Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
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George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Lovely, or united. Jonathan always behaved with due respect towards his father, though he could not enter into his unjust animosity against David. (Calmet)
The latter passes over in silence all that Saul had done against himself, and seems wholly occupied with the thought of the valour and great achievements of the deceased. (Haydock)
Sanchez believes that these epithets were introduced of course into funeral canticles, like Alas! my noble one, (Jeremias xxii. 18.; Menochius) as Saul could have no pretensions to be styled lovely, or friendly, towards the latter part of his reign; since he treated the priests, David, and even his son Jonathan, with contumely, and even with unrelenting fury. But all this David would willingly bury in oblivion. He will not even notice how different was the end of the two heroes. Jonathan died like a virtuous soldier in his country's cause; Saul was wounded, but impiously accelerated his own death, through dread of torments and of insult. Though they died, therefore, on the same field of battle, their end was as different as that of the saint and of the impenitent sinner. (Haydock)
