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1Samuel 21:1–15 |
David Goes to Nob and then to Gath |
vv. 1–9 David Gets Supplies from Ahimelech, a Priest at Nob
vv. 10–15 David Goes to Gath and Goes Before King Achish
v. 1 A Summary of the Events Which Have Occurred between 1Sam. 7 and 1Sam. 21
v. 1 The Lineage to and From Ahimelech
v. 1 Possible Reasons Why Ahimelech is Trembling When He Meets David
v. 2 Why Will David Spend So Much Time as a Refugee?
v. 4 An Explanation of Jesus’ Answer to the Pharisees Regarding David and the Consecrated Bread
v. 4 Why Didn’t Jesus Simply Come Out and Say What He Meant?
v. 7 Where is the Ark and Why is it not in the Tabernacle of God?
v. 15 Why Did Achish Allow David to Leave?
v. 15 Arguments in Favor of David Traveling Alone at this Time
v. 15 Arguments in Favor of David Traveling With Others at this Time
Doctrines Alluded To |
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During this period in David’s life, he will write at least two psalms: Psalms 34 and 56 |
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Psalms Alluded To |
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I ntroduction: 1Sam. 21 is a relatively short chapter (particularly compared to the previous chapter), but it relates to us two very different incidents in the life of David. He comes to the priests in Nob and lies about the reason for his presence there. David asks for Goliath’s sword, which is given to him. He will be recognized by one of Saul’s shepherds, who will report him to Saul.
It is important that you recognize that David’s going to the city of priests was not a matter of spiritual wisdom on his part. He did not go in order to ascertain God’s will or to get some encouragement. He will lie to the head priest there, which means that gaining either encouragement or direction is out of the question. Furthermore, David’s reasons for going to Nob seem to be secular one: he needs food and a weapon. He knows that he can find both in Nob.
In part 2 of this chapter (which is a very easy chapter to outline), David then changes direction (he had gone southeast from Gibeah to Nob and now he will go south-west) and goes to the city of Gath to the governor of Gath, Achish (actually, he is brought before Achish). David will feign madness and Achish will dismiss him, having already enough madmen in his own cabinet.
There are two striking features to this narrative: (1) the vocabulary is markedly different; I find myself going into the Hebrew lexicon for more and more words that have not been used ever in the book of Samuel. This of course, could be passed off as, new situations and therefore, a new vocabulary. In any case, the result is going to be an increased amount of information concerning the vocabulary and usage of certain words. (2) However, you will recall that in previous chapters, there was really more intimate information about Jonathan and the things which occurred in his life than in David’s, even though since 1Sam. 16, this book has been about David. Except for chapter 16, scenes with Jonathan and without David tend to be more detailed than scenes with David without Jonathan. At this point, it is all about David, and we get more details of his interactions than we had before. My point is, we may be dealing with a difference source. I would guess that Jonathan recorded much of what we have previous studied and that it is possible that David is recording this information. Given David’s burst of psalms at this point (at least three), gives us even greater reason to think that David might record this history (at least in retrospect).
With this chapter, David leaves the capital of Gibeah, and forges a life as a fugitive. He will move from city to city,
from mountain to mountain, from cave to cave. However, interestingly enough, David will always remain relatively
close to Jerusalem. Edersheim suggests a twofold reason: (1) he can keep closer tabs on Saul by tapping
informants for information in Jerusalem (this point is not really substantiated in Scripture); and (2) he would be
reasonably close to his family.
On the second point, David moved at least his mother and father to Moab in order
to insure their safety (1Sam. 22:3). It is not clear where his brothers went, or whether they remained in Jerusalem.
I suspect that as a shepherd, David had taken his sheep out all around Jerusalem and that he stayed in this
generally vicinity because he knew it well.
A minor point: Then end of 1Sam. 20:42 is v. 1 in the Hebrew. All of the verses which follow are therefore out of synch by one verse. In the Hebrew, there are 16 verses in this chapter.
David Gets Supplies from Ahimelech, a Priest at Nob
Slavishly literal: |
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Moderately literal: |
And so comes David to Nob unto Ahimelech the priest and so trembles Ahimelech to meet David and so he says to him, “Why [are] you to your separation and no man [is] with you?” |
1Samuel 21:1 (2) |
Then David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was trembling to meet David and he asked him [lit., said to him], “Why [are] you alone and [why is there] no one with you?” |
Then David traveled to Nob, and approached Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was trembling when he met David, and he asked, “Why are you alone? Why is there no one else with you?” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so comes David to Nob unto Ahimelech the priest and so trembles Ahimelech And so comes David to Nob unto Ahimelech the priest and so trembles Ahimelech to meet David and so he says to him, “Why [are] you to your separation and no man [is] with you?” to meet David and so he says to him, “Why [are] you to your separation and no man [is] with you?”
Septuagint And David comes to Nomba to Abimelech the priest; and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, “Why [are] you alone and nobody [is] with you?”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV David went to see Ahimelech, a priest who lived in the town of Nob. Ahimelech was trembling with fear as he came out to meet David. “Why are you alone?” Ahimelech asked. “Why isn't anyone else with you?”
TEV David went to the priest Ahimelech in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet him and asked, “Why did you come here all by yourself?”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was trembling as he went to meet David. “Why are you alone?” he asked David. “Why is no one with you?”
JPS (Tanakh) David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech came out in alarm to meet David, and he said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” [This is, of course, v. 2 in the JPS].
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”
Young's Updated LT And David comes in to Nob, unto Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech trembles at meeting David, and says to him, “Why are you yourself alone, and no man with you?”
What is the gist of this verse? David goes to a priest at Nob and the priest is apparently very nervous to meet David. He asks David why he is alone.
I Samuel 21:1a (v. 2a in the Hebrew) |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa or va (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
bôw (א) [pronounced boh] |
to come in, to come, to go in, to go, to enter |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #935 BDB #97 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
Nob (בֹנ) [pronounced nohbv] |
to proclaim; prophet; and is transliterated Nob |
Proper noun; location with a directional hê |
Strong’s #5011 BDB #611 |
We find the directional hê both here and in 1Sam. 22:9. It is possible that this is a the proper name of this city and that we find the abbreviation elsewhere. However, the simplest and most logical explanation is that the directional hê functions like our preposition to, and in both cases, translating this as to Nob is logical and apropos. Nob actually only occurs in two other places in this book—1Sam. 22:11, 19—and in neither place is it found with the directional hê and in neither place would it be reasonable to render it to Nob. |
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el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
ăchîymeleke (∵ל∵מי.ח ֲא) [pronounced uh-khee-MEH-lek] |
brother of Melek or brother of a king and is transliterated Ahimelech |
Masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #288 BDB #27 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
Translation: Then David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. This is the first mention of a priest or of anything
to do with the Tabernacle since 1Sam. 14. There are several misconceptions which could have been gotten from
1Sam. 14. In v. 3, we see Ahijah wearing the ephod in Saul’s camp. Apparently, he functioned as their itinerant
priest. Although the city of Shiloh is mentioned, this is in reference to Eli, who was the priest of Jehovah at Shiloh.
