David’s Grief Over Saul and Jonathan

Ray Pritchard’s answer

2 Samuel 1:19-27 records the profound grief David felt when hearing of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan at the hands of the Philistines on Mount Gilboa. David honored Saul in his death even though Saul had repeatedly tried to kill him. And he spoke with deep emotion about his Jonathan’s loyal friendship. Jonathan had been his closest friend and David felt the loss keenly. The whole section speaks of a godly man’s sorrow of the untimely deaths of a father and a son. He had served Saul and Jonathan had become his dearest friend. Their deaths broke his heart. In his remarks about Saul, David displays remarkable restraint and deep compassion. He remembers Saul at his best, not his worst.

See The End of the Beginning.