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1 Samuel
Chapter Twenty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 21
This
chapter relates that David went to Nob
and pretending he was on secret
business for the king
got shewbread
and the sword of Goliath
from Ahimelech
the priest
1 Samuel 21:1; and
that passing from thence to Gath
where he was known
through fear feigned
himself mad
and so escaped from thence
1 Samuel 21:10.
1 Samuel 21:1 Now David came
to Nob
to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David
and said to him
“Why are you alone
and no one is with you?”
YLT
1And David cometh in to Nob
unto Ahimelech the priest
and Ahimelech trembleth at meeting David
and saith
to him
`Wherefore [art] thou thyself alone
and no man with thee?'
Then came David to Nob
to Ahimelech the priest
.... The high
priest
as Abarbinel rightly calls him; he was the brother of Ahijah
the son
of Ahitub
who being dead he succeeded him; though some sayF1Hieron.
Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 76. H. he was the same; see 1 Samuel 14:3; who was
now at Nob
the tabernacle being there
whither probably it was removed by
Saul
and where and at Gibeon
according to the JewsF2Maimon. &
Bartenora in Misn. Zebachim
c. 14. sect. 7.
it continued fifty seven years;
as in the times of Joshua it was in Shiloh
in the tribe of Ephraim
of which
tribe he was; and in the times of David it was placed in the tribe of Judah
to
which he belonged; so in the times of Saul it was in Nob
a city of his tribe
twelve miles from Gibeah
according to BuntingF3Travels
&c. p.
136. ; for that it was in the tribe of Benjamin appears by its being mentioned
along with Anathoth
Nehemiah 11:32; and
according to Jarchi and KimchiF4Comment. in lsa. x. 32. it was near
Jerusalem
and so near that it might be seen from thence; some say they are the
sameF5Shalshalet Hakabala
fol. 8. 1. ; JeromF6Epitaphium
Paulae
fol. 59. A. speaks of it as near Diospolis or Lydda. David
before he departed
further off
was willing to see the tabernacle once more
and there worship his
God
and inquire of him by the high priest
as he did
1 Samuel 22:10; to
direct him what way he should take
and that he would prosper and succeed him
in it
grant him his presence
and keep him in safety:
and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David; hearing that
he was come or coming
he went out to meet him
but when he saw him alone he
trembled; especially if he had heard of his having fallen under the displeasure
of Saul
and that he now fled from him
therefore he might fear that he should
fall into disgrace and danger should he entertain him:
and he said unto him
why art thou alone
and no man with
thee? he might well wonder at it
and put such a question
seeing he
was so great a man
both in the court and camp
and the king's son in law; he
might therefore reasonably suspect something more than ordinary was the case
and which occasioned his fears.
1 Samuel 21:2 2 So David said to Ahimelech
the priest
“The king has ordered me on some business
and said to me
‘Do not
let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you
or what I have
commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a
place.
YLT
2And David saith to
Ahimelech the priest
`The king hath commanded me a matter
and he saith unto
me
Let no man know anything of the matter about which I am sending thee
and
which I have commanded thee; and the young men I have caused to know at such
and such a place;
And David said unto Ahimelech the priest
.... In reply
to his question
and to account for such an appearance he made without an
equipage:
the king hath commanded me a business
and hath said unto me
let
no man know anything of the business thereabout I send thee
and what I have
commanded thee; he pretended he was upon a secret expedition
by the order of
Saul
which none were to know of
no
not his own servants
and that was the
reason why he came to him alone; which was a downright lie
and was aggravated
by its being told only for the sake of getting a little food; and especially
told to an high priest
and at the tabernacle of God
and when he was come to
inquire of the Lord there; and was attended with a dreadful consequence
the
slaughter of the Lord's priests there
which afterwards lay heavy on David's
mind
1 Samuel 22:22; and
is the very sin he is thought to refer to in Psalm 119:28. This
shows the weakness of the best of men
when left to themselves; David who as
much hated lying as any man did
fell into it himself:
and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place; to such a
place
of such an one
not naming place nor person
that they might not be
known; so the Targum calls it a place hidden and kept; and that David had some
servants
though not now with him
who ate of the shewbread
appears from Matthew 12:3; whom
Jonathan might send after him
to a place agreed on and appointed between them;
so that this might be true.
