Single lesson
David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan
2 Samuel 1:17–27
This lesson helps children notice who speaks in David’s lament, which pictures he uses, and how the poem moves from public grief to David’s personal sorrow for Jonathan.
Before you teach
In these verses, David laments over Saul and Jonathan. He commands that the people of Judah be taught this song, called the song of the bow. The lament repeats key lines, speaks to places and people, praises Saul and Jonathan, and ends with grief over their fall.
Students will be able to name David as the speaker, identify at least three images or repeated lines in the lament, and explain how the poem moves from Israel’s loss to David’s grief for Jonathan.
Welcome: What is a lament?
5 minTell the group that today’s Bible reading is a lament, a sad song or poem. Read 2 Samuel 1:17 aloud and ask, “Who is speaking this lament, and who is it about?” Explain that verse 18 says David wanted this song taught, so these words were meant to be remembered.
2 Samuel 1:17, 2 Samuel 1:18
Read and trace the poem’s first movement
7 minRead 2 Samuel 1:19-21 slowly. Help children hear the repeated cry, “How the mighty have fallen!” Point out that David speaks to Israel and then to the mountains of Gilboa. Explain that poems can speak directly to a place to show deep grief. Notice also that David does not want enemies rejoicing.
2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:20, 2 Samuel 1:21
Discuss the praise in the middle of the lament
6 minRead 2 Samuel 1:22-24. Ask children to listen for strong picture words. Jonathan’s bow and Saul’s sword show battle strength. Swifter than eagles and stronger than lions are comparison images. David also calls the daughters of Israel to weep over Saul and remembers benefits connected with him.
2 Samuel 1:22, 2 Samuel 1:23, 2 Samuel 1:24
Make and respond: an image-and-line grief card
8 minChildren make a folded card with one side for a repeated line and the other for a picture from the poem. They may write “How the mighty have fallen” or “Jonathan was slain on your high places” and draw a bow, shield, mountain, eagle, lion, scarlet clothing, or gold ornaments. Briefly share how the image fits the lament.
2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:21, 2 Samuel 1:23, 2 Samuel 1:24, 2 Samuel 1:25, 2 Samuel 1:27
Closing: David’s personal sorrow for Jonathan
4 minRead 2 Samuel 1:25-27. Show how the poem becomes more personal when David says, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.” Explain that the lament ends with grief again, repeating, “How the mighty have fallen.” Invite each child to say one thing they learned about the way Bible poems express sorrow.
2 Samuel 1:25, 2 Samuel 1:26, 2 Samuel 1:27
Questions to explore
Which verse shows that David is the speaker, and who is he lamenting?
Look for the sentence that names David and says this lament is over Saul and Jonathan.
2 Samuel 1:17
What words are repeated in the poem, and why do they matter in a lament?
Listen for the line that appears in verse 19, again in verse 25, and again at the end in verse 27.
2 Samuel 1:19, 2 Samuel 1:25, 2 Samuel 1:27
Where does the lament become especially personal, and what does David say there?
Find the verse where David speaks directly about Jonathan and says, “I am distressed for you.”
2 Samuel 1:26
Make, think or respond
Illustrated Lament Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or textas
- crayons or coloured pencils
- Bible
Try it together
- Fold a sheet of paper in half.
- On the front, write one line from the lament such as “How the mighty have fallen”.
- Inside, draw one image from the poem such as a bow, mountain, shield, eagle, lion, scarlet clothing, or gold ornaments.
- Under the picture, write the verse number that matches your image.
- Share with a partner how your line and picture express grief or praise in the poem.
The activity helps children notice that David’s lament uses repeated lines and vivid images to express sorrow and honour Saul and Jonathan.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, give two or three image choices from the passage and let them copy a short line such as “How the mighty have fallen”.
- For older or more confident children, ask them to sort the poem into public grief for Israel, praise for Saul and Jonathan, and David’s personal grief for Jonathan.
An optional closing prayer
Suggested prayer: “God, thank you for giving us words for sadness in the Bible. Please help us listen carefully to David’s lament and learn how these words show grief and honour.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
2 Samuel 1
17 David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son
18 (and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
19 “Your glory, Israel, was slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!
20 Don’t tell it in Gath. Don’t publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain on you, and no fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled and cast away, the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, Jonathan’s bow didn’t turn back. Saul’s sword didn’t return empty.
23 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.
24 You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you delicately in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your clothing.
25 How the mighty have fallen in the middle of the battle! Jonathan was slain on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished!”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.