Last Updated on December 31, 2023 by Kittredge Cherry

Gay David and Jonathan window from St. Mark's Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland

Love between men is celebrated in the Bible with the story of David and Jonathan. “Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women,” David said in his famous a lament for Jonathan. David’s feast day is Dec. 29.

Their relationship inspires LGBTQ people and affirms that same-sex couples are blessed by God. New and historical artists, writers and musicians illustrate the same-sex love between Jonathan and David here.

Many LGBTQ people of faith are motivated by David and Jonathan.  This article is the all-time most popular post here at Q Spirit. LGBTQ Catholic groups are named after them in France (David et Jonathan) and Italy (Davide e Gionata).

David and Jonathan provide a model of same-sex love

The modern idea of sexual orientation didn’t exist in Biblical times, but the powerful love story of Jonathan and David in 1 and 2 Samuel suggests that same-sex couples are affirmed and blessed by God.

It’s impossible to know whether David and Jonathan expressed their love sexually. Some consider David to be bisexual, since the Hebrew scriptures also recount how he committed adultery with Bathsheba and later made her one of his eight wives. There is no doubt that many people today do honor David and Jonathan as gay saints.

There are no scripts to use at wedding ceremonies in the Bible, so the same-sex vows between David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi provide the best Biblical models for wedding vows.

Book of Tamar by Nel Havas [New book, added on Dec. 31. 2023] It becomes clear that David and Jonathan were lovers in the well-researched historical novel “The Book of Tamar: Daughter of King David” by Nel Havas. As seen through the eyes of a young woman who is his daughter, David “is attracted to anyone beautiful, whether woman or man” and “Jonathan was the love of his life.” The love between David and Jonathan is revealed as part of a larger Biblical drama of rape, incest, murder and war, with Tamar as the unwilling catalyst to cruel events. Hana, her strong and sensible servant, disguises herself as a male warrior to protect Tamar. Their relationship grows as they make a remarkable journey to find David in an effort to prevent family drama from degenerating into civil war. The author has also written two historical novels set in ancient Egypt, “The Apprentice Queen” and “Sekma.”

Contemporary LGBTQ Christians point to Jonathan and David to counteract conservatives who claim that the Bible condemns homosexuality. The “David loved Jonathan” billboard below is part of the Would Jesus Discriminate project sponsored by Metropolitan Community Churches. It states boldly, “David loved Jonathan more than women. II Samuel 1:26.” For more info on the billboards, see our previous post, “Billboards show gay-friendly Jesus.”

David loved Jonathan billboard from LGBT Christian billboards from WouldJesusDiscriminte.org

Sixteenth-century Spanish mystic John of the Cross is one of the many writers who used their same-sex love as a model for divine love. “The love Jonathan bore for David was so intimate that it knitted his soul to David’s. If the love of one man for another was that strong, what will be the tie caused through the soul’s love for God, the Bridegroom?” John of the Cross asked in “The Spiritual Canticle.”

 David and Jonathan in scripture

David, the second king of Israel, was an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet. The gospel genealogies list David as an ancestor of Jesus. He is credited with composing many of the psalms in the Bible. Written in Hebrew, his hymns of praise are foundational to western culture. “Rainbow Psalms in 30 Days” is a version of the psalms adapted by Stephen Joseph Wolf with LGBTQ readers specifically in mind.

The two men met when David was a ruddy young shepherd.  Jonathan, a courageous warrior, had returned victorious from battle.  Jonathan was the eldest son of Saul, Israel’s first king. David was taken to see King Saul right after beheading the Philistine giant Goliath. Scholars estimate that David was about 18 and Jonathan was at least 10 years older.

Jonathan fell in love at first sight of the handsome young hero. As the Bible says, “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” Their story gets more chapters in the Bible than any other human love story. Wedding ceremonies are absent from the Bible, but the covenant between Jonathan and David is described in detail.

Soon after David and Jonathan met, the two men expressed their commitment by making a covenant with each other. The dramatic moment is described in 1 Samuel 18:3-4: “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.”