The camp priest’s credentials were that he was the grandson of Eli (and, as you will recall, his grandfather was
a corrupt priest). My point is, there is not necessarily an active priesthood functioning in Shiloh in this context of
1Sam. 14. In 1Sam. 14:18, in the Hebrew, Saul calls for the Ark of God, but it is actually the ephod that he calls
for. When a king needed divine guidance, he called for the ephod, not the Ark (even though the wearer of the ephod
may have been a charlatan). And even had Saul called for the Ark, it was never brought to him, as the camp of
Philistines suddenly became quite noisy and confused. So, even though a priest is mentioned, along with his ephod
(and possibly the Ark); this is simply a camp priest who traveled with Saul, and primarily for good luck, one might
reasonably suppose.
There are Philistine priests mentioned in 1Sam. 5 and 6; but our last true reference to God’s plan for spiritual growth for the nation is at the beginning of 1Sam. 7, where the Ark of God has been returned by the Philistines and it is kept by Eleazar ben Abinadab (this is after the Israelites treat the Ark with disrespect). You may recall that in 1Sam. 7, we dealt with a long list of questions, e.g., Why do we not have a Biblical record of the destruction of the Tent of God? Why did Samuel not set up the Ark as a part of Tent service? Was Samuel properly the High Priest successor to Eli? In 1Sam. 6, we studied the destruction of Shiloh and the movement of the Ark.
We find out here that there is a functioning priesthood, they live in Nob, and the context will indicate to us that there are some traditions which are still being followed.
Nob is a city which is northeast of Jerusalem and south of Gibeah. You may recall from 1Sam. 17:54, David took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem and kept his weapons in his tent. Apparently, these were David’s original intentions. However, at some point in time, Goliath’s weapons ended up here in Nob (v. 9), which is fairly close to Jerusalem. Given that David’s family lived in Bethlehem and that David probably traveled there on occasion, he probably kept the weapons there and they were later taken to the Tabernacle (either by David or a member of his family). Again, this is one of the many unrecorded incidents of Scripture which must be inferred. Since the Bread of Presence is mentioned, that means that some of the functions of the priesthood are being carried out.
Nob is actually mentioned very few times in Scripture. This is the first time that the city is named. We may
surmise that Nob became the new location for the Tabernacle of God, given that Shiloh had been destroyed (see
1Sam. 4:2–3 Jer. 7:12 and The Destruction of Shiloh, which is covered in detail in 1Sam. 7:2).
One might say
that this is a meek establishment of the holy city, as there are only 86 priests here (1Sam. 22:18–19) and no Ark
(compare 1Sam. 7:1–2 with 2Sam. 6:4); however, they did have the ephod (1Sam. 21:9 23:6) and they baked
Showbread (1Sam. 21:4, 6). It was as though they were tentatively setting up a holy city. Later on, we are going
to learn reasons why this was probably an apostate priesthood when we examine Where is the Ark and Why is
it not in the Tabernacle of God?, a study located in this chapter (v. 7).
In 1Sam. 22:9, Doeg the Edomite will report that David was seen at Nob. Saul sends for the priests who are at Nob (1Sam. 22:11) and summarily executes them and almost everyone who lives in this city (which is also known as the City of the Priests in 1Sam. 22:19).
Nob was eventually resettled as a part of Benjamin in Neh. 11:31–35 and its residents may have included some priests. Our final reference to Nob is in Isa. 10:32; the context is the predicted assault of the Assyrian forces and from Nob, Sennacherib would temporarily halt (probably to organize his forces before assaulting Jerusalem) and from Nob, he would shake his fist at Jerusalem.
Nob is to be identified today with Ras Umm et-Tal or with Mount Scopus on the northern part of the Olivet ridge.
This general location is in agreement with all of the Scriptures referring to Nob; plus, in 2Sam. 15, David will ascend
Olivet, where God was worshiped (2Sam. 15:30–32). S. R. Driver suggests a place on the Râs el-Meshârif, which
is a mile north of Jerusalem, from which a person coming from the north road catches his first glimpse of
Jerusalem.
We have already studied the Movement of the Ark and the Tent of God in 1Sam. 10. Samuel, in 1Sam. 10, prophesies to Saul how he will meet three men on the way to the hill of God which appears to be in Bethel (1Sam. 10:3–5). Gilgal, however, is given as the place where Saul should go to meet Samuel for the sacrifices. So, we really do not know exactly where the tent is set up during this time, if anywhere. It was in Shiloh; however, sometime during the time of Samuel and Saul, Shiloh was probably destroyed, although the Tabernacle of God had been saved. Whether it was reassembled elsewhere is never told to us (until Solomon fetches it). Throughout much of Saul’s early reign, many religious activities take place in Gilgal (1Sam. 10:8 11:14–15 13:4–15 15:21). For that reason, it is possible that there was some sort of a priesthood functioning in Gilgal for several years. In any case, by this time, many of the priests were living in Nob and that the Tent of God is set up is implied, as they do replenish the Table of Showbread regularly (as we will see in this chapter) and the ephod is kept here as well (1Sam. 21:9). Interestingly enough, none of the cities mentioned here are specifically Levite cities (see Joshua 21).
Next, we need to deal with Ahimelech—just who is he and what sort of information can we glean from Scripture concerning him? First, we need to examine his ancestry: |
Eli ┌─────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────┐ Hophni Phinehas ┌────────────────┴─────────────────┐ Ahitub Ichabod ┌────────────────┴─────────────────┐ Ahimelech 1 [ = Ahijah?] │ Abiathar │ Ahimelech 2 |
All of these relationships are pretty clear and well-established. However, we do not know if Ahitub is a son of Phinehas or a half-brother to Ichabod (we would assume that he is an actual son of Phinehas, as the priesthood goes through him). |
We are also unclear as to the relationship between Ahimelech and Ahijah. Ahimelech means brother of a king;
Ahijah means brother of Jah [Jehovah]. Ahimelech is called the son of Ahitub in 1Sam. 22:9, 20 and Ahijah is
called the son of Ahitub in 1Sam. 14:3. This suggests 3 possibilities : (1) they are the same person; (2) they are
brothers; or (3) Ahijah is the father of Ahimelech (being called the son of does not necessarily mean direct
descent).
