2 Samuel 1:17

This lamentation. In his deep and genuine sorrow for Saul and Jonathan, David poured out his grief in a touching poem that revealed his utter sincerity and nobility of nature. In this funeral dirge David paid his final tribute to the bravery and might of Saul and expressed his deep affection for his friend Jonathan. There is no thought of bitterness, no trace of malice, no exultation at the removal of an enemy who had long frustrated his hopes for a life of peace and tranquility within his own country. Compare David’s much shorter dirge on the death of Abner (ch. 3:33, 34).