1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21:1

JL HEN came David to Nob. It is hard to tell where this city was; for it is not reckoned among the cities of the priests, either in the tribe of Judah, or of Benjamin, or of any other. But D. Kimchi saith, his father took it for Jerusalem; and perhaps it was near to it: where the tabernacle being fixed, the priests resorted thither in great numbers, and settled there. In Neh. xi. 32. we find mention of a city of this name, in the tribe of Benjamin: whither Saul, perhaps, brought the tabernacle, being his own tribe. Unto Ahimelech the priest.] Intending here to commend himself and his cause to God; and to beg his direction and protection. Ahimelech is no where called the highpriest, but always Ahimelech the priest, or simply the priest: (ver. 4 — 6. 9.) yet, being the son of Ahitub, (xxii. 0. 11.) who was tho son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, he is generally supposed to have been the brother of Ahijah, (mentioned xiv. 3.) and he being dead, to have succeeded him in the high-priesthood. And Ahimelech zvas afraid at the meeting of David.] Seeing him alone; and having heard, perhaps, something of the king’s displeasure against him. And said unto him, WJiy art thou alone, and no man tvith thee?] A man of David’s quality, he knew, never went without attendants. And the truth is, David had some persons with him, as the fourth verse tells us, and appears from our Saviour’s words (in the second of St. Mark), where he mentions u David and those that were with him." But he had no such persons as used to be his guard; and he left those that were with him at some distance, that Ahimelech might not sec them.

1 Samuel 21:2

And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me> r* fC v V fviivi ^^w^^f I >^> f A COMMENTARY UPON’ [chap. xxr. IM no man know any thing of the business whereon I send thee, and what I have commanded thee.] We are not from hence to take an example of speaking untruths (as Conradus Pellicanus here glosses), but the wickedness of the world is the more to be deplored, which sometimes puts a necessity upon excellent men to lie, that they may preserve their lives, which cannot be safe without it. And I have appointed my servants to such and. such a place.] Here he acknowledges he had servants with him: but he had disposed them into several places, that the king’s business might be the better concealed.

1 Samuel 21:3

Now therefore what is tinder thy hand?. He desired to know what he was able to do for him, to supply his wants. • • Give me five loaves of bread in my hand.] Particularly he desires to satisfy his hunger, and enough for his servants. Or xvhat there is present.] That is, any other victuals..

1 Samuel 21:4

And the priest answered, There is no common bread under my hand; but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. It was the ancient custom among other nations, for the priests to keep themselves even from the lawful use of women, before they performed their office: as Porphyry informs us, lib. iv. TLtoi ^Anoxve, sect.- 7. Therefore Ahimelech requires this of David’s soldiers, or companions, that being to eat of the holy bread, which none but priests might eat, they should eat it with the same purity, which was required of the priests, y * *

1 Samuel 21:5

And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept fromtts about these three days, since I came out. As many, days as the Lord himself required for the sanctifying of the people, when ho appeared on Mount Sinai, at the giving of the law, (Exod. xix.15.) And the vessels of the young men.] That is, their bodies: so the word keli here signifies, as o-icevoc doth in 1 Tim. iv. 4. Are holy.] That is, separated from women. And the bread is in a manner common.] He adds, that he need not scruple to give them the hallowed bread; for it was not so holy as when it was upon the table of the Lord: but became, in a manner, or in some part, common bread; being now the food not only of the priest, but of his whole family. Yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.] The marginal translation is more plain, especially when there was other that day sanctified in the vessel. He means, new bread was set upon the table of the Lord: so that no wrong was done to him. By the vessel is meant the dish on which the bread was placed, mentioned Exod. xxv.29.