1 Samuel 21:3 3 Now therefore
what have
you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand
or whatever
can be found.”
YLT
3and now
what is there
under thy hand? five loaves give into my hand
or that which is found.'
Now therefore what is under thine hand?.... Meaning
what food had he in his house?
give me five loaves of bread in mine hand; to take with
him
for him and his servants in such a place:
or what there is present; or to be foundF7הנמצא "quicquid inveneris"
V. L
"inventum"
Montanus; "quicquid inventum fuerit"
Tigurine
version. in the tabernacle; if not five loaves
two
or three
or four
or what
food soever he had by him.
1 Samuel 21:4 4 And the priest answered
David and said
“There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy
bread
if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”
YLT
4And the priest answereth
David
and saith
`There is no common bread under my hand
but there is holy
bread; if the youths have been kept only from women.'
And the priest answered David
and said
there is no common
bread under mine hand
.... In the tabernacle
though he might have such in his own
house; which was common for any man to eat of
even such as were not priests;
but he had none there
and David was in haste to be gone because of Doeg
and
could not stay till such was fetched:
but there is hallowed bread; such as was devoted to
sacred use. Kimchi's father thinks this was the bread of the thank offering
to
which Ben Gersom inclines; otherwise the Jewish writers in general understand
it of the shewbread; and it is clear it was that from 1 Samuel 21:6 and
from what our Lord says
Matthew 12:4. Now
this the priest had under his hand
being just taken off of the shewbread
table
and was the perquisite of the priests; and which
though it was not
lawful for any but priests to eat of
yet in this case of necessity he seemed
willing to give it to David and his men
on this condition: if the young men
have kept themselves at least from women; from their wives or others
and from
any pollution by them
in any way or manner; but as this was also only of a
ceremonial kind
it might as well have been dispensed with
had this been the
case
as the other.
1 Samuel 21:5 5 Then David answered the
priest
and said to him
“Truly
women have been kept from us about
three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy
and the
bread is in effect common
even though it was consecrated in the vessel
this day.”
YLT
5And David answereth the
priest
and saith to him
`Surely
if women have been restrained from us as
heretofore in my going out
then the vessels of the young men are holy
and it
[is] a common way: and also
surely to-day it is sanctified in the vessel.'
And David answered the priest
and said unto him
.... In reply
to the case of the young men his servants
and of himself too
who also was
intended by the priest
though out of reverence to him not mentioned:
of a truth women have been kept from us these three days
since I came out; reckoning either from the time he fled from Saul at Naioth
or
from the time he left Jonathan
during which time both he and his men could
have no converse with women
and receive no pollution by them; and this was the
time which according to the law was required for the sanctifying of persons in
this way
Exodus 19:15
and the vessels of the young men are holy; their
garments
as Kimchi
not being defiled with any ceremonial uncleanness
as by
the touch of any unclean person: or what instruments soever they were provided
with for their journey; or rather their bodies; see 2 Corinthians 4:7;
and with respect to the priest's saying that the bread he had was hallowed or
sacred
and so not for common use
David replies:
and the bread is in a manner common; inasmuch as
it was taken off of the shewbread table
and was now common to the priest and
his family
though not to others
yet in case of necessity through hunger might
be allowed to strangers:
yea
though it were sanctified this day in the vessel; even though
it had been set but that day on the shewbread table
and so became holy to the
Lord; and yet even in such a case and circumstances as David and his men were
in
it might be taken from thence and eaten of; for
as Abendana observes
nothing stands in the way of preservation of life
but idolatry
adultery
and
murder; everything else may be done for the sake of that but them: or as in the
margin of our Bibles
"especially when there is this day other sanctified
bread"; that is
since other bread is this day put upon the shewbread
table
in the room of that which has been taken away
whereby it is become holy
to the
Lord; then that which is removed may be eaten
and be allowed to us in
our circumstances. It seems by this that this was the sabbath day; for on that
day the removal of the shewbread loaves was made
Leviticus 24:8; and
R. Isaiah says
that it was at the going out of the sabbath that David came
there; and which still makes it a more appropriate case
as produced by our
Lord to justify his disciples in plucking ears of corn on the sabbath day
Matthew 12:1.
