his encounter with Bathsheba seems contrary behavior for someone who is homosexual. And from other scriptures that talk about the relationship between David and Jonathan, I don't see it necessarily having anything to do with sexual preference. I think the confusion has a lot to do with how one interprets what is said about them and how we understand the customs of their day. When David says "passing" the love of a woman(2 Samuel 1:26), he means that his love goes beyond that of the sexual type of love of a man for a woman. I believe he is talking about the unconditional complete type of love that God has for His children, as is evident in the following verses.

"And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
"Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle." (1 Samuel 18:1,3,4)

One who loves someone as much as their own soul, sounds a lot like the kind of love a parent would have for his child. The act of Jonathan removing his clothes was a demonstration of the covenant of loyalty that was made between the two. It was a symbolic token of his devotion to the newly anointed king, and had nothing to do with sexual attraction.
I think they were just very close friends and soul-mates. In fact out of this love David later befriended Jonathan’s crippled son, Mephibosheth, and honored him by giving him a permanent welcome in the court, and inviting him always to eat at the king’s table(2 Samuel 9:6-7).
There is just not enough clear cut evidence in the scriptures that would suggest that David had any homosexual tendancies at all.

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