Jonathan and David embrace, 1300

Jonathan and David embrace in a manuscript illustration, circa 1300. La Somme le roy (Wikipedia)

The Bible chronicles the ups and downs of David and Jonathan’s relationship over the next 15 years, including tears and kisses. King Saul is jealous of David’s popularity and keeps trying to kill him, while his son Jonathan rescues his friend in various ways.

David and Jonathan became so close that it looked like someday they would rule Israel together. But that day never came because Jonathan was killed in battle. David mourned deeply for him with a famous lament.

There are many translations of 2 Samuel 1:26, each one expressing how the love between Jonathan and David was “greater than,” “more wonderful than,” “deeper than” or otherwise “surpassing the love of women.”

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.

Queer Bible scholars primarily focus on David’s relationship with Jonathan, but they find tantalizing hints in other parts of his life, including his naked dance with young men in II Samuel , and his adoption of Jonathan’s adult son, Mephibosheth.

The love between David and Jonathan follows a literary pattern dating back to “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” which may be the oldest written story on earth. Recorded around 2100 BC, the epic poem follows the adventures of Sumerian king and demigod Gilgamesh, including his love for the primitive man Enkidu and his intense lament when Enkidu dies. The parallels between the two stories are explored in the book “When Heroes Love: The Ambiguity of Eros in the Stories of Gilgamesh and David” by Susan Ackerman (Columbia University Press, 2005).

David and Jonathan in literature

The love between the two men is also celebrated in literature, including the poem “The Meeting of David and Jonathan” by 19th-century English poet John Addington Symonds. He is known as an early advocate of male love (homosexuality) and wrote many poems inspired by his own homosexual affairs. In “The Meeting of David and Jonathan” he writes:

There by an ancient holm-oak huge and tough,
Clasping the firm rock with gnarled roots and rough,
He stayed their steps; and in his arms of strength
Took David, and for sore love found at length
Solace in speech, and pressure, and the breath
Wherewith the mouth of yearning winnoweth
Hearts overcharged for utterance. In that kiss
Soul unto soul was knit and bliss to bliss.

The full poem appears in “Many Moods: A Volume of Verse” by Symonds.

Epic same-sex love between David and Jonathan is fleshed out in the 2016 historical novel “The Prince’s Psalm” by Eric Shaw Quinn, a New York Times-bestselling author. It is a perennial bestseller at Q Spirit. Beginning with young David slaying Goliath, the book shows how he won the heart of Prince Jonathan, heir to the throne of Israel. The star-crossed warrior-lovers face conflicts with King Saul and others as the Biblical story unfolds and David grows to become a king himself. The author uses artistry and restraint to present sex scenes between David and Jonathan (and each man with his own wife). With meticulous research and dynamic storytelling skills, he brings alive the dramatic same-sex love story at the core of religious tradition. The author is a celebrity ghostwriter who wrote novelizations of the TV series “Queer as Folk.”

book Queer GospelQueer Gospel: An Alternative Telling Of The Bible” by Riley Alerton includes a version of the story of David and Jonathan where Jonathan is killed by a homophobic priest.  His lament becomes, “My partner Johnathon, whose soul was knit into mine as one, has been slain in the name of God by terrible homophobes in Heteros. His love for me was sublime, finer than the love of women.”  The book appears on Q Spirit’s list of the top LGBTQ Christian books of 2022.

book Thats Me in Corner by Jeff Crim[New book] The timeless story of David and Jonathan is re-imagined through a queer lens in the 1990s Midwest with “That’s Me in the Corner: A Royally Tragic Tale of Queer Love of Biblical Proportions” by Jeff Crim.  It was independently published in 2023. Based in Tennessee, the author is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Gay-positive Bible scholars have written extensively about the relationship between David and Jonathan. The classic book on the subject is “Jonathan Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times,” published in 1978. It was written by Thomas Horner, an Episcopal priest with a doctorate in religion from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary.

David and Jonathan in art

The love between the two men is honored in a golden icon by Brother Robert Lentz. Unlike most images of Jonathan and David, the Lentz icon shows Christ above blessing their relationship. It is one of 10 Lentz icons that have sparked controversy since in 2005 when conservative Roman Catholic leaders accused Lentz of glorifying sin and creating propaganda for a progressive sociopolitical agenda with these “Images That Challenge.”

