During the day's battle Jonathan, who had not heard of the king's command, unwittingly offended by eating a little honey as he passed through a wood. Saul learned of this at evening. He had declared that the violation of his edict should be punished with death; and though Jonathan had not been guilty of a willful sin, though God had miraculously preserved his life and had wrought deliverance through him, the king declared that the sentence must be executed. To spare the life of his son would 625 have been an acknowledgment on the part of Saul that he had sinned in making so rash a vow. This would have been humiliating to his pride. "God do so, and more also," was his terrible sentence: "thou shalt surely die, Jonathan."

Jonatan havde ikke hørt kongens befaling og kom i dagens løb til at overtræde forbudet ved at spise lidt honning, mens han var på vej gennem en skov. Dette fik Saul at vide om aftenen. Han havde udstedt dødsstraf for at overtræde forbudet imod at spise. Jonatan havde ikke syndet med vilje, og Gud havde reddet hans liv ved et mirakel og befriet Israel ved hans hjælp, men til trods herfor sagde kongen, at straffen skulle fuldbyrdes. Hvis Saul havde skånet sin søns liv, ville han dermed have indrømmet, at han syndede, da han aflagde sit overilede løfte, og dette ville have såret hans stolthed. Han udtalte nu de frygtelige ord: "Gud ramme mig både med det ene og det andet! Du skal visselig dø, Jonatan!"