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Many commentators lean toward them being one and the same because Ahijah is said to wear the ephod in 1Sam. 14:3, implying that he is the High Priest (or, the acting High Priest). Here, Ahimelech speaks to David and apparently has the authority to make such decisions as dispensing the Holy Bread to a common man. This would also imply the greatest authority of this priest city is vested in him. Give the relatively short time frame, the least likely scenario would be for Ahijah to be the father of Ahimelech. |
Abiathar is called the son of Ahimelech in 1Sam. 22:20 23:6 30:7. He apparently named his son Ahimelech as well (2Sam. 8:17 1Chron. 18:16), probably because his father was killed by King Saul, an event that we will cover in the future. Although Abiathar is mentioned extensively throughout the books of Samuel, we don’t find him in 1Chron. 6, which is the priestly line (he is mentioned several times in the book of 1Chronicles, however). |
This is the first mention of Ahimelech and, as you will read, there is no information given to us concerning his ancestry. As mentioned above, we are unclear as to the relationship between Ahimelech and Ahijah. Ahijah is first mentioned back in 1Sam. 14:3, where his lineage is given (and reproduced above). At that time, Ahijah is a priest who travels with Saul and his military. Ahijah is one of Saul’s advisors because Ahijah has the ephod (which is used to determine God’s will). This is all we really know about Ahijah. Ahijah and Ahimelech are never mentioned together and neither man is found in 1Chron. 6, which is the Levite line. However, they are both clearly priests and important figures during this time period. One could argue that, since Ahijah traveled with Saul and Ahimelech is found in Nob with the priests, that these are clearly different men. However, bear in mind that 1Sam. 14 occurred several years previous (perhaps as many as 10 years ago); and, if Ahijah is no longer traveling with Saul’s military (which apparently functions almost apart from Saul’s direct supervision during these times), then he must have some sort of function; hence, he gathers the priests at Nob. That Saul did not retain him (again, a speculative point) is simply further evidence that Saul became more and more estranged from God. Furthermore, the ephod is no longer with Saul but with the priests (see 1Sam. 23:6 30:7). So, no matter how you slice it, there are reasonable arguments for Ahijah and Ahimelech being brothers, being father and son, or being the same man. For these reason, we will treat these men separately, bearing the thought in the back of our minds that they could be one and the same.
The term High Priest is never applied to Ahimelech, although it is reasonable to assume that he is the man in charge in Nob; however, no one in the book of Samuel is ever called a High Priest. Ahimelech is clearly the man in charge and therefore the man that David speaks to. He authorizes David to take the sacred bread, which is not the sort of decision an underling would make. Ahimelech is also mentioned in the inscription of Psalm 52, one of the psalms that we will study in the near future. Given the destruction of Shiloh, it is reasonable to assume that the priests are at an uncertain stage in their existence. They do not have the approbation of Saul; Samuel is busy with his school of prophets in Naioth; and we have no mention of God speaking to any of these priests (which is a very rare event anyway). Saul no longer consults them for direction, as his estrangement from God has become more and more dramatic, as his hatred for David increases (we know this because the ephod is with Saul’s army in 1Sam. 14:3, but is with a priest from Nob in 23:6). And, instead of feasts held at the holy city (which is wherever the Tabernacle is), Saul is holding feasts at the palace (1Sam. 20:24–29). Given all of this information, it would be reasonable to suppose that Ahimelech ran the show at Nob (what show there was to run), but that things were not back to normal, and that he was at best the unofficial High Priest.
It is very possible that the Tabernacle of God had just been recently revived and that those priests who remained
functioned there. There is no mention in this chapter of the High Priest; and it is possible that no one had been
selected as the High Priest yet. Samuel was still alive and that appeared to be his general function (although
Samuel is never referred to as High Priest). It is important to note, however that no one in the book of Samuel is
called a High Priest; this designation occurs only a moderate number of times and in specific books (Numbers,
Kings, Nehemiah, Chronicles, Haggai and Zechariah). Samuel does not appear to be a part of the Tabernacle
ministry, as he has a seminary near his own home in Naioth (1Sam. 19:18) and that ministry seems to be tied to
the prophets at this point in time rather than to the priests.
So, here we have David at the city of Nob. We might expect him to consult with Ahimelech about the will of God. We might expect some conversation to take place about David’s plight. However, even though David is first drawn to the city of the prophets and then to the city of priests, his interests are completely self-serving, and he does not express any real interest in the will of God. He knows that there is food there and he apparently knows that the priests have at least Goliath’s sword there.
I Samuel 21:1b (v. 2b in the Hebrew) |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
chârad (ד ַר ָח) [pronounced chaw-rahd] |
to tremble, to be terrified, to be frightened |
3rd person singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #2729 BDB #353 |
ăchîymeleke (∵ל∵מי.ח ֲא) [pronounced uh-khee-MEH-lek] |
brother of Melek or brother of a king and is transliterated Ahimelech |
Masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #288 BDB #27 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
qârâ (א ָר ָק) [pronounced kaw-RAW] |
to encounter, to befall, to meet; to assemble [for the purpose of encountering God or exegeting His Word]; to come, to assemble |
Qal infinitive construct |
Strong’s #7122 & #7125 BDB #896 |
This is a homonym; the other qârâ means to call, to proclaim, to read, to assemble. |
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Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
Translation: Ahimelech was trembling to meet David... Ahimelech is clearly nervous about meeting up with David,
and we are never really told why. Whether he knew that Saul was after David is not told to us (what is recorded
does not seem to indicate that Ahimelech had any idea about the estrangement between these two men). It is
important to bear in mind that Jonathan was not aware of his father’s intense hatred for David until a day or so
previous to this. However, being priests, they may have been aware of Saul’s men coming for David at Naioth
(something that they might know about, but that Jonathan would not). On the other hand, given the lie that David
will tell Ahimelech, this would also suggest that he was not aware of David and Saul’s estrangement (obviously,
Ahimelech could have chosen to believe David’s lie). It is possible that a person of David’s political stature showing
up made Ahimelech nervous. It is possible that Ahimelech was afraid when he met David simply due to a
premonition of impending doom, although he could not have clearly stated himself why he was trembling. Having
a premonition of fear will prove to be justified in the next chapter. Keil and Delitzsch suggest The unexpected
appearance of David, the son-in-law of the king, without any attendants, alarmed Ahimelech, who probably imagined
that he had come with a commission from the king which might involve him in danger.
