Why did Jonathan tell David to go and hide in a field where he could hear his conversation with his father?
Jonathan appeared to be convinced that he could persuade his father to see reason and change his plans. To that end, he would arrange to speak with his father in a private place and he invited David to hide nearby so that David could hear the conversation.1 David was meant to have a good view of the meeting so that he could assess Saul’s attitude for himself.2
2 l'en informa et lui dit: Saül, mon père, cherche à te faire mourir. Sois donc sur tes gardes demain matin, reste dans un lieu retiré, et cache-toi.