שמואל א, פרק כ׳, פסוק ו׳

David and Jonathan devise a careful strategy to uncover King Saul's true intentions, creating a cover story to explain David's absence from the royal feast. David anticipates that the king might not notice his absence right away. On an ordinary day, or even on the first day of the new moon festival, Saul might assume David simply missed the meal by chance. However, if David remains absent on the following day, the king will certainly pay attention and demand an explanation [מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ].

When this happens, Jonathan is instructed to tell his father that David urgently requested permission from him to leave. This excuse is built on a chain of demands. David's family insisted he come home, which in turn compelled him to ask Jonathan for a leave of absence [מלבי״ם]. The cover story emphasizes that David had to depart in a great hurry. This detail of rushing is crucial, as it provides a logical reason for why David went to Jonathan for permission rather than approaching King Saul directly. The journey was so urgent that David simply lacked the time to seek out the king [מלבי״ם, מצודת ציון].

The pressing reason for this sudden departure is an annual family gathering in David's hometown of Bethlehem. A cycle of days often represents a full year, indicating that this is a fixed, yearly sacrifice and feast [רש״י, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. Because this event is meant for the entire family, his relatives strictly required his attendance [מלבי״ם]. The origins of this specific family custom likely trace back to a past miracle. It is possible that God performed a great wonder for David's family in the past, and to commemorate that event, they committed to gathering on that exact date every year for a thanksgiving feast and peace offerings [רלב״ג].