And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
Jonathan answered Saul, 'David urgently asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem.'
Jonathan is telling his father Saul that David had asked for permission to leave and go to his hometown of Bethlehem.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative, King Saul was increasingly jealous of David, who had become a national hero after defeating Goliath, and saw him as a threat to his throne. Jonathan, Saul's son and David's loyal friend, was secretly helping David by devising a plan to test Saul's true intentions. In this verse, Jonathan is reporting to Saul that David had requested permission to attend a family event in Bethlehem, which was part of their strategy to gauge Saul's anger.
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