All we know for certain is
that Ahimelech is somewhat taken aback—even frightened—to meet David. David will lie to him and get both food
and weapons from Ahimelech in this chapter. The result will be that Ahimelech will be seen by Saul to be in
cahoots with David; by extension, Saul sees the entire city of priests being in cahoots with David. Therefore, in a
rage, he will kill all of the priests in 1Sam. 22:9–19.
It is Ahimelech’s son, Abiathar, who will escape Saul’s attack, and who will become the High Priest during David’s
reign. As you will see, he will name his own son Ahimelech, in honor of his father.
I Samuel 21:1c (V. 2c in the Hebrew) |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
maddu׳a ( ַעֻ ַמ) [pronounced mah-DOO-ahģ] |
why, wherefore, on what account, and it is probably a contraction of a word which means what being known |
adverb |
Strong’s #4069 BDB #396 |
attâh (הָ-א) [pronounced aht-TAW] |
you (often, the verb to be is implied) |
2nd person masculine singular, personal pronoun |
Strong’s #859 BDB #61 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
bad (דַ) [pronounced bah |
separation, by itself, alone |
masculine singular noun with a 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #905 BDB #94 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
îysh (שי ̣א) [pronounced eesh] |
a man, a husband; anyone; a certain one; each, each one, everyone |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #376 BDB #35 |
êyn (ןי̤א) [pronounced ān] |
nothing, not, [is] not; not present, not ready; expresses non-existence, absence or non-possession; there is no |
particle of negation; substantive of negation |
Strong’s #369 BDB #34 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
with, at, near, by, among, directly from |
preposition (which is identical to the sign of the direct object); with a 2nd person masculine singular suffix, pausal form |
Strong's #854 BDB #85 |
Translation: ...and he asked him [lit., said to him], “Why [are] you alone and [why is there] no one with you?” This strikes the priest as odd, that David is traveling alone. If you happened to see the vice president of the United States by himself, shopping the auto supply section of Wal Mart, that would strike you as pretty odd.
This may help to explain Ahimelech’s apparent fear. A head of state has shown up suddenly, unannounced and unaccompanied at his doorstep. He would have no way of knowing what was happening. I have personally been in two meetings where something was said that made me realize that this was a life-altering situation and it chilled me to the bone, although I was unable to rationally consider all of the ramifications of such a situation at that time. This could be Ahimelech.
It is important to note David’s inclination. The first time that he is on the run, he goes to Samuel, who was, for many years, the undisputed spiritual leader of Israel. On the run again, David goes to Ahimelech, who appears to be acting High Priest (again, a term which does not ever occur in the book of Samuel). First to the city of the prophets and then to the city of the priests. You may ask, why doesn’t David go to God in prayer? Strictly speaking, prayer is not a device used for guidance. David did not speak to God face to face (or in some way that God would manifest Himself to David) as that was an extremely rare situation enjoyed by very few saints. So David’s choices are reasonable; however, he thinks only of himself and his own personal safety. David does not yet consider what bearing his actions will have on others, meaning that he is not yet ready to become king of Israel yet.
And so says David to Ahimelech the priest, “The king commissioned me a word and so he says unto me, ‘A man does not know anything the word which I am sending you and which I have commissioned you.’ And the young men I have made known in a place, such a such. |
1Samuel 21:2 |
So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me [with] a matter and he told me, ‘No one is to know anything [about] the mission [lit., word, matter] that I am sending you on and which I have commission you [to do].’ I have made known a specific place [to] the young men [where we will meet]. |
So David answered Ahimelech the priest, saying, “The king are entrusted me with a specific mission; furthermore, he told me, ‘No one is to know anything about this mission that I have sent you on to complete.’ Therefore, I have set up a specific place where I will meet up with the young men. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so says David to Ahimelech the priest, “The king commissioned me a word and so he says unto me, ‘A man does not know anything the word which I am sending you and which I have commissioned you.’ And the young men I have made known in a place, such a such.
Septuagint And David said to the priest, “The king gave me a command today and he said to me, ‘Let no one know the matter on which I send you, and concerning which I have charged you; and I have charged my servants in the place that is called The Faithfulness of God, phellani maemoni [a corruption of ינמלא ינלפ].’
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV “I'm on a mission for King Saul,” David answered. “He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I had my soldiers stay somewhere else.
NLT “The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.
TEV “I am here on the king’s business,” David answered. “He told me not to let anyone know what he sent me to do. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ “The king ordered me to do something,” David answered the priest Ahimelech, “and he told me, 'No one must know anything about this mission I'm sending you on and about the orders I've given you. I've stationed my young men at a certain place.’ ”
JPS (Tanakh) David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king has ordered me on a mission, and he said to me, ‘No one must know anything about the mission on which I am sending you and for which I have given you orders.’ So I have directed [my] young men to such and such a place.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’
NRSV David said to the priest Ahimelech, “The king has charge me with a matter, and said to me, ‘No one must know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment [as per Dead Sea Scrolls and Vulgate; Compare Greek; meaning of MT uncertain] with the young men for such and such a place.
Young's Updated LT And David says to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me a matter, and he says unto me, ‘Let no man know anything of the matter about which I am sending you, and which I have commanded you; and the young men I have caused to know at such and such a place.’
What is the gist of this verse? David lies to the priest, telling him that King Saul has sent him on a secret mission. His young men will meet up with him elsewhere.