1 Samuel 21:6 6 So the priest gave him
holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had
been taken from before the Lord
in order to put hot
bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.
YLT
6And the priest giveth to
him the holy thing
for there was no bread there except the bread of the
Presence which is turned aside from the presence of Jehovah to put hot bread in
the day of its being taken away.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread
.... Being
satisfied with the account he gave of himself
and his young men
and of the
lawfulness of it in case of necessity
acts of mercy being to be preferred to
ritual services. Whether he gave him five loaves
as he desired
is not said;
but the reason of his giving him such sort of bread is observed:
for there was no bread there; in the tabernacle
whatever might be in the house of the priest:
but the shewbread that was taken from before the Lord; from off of
the shewbread table; and it seems to have been just taken off
it being sabbath
day
and not as yet carried to the house of the priest
and divided among the
other priests as usual; and which was then removed
to put hot bread
in the
day that it was taken away; that is
new bread
twelve fresh cakes; for when
the twelve
that had stood a week on the shewbread table were removed
twelve
more were immediately put in their room
and it seems by this they were put hot
there; but here arises a difficulty
how they could be put hot there
when it
was not lawful to bake on a sabbath day. About this the Jews are divided; some
say they were baked on the sabbath day
but the greater part say that baking
did not drive away the sabbath
or it was lawful on the sabbath day; but others
say that they were baked on the evening of the sabbath
and kept in the oven
until the time of their being set upon the tableF8T. Bab. Menachot
fol. 95. 2. ; and
as Abarbinel observes
the mouth of the oven might be
stopped up till that time to keep in the heat; but others sayF9T.
Bab. Yoma
fol. 2l. 1. Menachot
fol. 96. 2. this heat was miraculous
or that
a miracle was wrought for the sake of it; which is not probable.
1 Samuel 21:7 7 Now a certain man of the
servants of Saul was there that day
detained before the Lord. And his name was
Doeg
an Edomite
the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.
YLT
7And there [is] a man of the
servants of Saul on that day detained before Jehovah
and his name [is] Doeg
the Edomite
chief of the shepherds whom Saul hath.
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that
day
.... When David came to Nob
and asked bread of the priest
and
had it
which this man was an eyewitness of
1 Samuel 22:9
detained before the Lord; either because it was
sabbath day
and so he might not travel
at least no more than two thousand
cubits; or by some vow of his
which he was obliged to stay and perform; or on
account of some impurity he had contracted
which he came to be cleansed from;
or this detention was voluntary
in order to offer sacrifice to the Lord
or
pray unto him
or to study the law of God in the tabernacle
pretending to be a
very religious man:
and his name was Doeg
an Edomite
being by
birth an Idumean
but a proselyte to the Jewish religion; or he was of the seed
of Israel
but because he had dwelt in Edom
he was called an Edomite
as
Kimchi thinks; just as Uriah is called for a like reason the Hittite:
the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul; Saul had his
herds and men to look after them
and this man was set over them all
to see
that they faithfully discharged their trust. The same officer the Romans called
the praefect
or master of the cattleF11Vid. Pignorium de servis
p.
539. ; See Gill on 1 Chronicles 27:29
and See Gill on 1 Chronicles 27:31;
though this man was not only over the king's cattle
but over those that kept
them; and was in the same office as Phorbas was
under Laius king of ThebesF12Senecae
Oedipus
Act. 4. v. 815
816
839.
and Melanthius in HomerF13Odyss.
20. ver. 21.
and Faustulus to AmuliusF14Aurel. Victor. orig. Gent.
