Were David & Jonathan Gay? Q&A for January 30, 2025
Were David & Jonathan Gay?
A question from a viewer…
Many so-called “progressive Christians” like to suggest (or outright claim) that the story of David & Jonathan indicates a romantic love – is this a perverse twisting of scripture? How do we know that they are wrong to suggest this?
Those who like to claim that David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship usually point to 1 Samuel 18:1-3:
1 Samuel 18:1-3
Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
Some people read a homosexual relationship into the love between David and Jonathan. They suppose that two men cannot love each other without it being something the Bible clearly says is immoral. But the relationship between David and Jonathan shows the Bible doesn’t condemn real love between men, only a sexual relationship between men.
- Homosexuality is clearly sin according to the Bible.
- The sexualization of all “love” is a real problem.
Leviticus 18:22
You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.
There is love that expresses itself in honor, support, friendship, partnership, sacrifice, mutual endurance – that has nothing to do with sex or romance.
“We truly love each other therefore we must have sex” or “We truly love each other therefore we are allowed to have sex” are both terrible, mistaken ideas.