Going into this verse makes me think that I need to give you some introductory points, which will answer the question... |
1. David is not ready to be king over all of Israel yet. 2. God is not ready to remove Saul completely from his throne either. 3. Most people when they think of a position of authority, what they think about is power, and secondly about recognition and possibly the material benefits associated with such a position. 4. When you have a position of leadership, a position of power, a position of authority, the last thing that should be on your mind is how cool it is to have power to wield over others. 5. The key to authority is responsibility. The key to have a lot of authority is immense responsibility. You are responsible for those over whom you have authority. 6. David needs to learn that, and this will be his first lesson. 7. One of the most difficult things for a man with a heart to bear is the suffering of others which he has caused. A husband has authority over his family. If this husband has a heart, then he is always cognizant that the decisions which he makes affects his entire family. 8. A husband who understands that is fit to be a husband. 9. A husband who cheats on his wife, and thus risks the well-being of his wife and children, is not fit to have this sort of authority. 10. David has to realize that everything that he does, good and bad, will impact the nation Israel over which he will rule. He must see what he is able to cause and he must see the disastrous results of bad decisions on his part. 11. In this chapter, his bad decisions will affect the priests over Israel. Had he been king, a similar bad decision would have had disastrous results which would have affected all of Israel. 12. Therefore, God is testing David and David is growing spiritually while David is a refugee. 13. Some of David’s greatest psalms will come from this time period; psalms which have had an impact throughout half of man’s history. This is very similar to the 4 epistles that Paul wrote while in prison. Not the best sort of circumstances, but some of the most fantastic spiritual information came out of these periods of testing. 14. We, as believers far removed from this time period, will learn a great deal about God and His plan and His timing from David during these years while David is on the run and while Saul is a lame duck king. 15. One lesson which David is able to bear is patience and waiting upon God. Had you been told by Samuel that God had chosen you as Israel’s next king, you would have marched into Gibeah and told Saul to hand over the crown. David does not do that. He is given chance after chance to speed up God’s plan; to put feet on God’s plan; and David never usurps the timing of God. |
1Samuel 21:2a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
ăchîymeleke (∵ל∵מי.ח ֲא) [pronounced uh-khee-MEH-lek] |
brother of Melek or brother of a king and is transliterated Ahimelech |
Masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #288 BDB #27 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
meleke ( ∵ל ∵מ) [pronounced MEH-lek] |
king, ruler, prince |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #4428 BDB #572 |
tsâvâh (ה ָו ָצ) [pronounced tsaw-VAW] |
to commission, to mandate, to lay charge upon, to give charge to, charge, command, order |
3rd person masculine singular, Piel perfect, 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #6680 BDB #845 |
dâbvâr (ר ָב ָ) [pronounced dawb-VAWR] |
word, saying, doctrine, thing, matter, command |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #1697 BDB #182 |
Translation: So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me [with] a matter... David has two approaches that he can take with Ahimelech the priest. He can either lie or he can tell Ahimelech the truth. David chooses to lie. He first says that he is there on business from King Saul. He tells Ahimelech that Saul has an assignment which he has sent David on. As we will find out, this lie will endanger all of the priests of Nob. They will all die, save one, because of David’s lie (and bear in mind, David did not think this through; he did not even think that there might be a problem that would result from lying to Ahimelech). David will, by the way, acknowledge this mistake, saying to Abiathar, the young priest who escaped, “I have brought about [the death] of every person in your father’s household.” (1Sam. 22:22b).
1Samuel 21:2b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied); with a 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
îysh (שי ̣א) [pronounced eesh] |
a man, a husband; anyone; a certain one; each, each one, everyone |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #376 BDB #35 |
al (ל-א) [pronounced al] |
not; nothing; none |
adverb of negation; conjunction of prohibiting, dehorting, deprecating, desire that something not be done |
Strong’s #408 BDB #39. |
yâda׳ (ע ַדָי) [pronounced yaw-DAHĢ] |
to see; to know, to perceive, to acquire knowledge, to become acquainted, to know by experience, to have a knowledge of something |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #3045 BDB #393 |
meûwmâh (הָמא מ) [pronounced me-oo-MAW] |
anything, and it is usually found in negative sentences; therefore, with the negative, it is often rendered nothing |
indefinite singular pronoun/adverb |
Strong’s #3972 BDB #548 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
dâbvâr (ר ָב ָ) [pronounced dawb-VAWR] |
word, saying, doctrine, thing, matter, command |
masculine singular noun with a definite article |
Strong's #1697 BDB #182 |
ăsher (ר ∵ש ֲא) [pronounced ash-ER] |
that, which, when, who |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
ânôkîy (י.כֹנָא) [pronounced awn-oh-KEE] |
I, me |
1st person singular personal pronoun (sometimes a verb is implied) |
Strong’s #595 BDB #59 |
shâlach (ח ַל ָש) [pronounced shaw-LAKH] |
to send, to send for, to send forth, to send away, to dismiss, to deploy, to put forth |
Qal active participle with a 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #7971 BDB #1018 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
ăsher (ר ∵ש ֲא) [pronounced ash-ER] |
that, which, when, who |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
tsâvâh (ה ָו ָצ) [pronounced tsaw-VAW] |
to commission, to mandate, to lay charge upon, to give charge to, charge, command, order |
1st person singular, Piel perfect, 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #6680 BDB #845 |
Translation: ...and he told me,‘No one is to know anything [about] the mission [lit., word, matter] that I am sending you on and which I have commission you [to do].’ Not only does David tell Ahimelech that he is on a mission from Saul, but that it is a secret mission. This means that David will not have to formulate a more detailed lie as to what this mission might be. It sounds as though David is repeating himself here. He’s already said that Saul has charged (or commissioned) him with a particular matter, and he says here that Saul has sent him away and commission (a repetition of the verb) him. David is probably making this up on the spot, and, in his nervousness, he repeats himself.
1Samuel 21:2c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
na׳ar (ר-ע-נ) [pronounced NAH-ģahr] |
boy, youth, young man, personal attendant |
masculine plural noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #5288 & #5289 BDB #654 |
yâda׳ (ע ַדָי) [pronounced yaw-DAHĢ] |
to make one know, to cause to know, to show; to direct |
1st person singular, Poel perfect (with a voluntative hê) |
Strong’s #3045 BDB #393 |
Gesenius suggests that this ought to read י .ע -דה rather than י .ע -די (however, I do not know what the first word means, and Gesenius does not bother to tell us). A NRSV footnote tells us that this should read made an appointment with as per the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Latin Vulgate. |
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el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
mâqôwm (םקָמ) [pronounced maw-KOHM] |
place, situated; for a soldier, it may mean where he is stationed; for people in general, it would be their place of abode (which could be their house or their town) |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #4725 BDB #879 |
pêlônîy (י.נֹל ) [pronounced peloh-NEE] |
such a one, a certain one |
pronoun |
Strong’s #6423 BDB #811 |
alemônîy (י.נֹמל-א) [pronounced ahl-moh-NEE] |
some one, a certain one |
adjective |
Strong’s #492 BDB #48 |
These two words are almost always found together and they have this rhythmic alliteration going on. Together, they mean a certain [person or place]; a specific [person or place]; such and such. The person or place is specific and known to the speaker but not to those whom he is speaking to. |
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Translation: I have made known a specific place [to] the young men [where we will meet]. Ahimelech posed two questions to David: (1) why are you here and (2) why are you alone? David first lies to Ahimelech about being on a secret mission from Saul; and here, he tells Ahimelech that he has set a place to meet up with his young men. By the way, there is some disagreement as to whether there are any young men with David at this time. This will be discussed later on in this chapter.