Roman. : but Abarbinel is of opinion that this is to be understood not of the
keepers of herds and flocks
but of the shepherds or rulers of the people; and
that this man was set over all the other magistrates and rulers of the people
hence said to be "set over the servants of Saul"
1 Samuel 22:9; and
so Jarchi calls him "Ab Beth Din"
or father of the sanhedrim
or
great court of judicature; who was detained in the tabernacle to learn the law
there
that he might be the better qualified for his office; but Kimchi
interprets it as we do
the chief of the keepers of the herd
and both the
Septuagint and JosephusF15Antiqu. l. 6. c. 12. sect. 1. say that he
fed the king's mules.
1 Samuel 21:8 8 And David said to
Ahimelech
“Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought
neither my sword nor my weapons with me
because the king’s business required
haste.”
YLT
8And David saith to
Ahimelech
`And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for neither my
sword nor my vessels have I taken in my hand
for the matter of the king was
urgent.'
And David said unto Ahimelech
.... After he had given
him some of the loaves of the shewbread:
and is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? any weapon
meaning in the tabernacle
and in his keeping
and at his disposal; he knew the
sword of Goliath was there
and perhaps had a principal view to it
and put
this question in order to get that in his possession:
for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me; neither his
sword
nor any part of his armour
but was come quite naked and unarmed and
as
he pretended:
because the king's business required haste; still
continuing his lie; whereas the true reason was
he was let down in haste by
his wife through a window of his house
and could not stay to take his armour
with him; and had lain hid for some time
and passed incognito from place to
place
and without armour
that he might be the less known and observed
and
least suspected; though it may seem strange that Jonathan had not provided him
with a sword.
1 Samuel 21:9 9 So the priest said
“The
sword of Goliath the Philistine
whom you killed in the Valley of Elah
there
it is
wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that
take it.
For there is no other except that one here.” And David said
“There
is none like it; give it to me.”
YLT
9And the priest saith
`The
sword of Goliath the Philistine
whom thou didst smite in the valley of Elah
lo
it is wrapt in a garment behind the ephod
if it thou dost take to thyself
take; for there is none other save it in this [place].' And David saith
`There
is none like it -- give it to me.'
And the priest said
the sword of Goliath the Philistine
whom
thou slewest in the valley of Elah
.... See 1 Samuel 17:2
behold
it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; the garment
of the high priest
in which were the Urim and Thummim
and the breastplate
or
the linen vestments of the priests; see 1 Samuel 22:18;
which were laid up in a chamber for their use; and behind them the sword of Goliath
was wrapped up in a linen cloth
and reserved as a monument of the goodness of
God to Israel
and the salvation of them wrought by the hands of David
who
slew Goliath with this his own sword
and brought it with him. The Targum
understands this word
rendered "behind"
not of the place where the
sword was
but of the time when the priest said this
and paraphrases the
words
"after he had inquired for him by the ephod;'see 1 Samuel 22:10
if thou wilt take that
take it; as if he
should say
it is not mine to give thee
but thou mayest take it if thou
pleasest; none has a better right to it; it is what thou tookest from the
Philistine
and may take it again for thy use if thou art so inclined; and thou
must either take this or none:
for there is no other save that here; in the
tabernacle
nor even in the priest's house
nor in the city; for it was a city
of priests
who did not wear swords:
and David said
there is none like that
give it me; and which
as
he was capable of wielding and making use of
as it is plain he was by cutting
off Goliath's head with it; so it might serve to strengthen his faith in God
as often as he looked upon it
that he would keep and preserve him
and in due
time deliver him out of the hands of Saul
and all his enemies.
1 Samuel 21:10 10 Then David arose and fled
that day from before Saul
and went to Achish the king of Gath.
