Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies.

And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought it from the hand of the enemies of David;

And if it comes about that the name of Jonathan is cut off from the family of David, the Lord will make David responsible.

that the name of Jonathan is cut off from the house of David, then may the LORD require it at the hand of David's enemies.'

Therefore, Jonathan formed a covenant with the house of David. And the Lord required it from the hands of the enemies of David.

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,.... Not with David himself only, which was now renewed, but with his family also:
saying, let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies; take vengeance on Jonathan, or on any of his posterity, should they break this covenant, by showing themselves enemies to David, and his crown; and, on the other hand, also on David, and his posterity, should they not show kindness to Jonathan and his seed, according to the tenor of this covenant.

Thus Jonathan concluded a covenant with the house of David, namely, by bringing David to promise kindness to his family for ever. The word בּרית must be supplied in thought to יכרת, as in 1-Samuel 22:8 and 2-Chronicles 7:18. "And Jehovah required it (what Jonathan had predicted) at the hand of David's enemies." Understood in this manner, the second clause contains a remark of the historian himself, namely, that Jonathan's words were really fulfilled in due time. The traditional rendering of וּבקּשׁ as a relative preterite, with אמר understood, "and said, Let Jehovah take vengeance," is not only precluded by the harshness of the introduction of the word "saying," but still more by the fact, that if אמר (saying) is introduced between the copula vav and the verb בּקּשׁ, the perfect cannot stand for the optative בּקּשׁ, as in Joshua 22:23.

A covenant - The covenant which before was personal, he now extends to the whole house of David, expecting a reciprocal enlargement of it on David's side, which doubtless he obtained. Enemies - If either I or any of my house shall break this covenant, and shall prove enemies to David or to his house, let the Lord, the witness of this covenant, severely punish the violators of it.