And now, what [is] there under your hand? Five of loaves give in my hand or the acquired.” |
1Samuel 21:3 |
Therefore, what [is] on hand [lit., under your hand]? Give the five loaves [of bread] to me [lit., in my hand] and [whatever else] is found.” |
Therefore, what do you have right there? Give those five loaves of bread to me and whatever else you might have.” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And now, what [is] there under your hand? Five of loaves give in my hand or the acquired.”
Septuagint And now, if there are under your hand five loaves, give [them] into my hand what is ready.”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?”
NLT Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ └David added┘, “Now, what do you have └to eat┘? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.”
JPS (Tanakh) Now then, what have you got on hand? Any loaves of bread? Let me have them—or whatever is available.”
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB “Now therefore, what do you have on hand [lit., what is under your hand]? Give me [lit., in my hand] five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
Young's Updated LT ...and now, what is there under your hand? five loaves give into my hand, or that which is found.”
What is the gist of this verse? David is hungry, so he is going to ask for food.
1Samuel 21:3a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
׳attâh (ה ָ ַע) [pronounced ģaht-TAWH] |
now, at this time, already |
adverb of time |
Strong’s #6258 BDB #773 |
When followed by an imperative or an interrogative, we + the adverb ׳attâh mean and so, thus, things being so, therefore. Sometimes, the concept of time is lost when this combination is used to incite another. |
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mâh (ה ָמ) [pronounced maw] |
what, how, why |
interrogative; exclamatory particle |
Strong’s #4100 BDB #552 |
yêsh (שֵי) [pronounced yaysh] |
being, substance, existence; used as a substitute for to be (without reference to number or tense); to be present, to be ready, to exist; the verb to be may be implied |
substantive |
Strong’s #3426 BDB #441 |
tachath (ת ַח ַ) [pronounced TAH-khahth] |
underneath, below, under, beneath, in the place [in which one stands] [when found in accusative position] |
preposition |
Strong’s #8478 BDB #1065 |
yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with the 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
I don’t know at this time if on hand is a reasonable interpretation for this prepositional phrase. This would indicate that David could not necessarily see the bread. |
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Translation: Therefore, what [is] on hand [lit., under your hand]? It appears as though there is food right there in front of them; near the Table of Showbread there are apparently five loaves of bread. This is more of a rhetorical question, rather than one where David is eliciting information.
An interesting question might be posed at this point (one which I have not seen posed by any other commentator): why didn’t David simply go to a field and harvest the remnant which was left for the poor? I honestly don’t know the answer to this. My guess is that David was not really thinking clearly; he had gone to Samuel, the prophet; now he was going to Ahimelech the priest. At first, I guessed that David was looking for some sort of guidance; however, it simply turns out that he is extremely hungry. David was aware of the Showbread (as well as the other sorts of provisions), and, being famished, requested that. David does not ask for advice or guidance; nor does he reveal his true situation. Perhaps what he is hoping for is the first move to be made by an insightful priest—a priest who says, “I know your true situation, David, and here is what you need to do.” Another explanation is that David was simply not thinking. He realized that there was bread available (more or less) at the Tabernacle, and therefore chose to go there. Additional narrative will reveal to us that David really has no spiritual agenda in coming here to Nob.
1Samuel 21:3b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
chămishshâh (הָ ̣מֲח) [pronounced khuh-mish-SHAW] |
five |
numeral, feminine construct |
Strong’s #2568 BDB #331 |
lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
nâthan (ן ַתָנ) [pronounced naw-THAHN] |
to give, to grant, to place, to put, to set |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperative with the voluntative hê |
Strong's #5414 BDB #678 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
ô (א) [pronounced oh] |
or, or rather, otherwise, also, and |
conjunction |
Strong's #176 BDB #14 |
mâtsâ (א ָצ ָמ) [pronounced maw-TSAW] |
those acquired, those found, those present |
Niphal participle with the definite article |
Strong’s #4672 BDB #592 |
Translation: Give the five loaves [of bread] to me [lit., in my hand] and [whatever else] is found.” Apparently, even though there are generally 12 loaves of bread, there were only 5 remaining which David could see and he asks for those. This would indicate that the priests had begun to eat the bread already; seen of them had already come in to get their loaves). He also asks for whatever food is available. The idea is, he is asking this for his young men, who will be on this secret mission with him.
David’s purpose in coming to Nob was completely secular—he was hungry, they had food; and that is what he is asking for. Certainly, David is in a difficult situation—however, this would be the perfect opportunity for him to come clean with this priest and ask for guidance. He does not. Throughout this entire visit, David will simply lie to this priest in order to get what he wants; David does not think about the consequences and he gives no consideration whatsoever to the well-being of the priests in Nob, who might be seen as being in collusion with David.
And so answers the priest David and so he says, “Nothing of bread commonness unto under my hand for if bread holiness there [is] (if abstained [themselves] the young men only from a woman.” |
1Samuel 21:4 |
The priest answered David, saying, “There [is] no common bread on hand [lit., under my hand] but there [is] holy bread—only if the young men have abstained from women.” |
The priest answered David, saying, “We have no common bread on hand; however, there is holy bread—which the young men may eat only if they have abstained from sexual relations.” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so answers the priest David and so he says, “Nothing of bread commonness unto under my hand for if bread holiness there [is] (if abstained [themselves] the young men only from a woman.”
Septuagint And the priest answered David, and said, “There are no common loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves. If the young men have been kept at least from women, then they will eat [these loaves].”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV “The only bread I have is the sacred bread,” the priest told David. “You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night.”
NLT “We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which I guess you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”
TEV The priest said, “I don’t have any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven’t had sexual relations recently.”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ “I don't have any ordinary bread,” the chief priest answered David. “But there is holy bread for the young men if they haven't had sexual intercourse └today┘.”
JPS (Tanakh) The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand; there is only consecrated bread—provided the young men have kept away from women.”
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
The Amplified Bible And the priest answered David, There is no common bread on hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
NASB And the priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
Young's Updated LT And the priest answers David, and says, “There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the youths have been kept only from women.”