1 Samuel 21:6

So the priest gave him hallowed.bread; for there was no bread there but the sheiv-bread that v;as taken’ from before the Lord, to jmt hot bread in the day that it was taken away. In this neither Ahimelech’.nor David committed any sin: for invincible necessity dispensed with all these ritual laws; as the Jews themselves confess. Particularly. R. Levi, who saith, in a great famine they might eat an ass’s head, which was an unclean creature. And they justify this by the words of the law, (Lev. xviii. 5.) he shall live in them, not, He shall die in them. From whence they gather, that in danger of life such laws were not to be observed. And so Procopius Gazocus observes, that wise men among the ancient people of God, had less regard to these bodily precepts of the law: and that Abiathar, in granting leave to David and his men to eat of the pontifical bread, plusquam vulgus sapiebat, was much wiser than the vulgar people. He calls him Abiathar, not Ahimelech, who granted this indulgence; for so doth our blessed Saviour, Mark ii. 26. and there is a learned friend of mine, who hath a Dissertation ready for the press, to prove that Abiathar was at this time high-priest. Though it is commonly thought he’ was only the sagan, as tho Jews in later times call him who was the high-priest’s vicar: and upon that account was a secondary high-priest; though that name of highpriest did not belong to Abiathar in the highest sense. And besides this, there* is no incongruity in saying, that was done in the days of Abiathar the high-priest (as our Saviour speaks), which was done in Abiathar’s days, though done somewhat before he came to the high-priesthood. As things may be said to have been done in the days of Henry VIII. or any other king of England, which came to pass before he began to reign.

1 Samuel 21:7

Now, a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. It is not to be imagined that he w T as detained here by force and constraint: but by some vow he had upon him; or other religious performance/ to which he had obliged himself.’ /.’* -• And his name was Doeg, an Edomite.] His native country was Edom: but he was proselyted to the Jewish religion.* The chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged unto Saul.] The Hebrew word abir signifies a potent man, or prince; and is -sometimes attributed to God. And therefore here signifies, that he was set over all the herdsmen, as their inspector and governor. Such there were in Syria, as Bochartus observes, out of Diodoirus Siculus; who mentions one that was Trpoetxrwc rCov jSaoiXwcwv krriyCov, pecoris regit prmfectus. And so the Targum, and Kimchi, and others, here translate it.:

1 Samuel 21:8

-And David said unto Ahimelech, Is there not here under thy hand either spear or sivord?for I have not brought my sword nor any weapon with me. He left them all behind, that he might the better conceal himself, and pass for a private man.* Because the king’s business required haste.] But he pretended to Ahimelech, it was because he had not time to go “to his house: the king pressing him immediately to be gone about his business.

1 Samuel 21:9

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Mali, behold, it is here wrapped in, a cloth behind the ephod.~. Behind the place where the garments of the priests were laid up: of which the ephod and its appurtenances were the chief. If thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like unto that; give it me.] Which he thought he might use, though it had been laid up in God’s treasury as a monument of his wonderful mercy: because he was in great necessity.to provide for his own defence.

1 Samuel 21:10

And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul.~. Out of the country of Israel. And went to Achish the icing of Gath.] A miserable condition! to be forced to flee to those for protection, who, he had reason to think, were his bitter enemies. For this was the city of Goliath whom he had slain, and whose sword he had now about him. But perhaps he thought he should If II wf vvvl CHAP. XXII.] THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. not be known; or he knew Achish to be a very generous person; or being now in disgrace with Saul, he thought the Philistines might take him for Saul’s enemy, and engage with them against him. Thus Themistocles being banished his own country, fled first to Admetus the king of the Molossians, with whom he had been at enmity, and then to the king of Persia..

1 Samuel 21:11

And the semants of Achish said unto him, Is not ihis David the king of the land?. Either they meant a chief commander in Israel, who was respected as the king: or they had heard of his being designed to be king instead of Saul, which made him persecute him. Did they not sing of him one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?] By this it appears they had good information of what was done in the land of Israel: and so might know what was reported, that Samuel had anointed him to be’ their king. Ver. 12! And David laid up these ivords in his heart, and was^oreafraidofAchishkingofGath.]Th\sdiscoxirsedeop\y affected him, and made him think himself not safe there.

1 Samuel 21:13

And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gates, and let the spittle fall down upon his’beard. He counterfeited himself to be out of his wits, or to be a fool, who never had any. For he wrote upon the gates, and slavered, as fools are wont to do.

1 Samuel 21:14

And Achish said unto his servant, Lo, the man is mad, wherefore have ye brought him unto me?. Some of the courtiers had presented him unto the king: who seeing him a goodly person, had listed him, perhaps, as an officer in his service.

1 Samuel 21:15

Have I need of madmen that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?. He would not have his court troubled with fools or madmen. For it is likely he did not believe this to be David; or if he was, he was now become good for nothing: and come out of his own country because he was beside himself. -