שמואל א, פרק כ׳, פסוק כ״ח

During a highly tense moment at the royal court, Jonathan is forced to explain to his father, King Saul, why David is missing from the king's meal. To protect his friend from Saul's anger, Jonathan carefully frames the departure not as an act of rebellion or disrespect, but as an orderly and approved short leave of absence.

Jonathan's central goal is to clarify that David did not leave on his own accord. Instead, he acted with explicit authorization, securing permission directly from Jonathan [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Jonathan also emphasizes that the trip was strictly to Bethlehem. By presenting the journey as a limited trip to a specific destination intended to end with a quick return, Jonathan makes his decision to grant the leave appear completely reasonable and understandable [אלשיך].

The nature of the request highlights that David asked specifically for himself [רד״ק] and operated entirely under authorized permission [מלבי״ם]. He did not simply make a single request; rather, he pleaded repeatedly for the chance to attend his family's sacrifice. Faced with these constant earnest requests, Jonathan felt uncomfortable continuing to turn him away and ultimately yielded to his friend [אלשיך, צאינה וראינה].