What is the gist of this verse? The priest tells David that there is no common bread—that is, bread for common consumption. They have holy bread and that is available if the young men have not had sexual relations.
This verse is often misunderstood and/or poorly explained. The Tabernacle was not the place where one would go when hungry; and there are no lawful provisions associated with the non-Clergy eating sacred bread. This would be analogous today of someone entering into a church during Eucharist and eating a couple handfuls of those tiny wafers, and then polishing them off with a dozen small cups of grape juice.
1Samuel 21:4a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
׳ânâh (ה ָנ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-NAWH] |
to answer, to respond; to speak loudly, to speak up [in a public forum]; to testify; to sing, to chant, to sing responsively |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #6030 BDB #772 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
êyn (ןי̤א) [pronounced ān] |
nothing, not, [is] not; not present, not ready; expresses non-existence, absence or non-possession; there is no |
particle of negation; substantive of negation |
Strong’s #369 BDB #34 |
lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
chôl (לֹח) [pronounced kohl] |
profaneness, commonness, unholy [thing]; common, profane |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #2455 BDB #320 |
Although this is a masculine noun, there are several passages where this acts more like an adjective (see 1Sam. 21:4 Ezek. 42:20 48:15). |
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el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
tachath (ת ַח ַ) [pronounced TAH-khahth] |
underneath, below, under, beneath, in the place [in which one stands] [when found in accusative position] |
preposition |
Strong’s #8478 BDB #1065 |
Together, these two prepositions simply mean under. |
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yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
for, that, because; when, at that time, which, what time |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem] |
if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though |
primarily an hypothetical particle |
Strong's #518 BDB #49 |
Together, kîy îm (ם ̣א י ̣) [pronounced kee-eem] act as a limitation on the preceding thought, and therefore should be rendered but, except, unless and possibly only. However, these particles are not used in a limiting way if they follow an oath, a question or a negative. Then they can be rendered that if, for if, for though, that since, for if, but if, indeed if, even if. |
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lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
qôdesh (ש∵דֹק) [pronounced koh-DESH] |
holiness, sacredness, apartness, that which is holy, holy things |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #6944 BDB #871 |
This noun also seems to function as an adjective at times (Lev. 16:4, 32 1Sam. 21:4 1Chron. 16:10). |
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yêsh (שֵי) [pronounced yaysh] |
being, substance, existence; used as a substitute for to be (without reference to number or tense); to be present, to be ready, to exist; the verb to be may be implied |
substantive |
Strong’s #3426 BDB #441 |
Translation: The priest answered David, saying, “There [is] no common bread on hand [lit., under my hand] but
there [is] holy bread... The priests do not cook bread in general for a bread line. The holy bread that they produce
is generally enough for them to eat. Therefore, all that they had on hand was holy (or, consecrated) bread. The
consecrated bread was baked in groups of 12 loaves (for each tribe of Israel) and it represented God’s provision
for all 12 tribes. The bread was to be consumed by Aaron and his sons (the Aaronic priesthood) (Lev. 24:5–9).
Although this passage does not specifically forbid the eating of this bread by others, it reads that the sons of Aaron
...will eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him from the Lord’s offerings by fire, [his] portion forever
(Lev. 24:9b). This simply does not seem to indicate that this bread available to others, even under emergency
situations.
There are several commentators who talk about feeding the poor and the priests making their bread
available to the poor; however, we simply do not find justification for this in the Law; and, apart from this passage,
there seems to be no justification for this in practice either. Now, provision was made for the poor. A small portion
of any man’s field was not to be harvested, so that the poor could come and eat from what had not been picked
(Lev. 19:9 23:22 Deut. 24:19). Ahimelech should have directed David to the nearest harvest field. The Tabernacle
of God was not set up to be a food kitchen.
Regardless of which position you take, a reasonable question would be, why didn’t Jesus simply state outright, unequivocally what the Scripture said? Why did He speak in parables? Why did He on rare occasion seemingly misapply or misquote Scripture? |
1. First of all, we must recognize that our Lord, on at least three recorded occasions, did not apply Scripture as we would have expected Him to. a. Jesus asks the Pharisees, what about when David got bread from the Tabernacle to feed his companions, when it does not appear as though He had any companions (the various alternative options were discussed in the previous points). Matt. 12:3–4. b. Then Jesus makes a false quotation: “Have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath, the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?” (Matt. 12:5). There is no such quotation in the Bible. However, according to the traditions of the Pharisees, the current priests of the Temple were sinning essentially in the same way that His disciples were supposedly sinning (see, for instance, Num. 28:9–10). However, there is no Biblical statement which reads: The priests in the Temple break the Sabbath and are innocent. c. When a clear statement by Jesus indicated that He was deity and those who heard wanted to stone Him, he quoted Psalm 82:6, which reads “You are gods [or, You are God].” Jesus was not implying that the Jews that he was speaking to were divine as He was, or that they would become divine beings (ala Mormonism). He simply quoted a Scripture, practically misapplying it in context, to get them to thinking and to get them to study God’s Word. 2. When Jesus spoke too plainly, the Jews would attempt to kill Him (e.g., John 10:25–39). 3. I have had many times when someone would quote Scripture to me, out of context; but their quoting it made me go back into the Word and examine the passage carefully. 4. Jesus typically spoke in parables, where a clear parallel reality is laid down next to a principle, and that the truth and understanding of the principle is made clear by the parallel illustration. One of the earliest parables in Scripture is with Nathan the prophet and David. Nathan suggests to David a scenario where a rich man steals the ewe lamb—the only possession—of a poor man, and David is livid with rage against the rich man; and then Nathan tells David, “You are that rich man!” (2Sam. 12:1–7). Nathan gave David a clear parallel situation and David emphatically took a position with regards to this situation. Then Nathan made the parallel clear and David had judged himself wrong. Jesus did the same thing: he stated a principle to which all could agree, and then applied that principle to a point of doctrine; generally a point of doctrine that the listener would not have agreed to previously. 5. Jesus said things which would cause men to think and to search the Scriptures. Someone may not have gotten what they should have gotten in a conversation with our Lord; however, if this sent them to the Bible in search of truth, that was good enough, as He is the Truth. 6. What Jesus said was recorded by His disciples. They rarely understood clear statements of doctrine (except for John), so their memories of such things would not necessarily be clear. However, they often remembered situations and stories. This is human nature. I have taken a great many math classes; I have been taught many principles which I did not understand; and if I had to write down those principles from memory, even a most basic statement of what these principles were, I would be at a loss. I flat out don’t remember them. However, I do recall some stories and actions of my math professors, and these I could write down. Those things which I understood and learned; I can recall those things. 