YLT
10And David riseth and fleeth
on that day from the face of Saul
and cometh in unto Achish king of Gath;
And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul
.... He had
fled before for fear of him both from his own house
and from Naioth
1 Samuel 19:18; but
now he fled out of the land of Israel
for fear of him; or it may be the reason
of his fear and flight on this day was because of Doeg the Edomite
lest he
should go directly to Saul
and tell him where he was; and therefore through
fear of him would not stay any longer
but the same day he came
he fled:
and went to Achish the king of Gath; Gath
according to
BuntingF16Travels
&c. p. 136.
was twenty four miles from Nob.
Achish
the king of it
is called Abimelech in the title of the thirty fourth
psalm
see Psalm 34:1
that
name being common to the kings of the Philistines
as Pharaoh was to the kings
of Egypt. It may seem strange that David should go into an enemy's country
and
especially to the country of the Philistines
by whom he was mortally hated for
the victories he had obtained over them
and the numbers of them he had slain;
and particularly that he should go to Gath
the place of Goliath
their
champion
whom he had slain
and whose sword he now had with him: but this is
to be said for him
that such was the fury of Saul against him
and his
resolution to slay him
that he was as safe in an enemy's country as in the
land of Israel; and that if he must die
he might as well die in one place as
another; and that he went particularly here
the reason might be
because all
other lands were at peace with Saul
and so would have delivered him up to him
had he went elsewhere; but this people were at war with him
and he might hope
not to be known by them; and if he was
that they might think it their
interest
to detain such a person that was so serviceable to Saul
and so
harmful to them; and being Saul's enemy
they might hope to engage him on their
side against him; and besides
he might know that Achish was well disposed
towards him
as he seems to be
and might like him never the worse for cutting
off Goliath's head
who might not be heartily in the interest of Achish. After
all
as impolitic as this step of David's may seems to be
it is what great men
have taken in their distress
to go over to their enemies
as Themistocles to
the Molossians
and Alcibiades to the Lacedemonians.
1 Samuel 21:11 11 And the servants of Achish
said to him
“Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing
of him to one another in dances
saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands
And
David his ten thousands’?”[a]
YLT
11and the servants of Achish
say unto him
`Is not this David king of the land? is it not of this one they
sing in dances
saying
`Saul smote among his thousands
and David among his
myriads?'
And the servants of Achish said unto him
.... Who knew
who David was
and perceiving that he was respected by Achish:
is not this David the king
of the land? of the land of the Philistines; so some render the words
"the king of this land"F17מלך הארץ "rex hujus regionis"
Vatablus. ; which
belongs unto him for his conquest of Goliath; for this was what was proposed by
him
that whoever was the conqueror should possess the kingdom; and seeing it
belongs to him
O Achish
why dost thou admit him to court? thou wilt be driven
from the throne
and we shall be his servants
and not thineF18Vid.
Jarchium & Jesaiam in loc. : but rather they mean the king of the land of
Israel
having heard that he was anointed king by Samuel
and was to succeed
Saul; or rather
they called him so because he led out the armies of Israel as
their general
and being victorious was more respected than even Saul was; for
they had heard what the women sung in their songs as follows:
did they not sing one to another of him in dances
saying
Saul
hath slain his thousands
and David his ten thousands? which are the
burden of their song
1 Samuel 18:7; and
from whence the servants of Achish concluded
that he was in greater authority
or honour
and in greater esteem than Saul their king was.
1 Samuel 21:12 12 Now
David took these words to heart
and was very much afraid of Achish the king of
Gath.
YLT
12And David layeth these words
in his heart
and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath
And David laid up these words in his heart
.... Pondered
upon them
and thought them over in his mind
finding that he was known
and
his character also
and considered with himself what might be the consequence
of this:
and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath; lest he
should be set against him
and be prevailed upon by his servants to take away
his life
or deliver him up into the hands of Saul.
1 Samuel 21:13 13 So
he changed his behavior before them
pretended madness in their hands
scratched on the doors of the gate
and let his saliva fall down on his beard.
YLT
13and changeth his behaviour
before their eyes
and feigneth himself mad in their hand
and scribbleth on
the doors of the gate
and letteth down his spittle unto his beard.
