Jonathan (died 1055 BC) was the eldest son of King Saul and a close friend (and possible lover) of the future King David.
Biography
Jonathan was the eldest son of King Saul and Ahinoam and the elder brother of Abinadab, Malchishua, Ishvi, Ish-bosheth, Merab, Michal, Armoni, and Mephibosheth. In 1093 BC, he led his father's army to victory over the Philistines at the Battle of Michmash, but his eating of honey without knowing that his father had forbidden his men to eat before evening nearly resulted in his father executing him, with only the protests of his father's soldiers saving him from death. Jonathan later became close friends and possibly lovers with the young David, becoming "one in spirit" with David, loving him as himself; the Book of Samuel writes that, "Jonathan's love was sweeter to (David) than the love of a woman." Jonathan came to agree with Samuel's prophecy that David was the rightful King of Israel after Saul alienated the prophet, and Jonathan even gave his suit of armor to David in a symbolic act of abdicating his title as crown prince in David's favor. Jonathan and his sister Michal, who later married David, saved David from several assassination attempts by their father, only for David, his father, and brothers to die at the Battle of Mount Gilboa in 1055 BC.
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