How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
The cry is David's lament over Jonathan, grieving that he was slain in battle on the heights of Gilboa. It names the place of his death as the high places where Israel met defeat, fixing the loss to that battlefield. It honors Jonathan as one of Israel's mighty warriors, ranking him among the nation's champions. In his fall it mourns the fall of Israel's defenders, treating his death as a national loss and not a private sorrow alone.
The cry is David's lament over Jonathan, grieving that he was slain in battle on the heights of Gilboa. It names the place of his death as the high places where Israel met defeat, fixing the loss to that battlefield. It honors Jonathan as one of Israel's mighty warriors, ranking him among the nation's champions. In his fall it mourns the fall of Israel's defenders, treating his death as a national loss and not a private sorrow alone.