1 Samuel 20:19

19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

1 Samuel 20:19 in Other Translations

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 was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

19 On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.

19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.

19 On the third day, when they've quit expecting you, come to the place where you hid before, and wait beside that big boulder.

19 The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel.

1 Samuel 20:19 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 20:19

And [when] thou hast stayed three days
From court, either at Bethlehem, which seems most probable, or in some other place incognito; however, not in the field he proposed to hide himself in, where he could not continue so long for want of food:

[then] thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou
didst hide thyself;
which makes it clear that he did not continue there during that time, but went elsewhere; from whence he was to come in haste at the expiration of three days, to the place he first hid himself in, and which was fixed upon to meet at:

when the business was [in hand];
when the affair was discoursed of, about getting knowledge how Saul was affected to David, and of informing him of it; or "on the day of work" ^F24; or business, on a working day, as the Septuagint; and so the Targum, on a common day; when, as the Vulgate Latin, it was lawful to work on it; and such was the day when Jonathan and David conversed together about the above affair; it being the day before the new moon, or first day of the month, on which day they used not to work: Some render it, "thou shalt three times go down" ^F25 to that place; and the sense is, that he should come on the morrow, and if he found not Jonathan there, he might conclude that as yet he knew nothing of his father's mind, and therefore should come the day following that; and if he found him not then, to come on the third day, that so he might be on the spot, let him come on which day he would:

and shalt remain by the stone Ezel;
which, because it signifies "going", the Jewish commentators generally understand it as a sign to direct travellers which way to go; but one would think this should be an improper place for David to be near, since it must be where two or more ways met, and so a public frequented place; others think therefore it had its name from David and Jonathan often going thither, to discourse with each other; the Septuagint calls it Ergab; and so the place where Jonathan, the son of Saul, exercised himself by shooting darts, is called by Jerom ^F26; it is said by Josephus ^F1 to be an hundred fifty furlongs (about nineteen miles), from Jerusalem, and from Jordan sixty, (about eight miles).

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (hvemh Mwyb) "in die operis", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; "die profesto", Tigurine version.
F25 (dam drt tvlv) "tertiabis, descendes valde", Montanus; "descendes ter, [vel] tertiabis descendere", Castalio; so Patrick.
F26 De loc. Heb. fol. 91. C.
F1 Apud Adrichem. Theatrum T. S. p. 17.

1 Samuel 20:19 In-Context

17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target.

21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; there is no danger.

Cross References

• 1. S 1 Samuel 19:2