1 Samuel 20 and the Definition of Evening

The account in 1 Samuel 20 not only tells us of King Saul's hatred for David, but it also unveils an important clue in determining the Biblical definition of evening. Is evening the beginning of the day, when the sun has already slipped below the horizon, or is it prior to sunset near the end of the day?

From studying the Biblical use of "between the two evenings," we know that it can mean either one. Evening can mean either afternoon, as it does in Jer. 6:4, or it can mean nightfall, as it does in Prov. 7:9. The passage in 1 Sam. 20 gives us an example of the former.

First, at the beginning of the chapter, David sought Jonathan's help after escaping one of King Saul's murder attempts (1 Sam. 20:1). Next, we read, "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" (1 Sam. 20:5).

Here, the stage is set. David plans to skip Saul's banquet dinner and hide in the field "until the third day at evening." True to plan, he missed both the banquet on the first of the month, and also the second of the month, as we read in vv. 24-27. On the second day, Saul questioned David's absence, and, dissatisfied with Jonathan's response, flew into a rage and hurled a spear at Jonathan, his own son (vv. 27-33)!

Finally, we read, "So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him" (1 Sam. 20:34-35).

Now notice! Jonathan ate no food the second day, and did not go to the field to meet David until the morning of the third day, yet we previously saw that David had agreed to wait only until the evening of the third day. Had evening been the beginning of the third day, David would have already left by morning! Therefore, we are left with one, inescapable conclusion: the evening of the third day was toward the end of the day, not the beginning! First came the morning of the third day, and then the evening.

Further, evening had to include some time before sunset, or else the day would have already ended. Therefore, 1 Samuel 20 establishes that evening can be toward the end of a day, not merely its beginning. First came morning, and then came evening — of the same day!

This, of course, has tremendous bearing on "between the two evenings," and therefore on the timing of Passover, the daily sacrifices, and the daily incense offering. For more details, see the book The Lord's Passover, available for free in PDF format.