Prints of “Jonathan and David” are available through Amazon and TrinityStores.com.

Artists throughout the ages have illustrated the the drama and same-sex passion of their story, beginning with the moment that David and Jonathan met.  A beautiful romantic version of their first meeting appears on their stained-glass window at St. Mark’s Portobello, a Scottish Episcopal church in Edinburgh. The inscription states, “The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David” (1 Samuel 18:1).

David and Jonathan window from St. Mark’s Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1882

Created in 1882, the window has a dedication at the bottom: “In loving memory of George Frederick Paterson of Castle Huntly who died at Portobello, 30th Sept. 1890, aged 33.” All that is known about Paterson is that he was in the army and unmarried. The window was paid for by “a friend.”

Another stained-glass window of David and Jonathan is located at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Indiana, Pennsylvania. It was created in the Tiffany style by Robert L. Dodge in 1906. The window is dedicated to the memory of John Sutton and A.W. Wilson, founders of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. It can be seen online at Stained Glass Resources Inc., which restored the window in 2000.

“David and Jonathan” by Katy Miles-Wallace

“David and Jonathan” by Katy Miles-Wallace. Available as prints and more at the Queerly Christian Zazzle  shop.

David and Jonathan share a rainbow halo in an icon created in 2017 by queer Lutheran artist and seminarian Katy Miles-Wallace as part of her “Queer Saints” series. It appears at the top of this post. The series presents traditional saints with queer qualities and heroes of the LGBTQ community.

The icons are rooted in queer theology and in Miles-Wallace’s eclectic faith journey that began at a Baptist church in Texas and led to study at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. She drew many of them on the altar of a seminary chapel. For more info, see the Q Spirit article “New icons of Queer Saints created by artist Katy Miles-Wallace.”

“Jonathan Greeting David, after David killed Goliath” by Gottfried Bernhard Goez, 1708-1774 (Wikimedia Commons)

California artist Ryan Grant Long emphasizes the homoeroticism of the moment whenJonathan strips off his robe and wraps it around David with a kiss on the neck. For more about Long, see my previous post Artist paints history’s gay couples.

“David and Jonathan” by Ryan Grant Long

Artist Brandon Buehring imagined both men stripped bare in a private encounter between Jonathan and David in his “Legendary Love: A Queer History Project.” He uses pencil sketches and essays “to remind queer people and our allies of our sacred birthright as healers, educators, truth-tellers, spiritual leaders, warriors and artists.”

“Jonathan and David” by Brandon Buehring
Buehring’s project features 20 sketches of queer historical and mythological figures from many cultures around the world. He has a M.Ed. degree in counseling with an LGBTQ emphasis from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He works in higher education administration as well as being a freelance illustrator based in Northampton, Massachusetts.
David and Jonathan sculpture by Malcolm Lidbury

David and Jonathan sculpture by Malcolm Lidbury, 2016 (Wikipedia)

David and Jonathan are among the many historical male couples sculpted by British gay artist/activist Malcolm Lidbury. They were included in his Cornwall LGBT History and Gay Art Sculpture ‘Open Studio’ Exhibition for National LGBT History Month in 2016.

Lidbury portrays the embrace of David and Jonathan with full frontal nudity. The exhibit (and related video) also include Saint SebastianOscar Wilde and many others. The figures appear to be solid bronze, but are actually a thin film of bronze paint over composite construction of wood, plastic, metal and such. These materials are a metaphor expressing the artist’s belief that laws protecting LGBTQ people appear strong but are actually a fragile veneer.

A more traditional view is presented by 16th-century Italian painter Cima da Conegliano. In both images David is still carrying the head of Goliath as he bonds with his new friend Jonathan, hinting at the union of violence and eroticism.

“David and Jonathan” by Italian painter Cima da Conegliano, 1505-1510 (Wikimedia Commons)

In contrast New Mexico artist Trudie Barreras shows the new friends both putting aside their armor to make a covenant with each other (left).

