vs. 5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat . . .

vs. 18 Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you shall be missed, because your seat will be empty.

vss. 24-26 . . . and when the New Moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. . . .
and Davids place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.


All three of these references note the New Moon as a special time of significance that should not be missed. King Saul thought that either something terrible had happened to David to keep him from this time, or else he was unclean.