1 Samuel 20

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[8] Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSam^a; 100–50 BCE) with extant verses 37–40[9][10][11][12] and 4Q52 (4QSam^b; 250 BCE) with extant verses 26–42.[13][10][11][14]

Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century).[15][lower-alpha 1]

And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening."[19]

• "New Moon": a festival that consists of sacrificial offerings (Numbers 28:11–15) and celebratory feasts, which was also observed in other parts of ancient world, including Mesopotamia and Babylon.[20] The feast may require the entire clan to be present and this was used as an excuse for David to be absent before the king.[21] The eldest son was likely to gather all members, so David requested to be let go to "see my brothers" (1 Samuel 20:29).[21] According to this chapter, the feast lasted for three days.[18]

And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.[22]

• "Have stayed three days": from Hebrew: שִׁלַּשְׁתָּ, shillashta, “to do a third time”, which could be emended into שִׁלִּישִׁית, shillishit, “[on the] third [day]”.[23]

And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.[24]

• "Out of a place toward the south": translated from Masoretic Hebrew text מאצל הנגב, mê-’ê-tsel ha-ne-ḡeḇ.[25] Septuagint in Codex Vaticanus renders it "from the Argab" (argab = "a heap of stones")[26] or "from beside the mound",[27] whereas Septuagint in Codex Alexandrinus has “from sleep.”[26] The Chaldee version reads, “from the stone of the sign (or the stone Atha) which is on the south”. The different versions (Arabic, Syriac) have here the repetition of the statement in 1 Samuel 20:19.[26][28]