Jonathan Made a Covenant with David by Trudie Barreras

“Jonathan Made a Covenant with David” by Trudie Barreras, Collection of City of Light / First Metropolitan Community Church of Atlanta

An 18th-century German “friendship medal” (below) captures another highlight as Jonathan pledges to David, “I will do the desires of your heart” (“Ich will die thun was dein Herz begehrt”) from 1 Samuel 20:4.

German friendship medal of Jonathan and David by Philipp Heinrich Müller, c.1710 (Wikimedia Commons)

Other artists focus on a dramatic moment that came later when Jonathan met David at a pile (or “ezel”) of stone to warn him that Saul intended to kill him. An 1860 woodcut by German artist Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld illustrates that tearful farewell scene from 1 Samuel 20: 41-42:

“Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most. Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’”

“David and Jonathan” woodcut for “Die Bibel in Bildern”, 1860, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (Wikimedia Commons)

A much more intimate, contemporary view of the parting kiss was drawn by Maddy Caless, a illustrator based in Norwich, United Kingdom. She captures the timeless moment when David and Jonathan kiss in I Samuel 20:41 by showing the Biblical pair looking much like gay men today.

David and Jonathan Kiss by Maddy Caless

David and Jonathan kiss in a drawing by Maddy Caless.

Another version of the farewell scene was painted by American folk artist and Quaker minister Edward Hicks in 1847.  In both paintings a boy can be seen carrying away their weapons.  In the lower right Hicks places a scene of the Good Samaritan rescuing a downtrodden man.  Interestingly, the Jonathan and David window at St. Mark’s Portobello is also paired with a window showing the Good Samaritan. Scholar Mitch Gould analyzes the painting for the Jesus in Love Blog in his article Biblical same-sex love found in “David and Jonathan” art by Edward Hicks.

“David and Jonathan at the Stone Ezel” by Edward Hicks, 1847

Contemporary gay Israeli artist Adi Nes gives shocking clarity to David and Jonathan by using images of homoeroticism and homelessness to subvert stereotypes about people in the Bible. The triumph of David over Goliath is often used to symbolize Israel’s military victories over its enemies, but Nes chooses to depict David as a vulnerable youth with a crutch, leaning on another young man for love and support. Dirty and unkempt, they embrace beneath an industrial overpass covered by graffiti. They look battered, perhaps from a gay bashing. The tender moment suggests the scenes when “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David” or when “they kissed each other and wept together.” (For more about Adi Nes, see my previous post “Gay Israeli artist Adi Nes humanizes Bible stories. “

“Untitled (David and Jonathan)” by Adi Nes

Musical “Beloved King” celebrates David and Jonathan

The love triangle between David, Jonathan — and Jonathan’s father Saul — sprang to life in the 2020 queer Bible musical “Beloved King.” The show brings out all the homoerotic nuances in the scriptures with a faithful adaptation and emotional intensity that stirs both heart and soul. The passionate gay love saga of plays out against a dizzying backdrop of war and witches.

David and Jonathan from Beloved King

David (Felton Sparks at left) and Jonathan (Ben Freeman) meet for the first time in “Beloved King” (Photo by Jonathan Beckley.)

“Beloved King” was written by Jade Sylvan as one of the requirements for a master of divinity degree at Harvard Divinity School. Sylvan has won awards for writing in various media, including the New England Book Award for the 2013 novelized memoir “Kissing Oscar Wilde.”

The first run of “Beloved King” performances was sold out for March 2020 at Oberon Theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge. But the night before opening it had to be postponed indefinitely due to the surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. During the shutdown Sylvan occasionally makes the final dress-rehearsal video available through live-stream viewing parties.

David and Jonathan from Beloved King

The relationship between David and Jonathan heats up as they sing “Adoni” in “Beloved King.” (Photo by Jonathan Beckley.)

A taste of the musical is also provided by photos from the dress rehearsal and a video of the song “Adoni,” a duet sung by Jonathan and David when they first meet.

The duet begins with Jonathan singing these lines to David soon after he killed the giant Goliath:

“I’ve never seen anyone take up and wield
a stone that then took down a giant.
Standing near naked, without a shield,
yet so absolutely defiant,
Please, take my cloak, you have to be cold.
Have you… borne the blade of a man?
I’d be glad – honored, that is – if you’d hold
my armor and sword in your hand…”

Their relationship escalates quickly, as shown in a semi-nude photo taken near the climax of the song.

