שמואל א, פרק כ׳, פסוק י״ט

Jonathan carefully orchestrates a survival plan for David, guiding him on how to remain hidden while uncovering King Saul's true intentions. The strategy requires David to wait three days before descending into a deep, hidden location in a valley. The necessity for such extreme concealment stems from the escalating danger. While a one-day absence from the king's table might be dismissed as a mere coincidence, by the third day, Saul is expected to launch a thorough search, forcing David to seek a much deeper refuge [מלבי״ם]. Recognizing the practical difficulty of surviving in strict hiding for three consecutive days without food, another perspective suggests David could move freely during the first two days. Only on the third day would he need to descend to the precise hiding spot to await Jonathan's signal [אברבנאל]. Beyond the physical descent, the instruction to go down carries deeper implications. A three-day absence would cause David's standing to plummet in Saul's eyes, providing the king with the perfect pretext to brand him a fleeing rebel and call for his execution [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Looking even further ahead, this descent serves as a symbolic foreshadowing of the royal line itself: the dynasty's full greatness would last for only three generations—through David, Solomon, and Rehoboam—before the kingdom would split and ultimately decline [אהבת יהונתן].

Jonathan directs David to return to the specific location where he had hidden in the past. This area might be tied to a day marked by a significant event, such as the time Saul swore to Jonathan that he would not harm David [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג], or the day of the great victory over the Philistines [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the timing and location are linked to the nature of a typical workday. The conversation between the two friends takes place on the New Moon, a day when agricultural labor was traditionally paused, a custom particularly observed by women. On a regular workday, the presence of many laborers in the fields would allow David to easily blend in. However, with the fields empty for the holiday, David requires a far more isolated and secure hiding place to remain unseen [רש״י, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, אברבנאל, צאינה וראינה].

Because the surrounding field is vast, Jonathan pinpoints a highly specific meeting spot beside a well-known, large stone [רלב״ג]. Functioning as a familiar landmark for travelers, its very name suggests movement and journeying [מצודת ציון]. This stone will serve as the target for Jonathan's arrows, which he will use to secretly signal whether Saul's intentions are peaceful or hostile [אברבנאל, צאינה וראינה]. The choice of this specific landmark is highly strategic. Positioned at a crossroads, it offers a tactical advantage: if David's presence is somehow discovered, the multitude of branching paths would confuse his pursuers, making it nearly impossible for them to track his escape route [אהבת יהונתן].