1 Samuel 20:6

1Sa 20:6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked [leave] of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for [there is] a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

Ver. 6. For there is a yearly sacrifice there.] This might very well be a true excuse; and he might in prudence take the opportunity, for the safeguard of his precious life, so much sought after.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa_20:6

A yearly sacrifice for all the family.

The family festival

The word in this verse rendered sacrifice is in the margin of our English Bible rendered with somewhat greater felicity feast. There comes to view, therefore, in the narrative an unusually interesting fact; namely, that the family of Jesse continued to keep up their residence in Bethlehem, and carefully observed the household festivals through the year, as in earlier days they had been accustomed. The members of that scattered circle summoned each other regularly to a social reunion annually.

I. The advantages found in the observance of this yearly thanksgiving festival.

1. Of course, first and chief of these is the consideration that for all Gods love and care for us there is due at least full acknowledgment of the hand which has given them to us. Count up your mercies. A day in each year is surely not too much to be given to this formal rehearsal before God of our plentiful gains and prosperities.

2. In the second place, there is manifest advantage in these annual festivals growing out of the cultivation of our domestic affections and the perpetuation of our home tastes and feelings. It mingles religion with our best sympathies. He cannot be called a manly man who did not feel himself a weaker man from the month when his praying mother died and was buried, or who does not feel himself a braver, better man, if now perhaps the beloved old voice still lives to be his counsel and his inspiration.

3. Again: there is a manifest advantage in these thanksgiving festivals found in the perpetuation of ancestral memories to which they are calculated most strongly to minister. It is instinctive in the heart of every true man and woman to desire to live beyond the limits of an immediate generation. We toil hard for many a season to keep our name unsullied and preserve our fair fame unstained for the sake of our offspring.

4. And this leads me on to mention a fourth advantage derived from this annual feast; namely, the opportunity it offers for kindling and quickening a true patriotism in the hearts of the people.

II. With this exhibition of manifest advantages I can hardly need to argue further for such observance of the day. If we go with David at all on his errand, it must be in imagination only. And I think it will be profitable now to ask and answer where he did go.

1. To his own city.

2. In the second place, I suppose David went straight as was possible to his own home in Bethlehem.

3. Then, finally, I imagine David would want to go to various houses of his brethren. I take this from the fact that this days invitation was given by his brother. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

Christmas and New Year festivities

I. Remember to exalt God in your family festivities.

II. Thoroughly survey the history of the year since your last family festivities.

1. It was a yearly sacrifice. Year short space in time, but may be long in events. What changes may crowd into its weeks. Christmas does not always find the family in the old home.

2. On some homes shadows lie thick, others bathed in sunshine. Here Jacob has lost his Joseph, or Rachel mourns her children; here sportive childhood cries, Oh, call my brother back to me, I cannot play alone.

3. And then, they who come to the festivities come from such various scenes. Here at Bethlehem was David from the court; and Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah from the camp.

4. Nor will any true heart give a secondary place to changes on character the year has produced.

III. Consider the personal obligations each owes to the family.

IV. In your festivities think of others. (G. B. Johnson.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 20:6. Say, David earnestly asked of me — Jonathan, being the king’s son and deputy, used, it seems, to give license to military men to depart for a season upon just occasions. There is a yearly sacrifice for all the family — It is likely it was a custom among pious families to meet together once a year, and praise God for his mercies toward them all.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:6-7 Israelite families might designate one of the new moon festivals as an opportunity for an annual family sacrifice (see, e.g., 1:3).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Read 1 Sam. 1:21.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(6) A yearly sacrifice.—The Mosaic Law (Deu_12:5 and following verses) strictly required these great sacrificial feasts to be kept at the Tabernacle, “unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes;” but ever since the destruction of the Tabernacle of Shiloh there had been no central sanctuary, and these solemn feasts had been held, most probably, in tribal centres. “In the then disorganised condition of public worship to which David first gave regular form, family usages of this sort, after the manner of other nations, had established themselves, which were contrary to the (Mosaic) prescriptions concerning the unity of Divine worship.”—O. von Gerlach, in Lange. It is highly probable that the festival in question was at this time being held at Bethlehem. It is, however, clear that David did not purpose being present at it, and therefore the excuse was a feigned one. The morality of this request of David is by no means sanctioned by the compiler of the history; he simply relates the story.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. a yearly sacrifice there for all the family] This request incidentally throws light on the religious customs of the age. The annual meeting of the family or clan for sacrifice may have been a partial observance of the command in Deu_12:5 ff.; but in the unsettled state of religion the obligation to go up to the central sanctuary was neglected. It is not clear whether David really wanted to go to Bethlehem, and meant to hide “in the field” afterwards, or whether he regarded the story as a justifiable deception to avoid exciting Saul’s anger.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

