Ittai's refusal to abandon the king and his declaration that he will follow David wherever he goes—"As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be"—represents the loyal response of a follower to his king and the refusal of even justified release from oath. Ittai's invocation of the Lord as a witness to his oath demonstrates the religious character of the oath binding him to the king and the seriousness of his commitment. The Gittite warrior's explicit statement that he will follow the king whether to death or life establishes the depth of his loyalty and his recognition that following the king offers neither safety nor guarantee of success. The verse demonstrates the loyalty that David's personal character and his treatment of his followers has inspired, a loyalty that supersedes rational calculation of advantage.

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