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2 Samuel 1 · Grade 5

David's Lament

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Read and Think

The book of Second Samuel opens where First Samuel ends. Saul and his son Jonathan had fallen in battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. Two days after David returned to Ziklag from striking the Amalekites, a young man arrived with torn clothes and earth on his head, a sign of mourning. He told David the terrible news.

The messenger was an Amalekite. He said that Saul, badly wounded, had asked him to end his life, and that he had done it. He handed David the crown and bracelet as proof. Instead, David mourned, wept, and fasted. Then David asked why the man had not been afraid to destroy the Lord's anointed, and he ordered the man put to death, saying that the man's own mouth had testified against him.

David's lament is one of the most famous poems in the Bible. Its refrain is, How the mighty have fallen! David did not celebrate the death of the king who had hunted him. He asked that the news not be told in the Philistine cities, and he called the daughters of Israel to weep for Saul. Above all, he grieved for Jonathan, whose love and friendship had been wonderful to him.

Show What You Know

  1. Where did Saul and Jonathan fall?

  2. What did torn clothes and earth on the head show?

  3. What did the Amalekite hand to David?

  4. Why was the Amalekite put to death?

  5. What is the refrain of David's lament?

Crossword

51432

Across

  1. They were swifter than ____.
  2. David called him my brother.

Down

  1. How the mighty have ____!
  2. They mourned, ____, and fasted until evening
  3. They were stronger than ____.

Think About It

  1. David chose grief over celebration when his enemy died. What does this teach about having a heart like God's toward people who oppose us?

  2. David honored a friendship even after his friend was gone. How can you be a loyal friend the way Jonathan and David were?

Memory Verse

“Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. In their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.”

2 Samuel 1:23 (WEB)

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Prayer

Dear God, thank You for my friends. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What made the friendship of David and Jonathan so special?
  • How can mourning with others show love?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.