1 Samuel 20:5

And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
David	דָּוִ֜ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
said	וַיֹּ֨אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Jonathan	יְהוֹנָתָ֗ן ye.ho.na.Tan	H3083	Jehonathan · proper noun, a man's name
morrow	מָחָ֔ר ma.Char	H4279	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
moon	חֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ cho.desh	H2320	the new moon · noun, common masculine singular absolute
fail	יָשֹׁב ya.shov-	H3427	properly · verb, qal infinitive absolute
sit	אֵשֵׁ֥ב 'e.Shev	H3427	properly · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
king	הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
meat	לֶאֱכ֑וֹל le.'e.Khol	H398	to eat (literally or figuratively) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
go	וְשִׁלַּחְתַּ֙נִי֙ ve.shi.lach.Ta.ni	H7971	to send away · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 2nd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix
hide	וְנִסְתַּרְתִּ֣י ve.nis.tar.Ti	H5641	to hide (by covering) · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
field	בַשָּׂדֶ֔ה va.sa.Deh	H7704	a field (as flat) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
third	הַשְּׁלִשִֽׁית ha.she.li.Shit	H7992	third · definite article + ordinal number, feminine singular absolute
even	הָעֶ֥רֶב ha.'E.rev	H6153	dusk · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 10:10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your b…
Numbers 28:11 And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the LORD; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the firs…
1 Samuel 19:2 But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray…
Psalms 81:3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
1 Samuel 20:6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for there is a yearly sa…
1 Samuel 20:19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business…
Psalms 55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me;…
Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Here, I. David makes a representation to Jonathan of his present troubles. While Saul lay bound by his trance at Naioth David escaped to the court, and got to speak with Jonathan. And it was happy for him that he had such a friend at court, when he had such an enemy on the throne. If there be those that hate and despise us, let us not be disturbed at that, for there are those also that love and respect us. God hath set the one over against the other, and so must we. Jonathan was a friend that loved at all times, loved David as well now in his distress, and bade him as welcome into his arms, as he had done when he was in his triumph (Sa1 18:1), and he was a brother that was born for adversity…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:5

David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat--The beginning of a new month or moon was always celebrated by special sacrifices, followed by feasting, at which the head of a family expected all its members to be present. David, both as the king's son-in-law and a distinguished courtier, dined on such occasions at the royal table, and from its being generally known that David had returned to Gibeah, his presence in the palace would be naturally expected. This occasion was chosen by the two friends for testing the king's state of feeling. As a suitable pretext for David's absence, it was arranged that he should visit his family at…

Read the whole note in the console

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:5

To-morrow is the new moon - The months of the Hebrews were lunar months, and they reckoned from new moon to new moon. And as their other feasts, particularly the passover, were reckoned according to this, they were very scrupulous in observing the first appearance of each new moon. On these new moons they offered sacrifices, and had a feast; as we learn from Num 10:10; Num 28:11. And we may suppose that the families, on such occasions, sacrificed and feasted together. To this David seems to refer; but the gathering together all the families of a whole tribe seems to have taken place only once in the year. There is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family, Sa1 20:6.

The Church Fathers

And Jonathan said to him: Tomorrow is the New Moon, etc. The holy Scripture does not denote those unequal beginnings of the months, which the Romans have annually, twelve in number, but the new moons, which are called Neomenia by the Greeks; which the Hebrews solemnly celebrated according to the institution of the law, with sacrifices, feasts, and the rest of the Sabbath, that is, of rest. This is signified by the Holy Spirit, as often as Christ sprinkles the Church, as often as any faithful soul, like the sun, with the new light of his grace, immediately spiritual sacrifices of life are to be offered more solemnly to God, immediately sweetly indulging in the feasts of divine sayings, immediately all the commotions of external cares must be put aside in happy rest. Wherefore Jonathan now speaks to David about coming tomorrow on the Calends.
— Bede, Commentary on Samuel

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Banquets — among the Hebrews, were not only a means of social enjoyment, but were a part of the observance of religious festivity. At the three solemn festivals the family also had its domestic feast. (16:11)…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Meals — Are at the present day “eaten from a round table little higher than a stool, guests sitting cross-legged on mats or small carpets in a circle, and dipping their fingers into one large dish heaped…
New Moon — The first day of the lunar month was observed as a holy day. In addition to the daily sacrifice there were offered two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first year as a burnt offering,…
Entertainments · Given on occasions of: Festivals — Given on occasions of: Festivals
Feast Of The New Moon, The · A season for: Entertainments — A season for: Entertainments
Feasts · Given by kings — Given by kings
Influence · GOOD — GOOD
Moon, The · First appearance of, a time of festivity — First appearance of, a time of festivity

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Samuel 20:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:5

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 20:5

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 20:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 20:5

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 20:5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Samuel 20:5

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 20:1-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 20:5

Rashi on 1 Samuel 20:5