The Hebrew word Ezel (אָזֶל) appears to mean "departure" or "the going away", derived from the root azal (to go away, vanish). It appears as the name of a landmark stone near Gibeah — the Stone of Ezel — which served as the rendezvous point between David and Jonathan in their covenant farewell.
The Stone of Ezel holds a place of deep covenant tenderness in Scripture. It was here that Jonathan shot his arrows and sent his servant away, delivering the coded message to David: "Go, for the LORD has sent you away" (1 Samuel 20:22). Then, with no servant present, Jonathan and David embraced and wept together — David weeping the most — as they parted, not knowing they would rarely meet again. The stone's name, "departure," proved prophetic. Their covenant — sealed with an oath before the LORD — would outlast David's exile and extend to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. The Stone of Ezel stands as a monument to faithful covenant friendship.