Queer puppet play about David causes backlash

David and Jonathan’s love story is told in a surprising new format with “The Trials of David: A Queer, Biblical Puppet Play.” It was performed throughout November 2021 at New York City’s LGBT Community Center. After a “puppet show backlash” by conservatives, the show was removed from the Garden City Pride Fest in Kansas in 2023.

Brett Crandall plays multiple roles as puppeteer, actor, writer, and producer of the single-puppeteer adaptation. He told Q Spirit about the impact of his queer Biblical puppet play:

“Aside from being an incredibly healing journey for myself as a queer person, I’ve found the use of puppetry, clever rhymes, and audience engagement, has the power to bring back a sense of innocence to queer love, long tainted by society. Its displacement away from holiness and the family unit has been diminishing spirits of queer people for too long. I hope folks walk away from this 45-minute play with a stronger trust in their divine intuition, even when that leads them to the new, the uncomfortable, the unexplored, and the unconventional,” Crandall said.

David puppeteer Brett Crandall

Brett Crandall performs in “The Trials of David: A Queer, Biblical Puppet Play.”

The queer-inclusive play covers many of David’s Biblical adventures, culminating in a covenant with his beloved Prince Jonathan. It is part of Crandall’s Pride Puppet Plays series. After touring his home state of Kansas, the show is ready for its New York debut.

David and Jonathan in music

The love between the two Biblical heroes is celebrated in classical music, such as “O Jonathan, Woe Is Me,” a sacred madrigal for six voices by 17th-century Englisher composer Thomas Weelkes. The text comes from 2 Samuel 1:25b-26 and ends with the telling phrase, “passing the love of women.”

Music based on the same-sex love between Biblical heroes David and Jonathan is explored in the 2017 interdisciplinary book “Jonathan’s Loves, David’s Laments: Gay Theology, Musical Desires, and Historical Difference” by Dirk von der Horst.  He connects the writings of LGBTQ theologians and Bible scholars with early modern musical interpretations by composers such as Handel and Weelkes.  Queer possibilities are reinforced when he listens closely to the music with scholarly exegesis and historical analysis of whether the love between Jonathan and David was homoerotic.  It includes a foreword by pioneering feminist theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether.  The author teaches religions at Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles.

David and Jonathan prayer

Q Spirit’s Litany of Queer Saints includes this line:

King David and Jonathan, whose love was wonderful, surpassing the love of women, pray for us.

LGBTQ books related to David and Jonathan

The Love of David and Jonathan: Ideology, Text, Reception” by James E. Harding (2014)

Jonathan Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times” by Tom M. Horner (1978)

The Prince’s Psalm” by Eric Shaw Quinn (2016) (historical novel about the homosexual love between Jonathan and David)

Jonathan’s Loves, David’s Laments: Gay Theology, Musical Desires, and Historical Difference” by Dirk von der Horst (2017)

LGBTQ links related to David and Jonathan

Homosexuality and the Bible: Studies on Jonathan and David” by Bruce L. Gerig (The Epistle)

David and Jonathan: Why did God focus on their intimate partnership? (GayChristian101)

David the Prophet and Jonathan, His Lover (Queer Saints and Martyrs – And Others)

Jonathan & David: David’s Lament: Homosexuality and the Bible, Key Passages: 1 Samuel 31, 2 Samuel 1” by Bruce L. Gerig (epistle.us)

David and Jonathan” by 17th-century Dutch artist Ferdinand Bol at Israel Museum

Bible story of David and Jonathan’s first meeting: 1 Samuel 18

Bible story of Jonathan’s death: 2 Samuel 1

To read this article in Spanish, go to:
David y Jonatán: El amor entre hombres en la Biblia (Santos Queer)

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תפילת משיח קשת בענן (Rainbow Christ Prayer in Hebrew from Q Spirit)

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Top image credit: David and Jonathan window (detail) from St. Mark’s Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1882. Special thanks to Ruth Innes for the photo and info.
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.

This article was originally published in December 2016, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Dec. 31, 2023.

Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.mo
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.

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