If thy father at all miss me,.... Or diligently inquires after me:

then say, David earnestly asked leave of me, that he might run to Bethlehem his city: the place of his birth, called the city of David, where he was born and had lived, Luk 2:4, which was not far from Gibeah, and whither he could soon run; and which shows the haste he proposed to make, and his eager desire to be there, and which also is signified by his earnest and importunate request; for all this might be true, and no lie of David, framed for an excuse; and after he had hid himself some time in the field, until it was evening, he might go to Bethlehem, and return soon enough to meet Jonathan in the field at the time fixed by them on the third day:

for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family; it was customary for the family of Jesse one day in a year, and as it should seem on a first day of the month, and perhaps the first day of the first month, or New Year's Day, to have an anniversary feast by way of gratitude and thankfulness for the mercies of the year past, and for the continuance of them for time to come; in which the family rejoiced together at the great goodness of God unto them, Sa1 9:12.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Tribe. It might seem an effect of pride, not to accept of such invitations of the king, without some good excuse. Ovid speaks of feasts instituted for relations alone. (Fast. ii.) Proxima cognati dixere Charistia cari

Et venit ad socios turba propinqua Deos. (Menochius)

--- Saul might pretend that his throwing his spear at David, was an effect of his distemper; and as the latter had returned to his palace after the first attempt, he might judge that he would do the like now, though he had so lately sought his life. David probably retired to Bethlehem, and returned the third day, when he bid adieu to Jonathan and to the court of Saul for ever, (ver. 21.; Calmet) though he saw Jonathan once more at Ziph, chap. xxiii. 16.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Quest.

How could David imagine that Saul would expect his company, whom he had once and again endeavoured to kill?

Answ. First, He might suppose that David would ascribe all that to his madness and frantic fits, which being over, he would promise himself safety in the king’s presence. Secondly, David might not think that Saul would indeed expect him to feast with him, considering his late and great danger from Saul; but that Saul would make use of this pretence, and require his presence, that he might lay hold upon him; and therefore he desired to try the experiment.

Asked leave of me, who being the king’s son and deputy, used to give licence to military men to depart for a season upon just occasions.

His city, i.e. the place of his birth and education, Joh 7:42.

A yearly sacrifice; a sacrifice which was offered up in some high place there yearly, upon some special occasion not mentioned in Scripture, which was accompanied with a feast; or, a yearly feast, as the Hebrew word is sometimes used.

For all the family; wherein all the members of our family used to meet together, when they will earnestly expect me above others, and will charge me with pride and unnaturalness, if I neglect their invitation.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. David earnestly asked leave of me — The whole narrative assumes that the king’s son had authority to grant such leave of absence.

A yearly sacrifice there for all the family — Jesse was now a very old man, (1Sa_17:12,) and once a year, at the time of some set sacrifice for all the people, he had his children and his children’s children come together at his own city for the purpose of a great sacrifice and festival. It is probable that such family gatherings were not uncommon things in Israel. At this time, however, David hid himself in a field near Gibeah, and did not meet with his father’s family.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Asked me - Who being the king's son and deputy, used to give license to military men to depart for a season upon just occasions.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Connecting Statement:

David's continues to describe the test he proposes.

asked leave of me

"asked me if I would allow him to leave"

he says ... he is ... he has decided

The word "he" refers to Saul.

your servant will have peace

David speaks of himself as if he were another person to show that he respects Jonathan. AT: "I, your servant, will have peace" (See: Pronouns)

translationWords

David

Bethlehem

sacrifice

family

servant

peace

anger

evil

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Asked. He asked me for permission.

An annual feast-offering. From year to year at this time.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.