And he changed his behaviour before them
.... Behaved
like a fool
or a madman: or changed his "taste"F19טעמו "sensum suum"
Montanus
Vatablus;
"sermonem suum"
Pagninus. ; which some understand of his reason
acted as if he was deprived of it; and others of his speech
his words and the
accent of them
drawled them out
as such persons do:
and feigned himself mad in their hands; for in their
hands he was
being taken by them
as the title of the fifty sixth psalm shows
Psalm 56:1; and
this stratagem he used to get himself out of their hands
acting the part of a
madman
delirious
and out of his senses:
and scrabbled on the doors of the gate; as if he was
writing something there
and making marks upon them:
and let his spittle fall down upon his beard; slavered
as
idiots and madmen do; and however mean this may seem in David to act such a
part
it cannot be condemned as wicked
since it was only a stratagem to
deliver himself
out of an enemy's hand
and stratagems are always allowed to
be used against an enemy; and such a method as this has been taken by men of
the greatest sense and wit
as by BrutusF20Liv. Hist. l. 1. c. 56.
Aurel. Victor. de Vir. Illustr. c. 13. and SolonF21Justin e Trogo
l. 2. c. 7. ; and yet
according to the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions
this case of his was real and not feigned; that through the surprise of being
known in the court of Achish
he was seized with an epilepsy; that his
countenance was changed
and his mouth distorted
as persons in such fits are;
that he fell among them as one convulsed
and fell at
and dashed against the
doors of the gates
and foamed at the mouth
as such persons do; see Luke 9:39; and so
in the following words the Greek version is
ye see the man is an epileptic; I
do not want epileptics; but the thirty fourth and fifty sixth psalms
composed
by him at this time
show that as he was of a sound mind
so in good health of
body
and not subject to such fits as here represented
see Psalm 34:1; which
would have rendered him unfit for such composures.
1 Samuel 21:14 14 Then
Achish said to his servants
“Look
you see the man is insane. Why have you
brought him to me?
YLT
14And Achish saith unto his
servants
`Lo
ye see a man acting as a madman; why do ye bring him in unto me?
Then said Achish to his servants
lo
you see the man is mad
.... Which he
said
as willing his servants should think so
and therefore rather the object
of their pity than of their rage and malice; or as really believing he was so
which he and they might conclude not merely from these his actions
before
described
which they might judge real and not feigned; but they might suppose
this was truly his case
brought upon him by the ill usage of Saul
who
pursuing him from place to place
and sending after him to take away his life
had really brought him to distraction; and this they might rather conclude from
his coming to Gath
an enemy's country
and whose champion he had slain
and
many others of them; which it might be thought no man in his senses would have
done:
wherefore then have ye brought him to me? for if he was
brought to be employed in his service
he seemed very unfit for it
whether in
the camp
or in the court; and if to be tried and condemned as an enemy
since
he was a madman
he was rather to be pitied.
1 Samuel 21:15 15 Have
I need of madmen
that you have brought this fellow to play the madman
in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
YLT
15A lack of madmen [have] I
that ye have brought in this one to act as a madman by me! doth this one come
in unto my house?'
Have I need of madmen?.... Or fools
do I want
them? have not I enough of them already at my court? I want wise men
and not
fools and madmen. The Jews sayF23Midrash Tillim apud Abarbinel. in
loc. that the wife and daughter of Achish were mad; that while David was
playing the fool and madman without
they were acting the same part within; so
that Achish had enough of that sort of diversion
if it was to be reckoned
such; as it was according to the taste of some persons
who used
as in later
so in earlier times
to keep fools in their houses to make them sport; but
Achish had enough of that
and too much
at least needed no more:
that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my
presence? or act the part of a fool before me:
shall this fellow come into mine house? court or
palace
and have a post there; you need be in no pain about it; he is neither
agreeable to me
nor fit for any; and therefore Achish drove him away as a fool
or madman
instead of imprisoning him as an enemy
or taking away his life; see
the title of the thirty fourth psalm
Psalm 34:1.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)