1 Samuel — Chapter 21
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1Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
2“The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.
3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!”
6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
7Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
8Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.”
9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
12Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
14Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me?
15Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”
1Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
3Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
4And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
5And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
6So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.
9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
10And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
12And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
1Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place.
3Now therefore what is under thy hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.
4And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
5And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy?
6So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul.
8And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king`s business required haste.
9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
10And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?
12And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15Do I lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
1(21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?”
2David replied to Ahimelech the priest, “The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know the reason I am sending you or the instructions I have given you.’ I have told my soldiers to wait at a certain place.
3Now what do you have at your disposal? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4The priest replied to David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers have abstained from relations with women.”
5David said to the priest, “Certainly women have been kept away from us, just as on previous occasions when I have set out. The soldiers’ equipment is holy, even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along with their equipment!”
6So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the Bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the Lord in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away.
7(One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.)
8David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I don’t have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the king’s instructions.”
9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that one, there’s no sword here.” David said, “There’s nothing like it. Give it to me.”
10So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath.
11The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one that they sing about when they dance, saying, “‘Saul struck down his thousands, but David his tens of thousands’?”
12David thought about what they said and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath.
13He altered his behavior in their presence. Since he was in their power, he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard.
14Achish said to his servants, “Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to me?
15Do I have a shortage of fools so that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?”
1Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”
2David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me to do something, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you. I have sent the young men to a certain place.’
3Now therefore what is under your hand? Please give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever is available.”
4The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?”
6So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.
8David said to Ahimelech, “Isn’t there here under your hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
9The priest said, “Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you would like to take that, take it; for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”
10David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”
12David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.
14Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why then have you brought him to me?
15Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Should this fellow come into my house?”
Summary
Fleeing alone, David arrives at Nob and asks the priest Ahimelech for food, claiming to be on a secret mission for Saul; since no ordinary bread is available, Ahimelech gives him the consecrated showbread after confirming the men have kept themselves ritually pure (vv. 1-6). Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul's servants, is present and witnesses the exchange (v. 7). David also asks for a weapon and is given the sword of Goliath, which had been kept behind the ephod (vv. 8-9). Fleeing further to Gath, David grows afraid when Achish's servants recognize him as the man celebrated for defeating tens of thousands of Philistines, so he pretends to be insane, scratching at the gate and drooling on his beard, until Achish dismisses him as a madman unworthy of his attention (vv. 10-15).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Nob: A priestly city near Jerusalem (visible from it) — where Ahimelech gives David the showbread and Goliath's sword
- Gath: A Philistine city where David flees and feigns madness before King Achish — deep in enemy territory
- David's flight route begins: Gibeah → Nob → Gath — moving from Israelite territory into Philistia out of desperation
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- Philistiasouthern coastal Israel and GazaThe coastal plain south of Joppa, held by a league of five cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. Flat, fertile and on the trade road, it gave the Philistines chariots and iron while Israel held the hills above them. Wikipedia
- GathTell es-Safi, IsraelThe Philistine city closest to the Judean foothills, guarding the Elah valley. Goliath came from here, and David later took refuge with its king. Wikipedia
- GibeahTell el-Ful, West BankA Benjamite hilltop three miles north of Jerusalem, Saul's home and first capital. It is also the scene of the atrocity in Judges 19 that nearly destroyed the tribe. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that David's deception at Nob, while understandable, had terrible consequences — the death of 85 priests. He emphasizes that Jesus' use of this passage (Mark 2:25-26) does not condone David's lie but uses the incident to establish a principle about mercy over ceremony. God preserved David despite his failure, not because of it.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Samuel -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A Lie Born Out of Fear (v.2) — David tells Ahimelech he's on a secret mission for the king instead of admitting he's running for his life. What truth do you avoid telling because fear feels safer than honesty in the moment?
- Mercy That Overrides Ceremony (v.6) — Ahimelech gives David the consecrated bread reserved for priests because a hungry, desperate man's need outweighs the ritual requirement. Where might you be holding rigidly to a rule or routine when compassion is actually what's called for?
- A Silent Witness With Devastating Consequences (v.7) — Doeg happens to be present that day, and his later report will set off a tragedy no one in the room could have foreseen. Are you mindful that what you see, hear, or repeat about others can carry consequences far beyond the moment?
- A Past Victory Becomes a Present Weapon (v.9) — The very sword David took from Goliath is now the only weapon he has to survive his flight from Saul. What has God already done in your past that you can lean on for courage in what you're facing now?
- Desperate Enough to Play the Fool (vv.12-13) — Terrified in enemy territory, David resorts to scratching at doors and drooling on his beard just to stay alive. Have you ever done something you're not proud of simply because fear had taken over, and how did God still carry you through it?