7. Scripture is recorded by man as moved by the Holy Spirit. Scripture is not dictated by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we would expect the recording of Scripture to be, from man’s standpoint, a natural recall process. Jesus presented truth in such a way that His disciples could also recall it, even if they did not grasp, at the time, what was being said. 8. Obviously, in any dispute between Jesus and the religious hierarchy of His day, Jesus would always be right and the Pharisees or Sadducees would always be wrong. That goes without saying. However, there is more to a dispute than who’s right and who’s wrong. There was often more to these disputes apart from Jesus simply stating, “I’m right, and here’s why; you’re wrong, and here’s why.” Although this is the pattern of most theological arguments today, this was not the pattern of the theological disputes between Jesus and the religious hierarchy. Jesus intentionally made arguments, parables, and statements that men could remember, could ponder and could possibly later change their minds because of what He said. 9. Men who listened to Jesus could walk away with what He said, although they did not always grasp, at the time, what it was that He said to them. However, given time and positive volition, what He said would make sense. 10. I recall having a conversation with my first department head, who seemed a little spacey, mostly because he was old and very intelligent. There were comments that he made that made little sense to me; and I often dismissed these statements as the off-handed ramblings of an old man. However, eventually, these statements (some of them) gelled and resinated with me, and I had to admit on later relfection that what he said made perfect sense. But it took time for what he said to sink in. What Jesus had to say sometimes took time to sink in; therefore, He had to present the information in such a way so that it would sink in and make sense eventually. One might easily recall the parable of the prodigal son; however, it may be months later when the actual meaning of this story is apprehended. When one is able to recall the story, then it is easier for them to eventually understand what the story was teaching. 11. So, when Jesus would use a Scripture out of context, or present it in a way that is misleading (which was only done on rare occasion), the idea would be that the listener would hear what Jesus said, wonder about it, and then question it later, looking up the references. The idea is, such a one would, in this way, come across the gospel of Christ. When a Jew studied the Scriptures rather than the Laws of the Rabbis (the Mishna and the Talmud), he would be more likely to discover our Lord. 12. The more schooled His audience was in the Scriptures, the easier it was to present truth to them. 13. The more schooled His listeners were in the precepts of man and the distortions of Scripture, the more difficult it was for Jesus to present divine viewpoint. 14. It was always the desire of Jesus for men everywhere to change their minds and believe in Him. This was just as true of the religious crowd as it was of the general population of Judea and the surrounding areas. 15. Therefore, what Jesus said was rarely in the form of, “I’m right, and you’re wrong, and this is why.” What He said was intended to have a greater and more long-lasting impact, both on the hearer and later on the reader, than an oversimplified, argumentative approach. 16. The three unusual statements made by our Lord have, for instance, caused me to spend several days pondering what He said, and several hours typing out the results of this pondering. I have spent many hours pouring through the Scriptures and considering several different approaches and several different arguments. This amount of thought was put into three fairly short sentences said by our Lord. My point is, what He said caused me, 2000 years, to search the Scriptures and to ponder several points of view, and to spend hours of contemplation of the meaning and purpose of His words. In other words, what He said, worked. I was required to diligently search God’s Word to understand what our Lord was saying. |
1Samuel 21:4b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem] |
if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though |
primarily an hypothetical particle |
Strong's #518 BDB #49 |
shâmar (ר ַמ ָש) [pronounced shaw-MAR] |
to be kept, to be preserved; to be careful; to abstain oneself [from anything]; to beware [of anything]; to care [for something]; to take heed |
3rd person plural, Niphal perfect |
Strong's #8104 BDB #1036 |
na׳ar (ר-ע-נ) [pronounced NAH-ģahr] |
boy, youth, young man, personal attendant |
masculine plural noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #5288 & #5289 BDB #654 |
ake ( ַא) [pronounced ahke] |
surely, certainly, no doubt, only, only this once |
adverb of restriction, contrast, time, limitation, and exception. Also used as an affirmative particle |
Strong’s #389 BDB #36 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than, greater than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
îshshâh (ה ָֹ ̣א) [pronounced eesh-SHAWH] |
woman, wife |
feminine singular noun |
Strong's #802 BDB #61 |
Translation: ...—only if the young men have abstained from women.” Their only condition is that the young men of which David spoke had not had relations with women; thus, they would not be unclean. The bread is also mentioned in Ex. 25:30 39:38 40:23 Lev. 24:5–9, and there is no protocol for making this bread available to those who are not priests. There are no regulations set down for the priests either with regards to eating this bread or distributing it to others. In other words, the priest to whom David is speaking is going free-form at this point. He has determined in his own mind that in order to eat the bread, a non-priest must be clean; and he then figures that abstinence from sex would make them clean. Although there are Old Testament passages where abstinence is mentioned (e.g., Ex. 19:15), there are no passages which are directly applicable. David’s request was sudden and unexpected, and the priest did not know how to respond exactly.
And so answers David the priest and so he says to him, “For if a woman was restrained to us yesterday, three days ago, in my coming out and so are vessels of the young men holy and he [is] a road profane and in fact that the day is holy in the vessel.” |
1Samuel 21:5 |
David then answered the priest, and he said to him, “For though [or, even though, indeed if] women were kept back with regards to us previously when I went out [lit., in my going out], then the weapons [or, vessels] of the young men are consecrated even [if] it—the journey—[is] a common [one] [lit., even it (is) a common journey]. Much more is it holy by means of the weapon [or, vessel] today.” |
David then answered the priest, saying, “Women have been kept from us previously when we went out and the weapons of the young men remained consecrated even on common treks. Much more is the journey holy today by the nature of the assignment.” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so answers David the priest and so he says to him, “For if a woman was restrained to us yesterday, three days ago, in my coming out and so are vessels of the young men holy and he [is] a road profane and in fact that the day is holy in the vessel.”
Septuagint And David answered the priest and said to him, “Yea, we have been kept from women for three days; when I came out for the journey, all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean, wherefore it will be sanctified this day because of my weapons.”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV “Of course we didn't sleep with women,” David answered. “I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on a regular mission, and today we're on a special mission.”
NLT “Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when they are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!”
TEV “Of course they haven’t,” answered David. “My men always keep themselves ritually pure even when we go out on an ordinary mission; how much more this time when we are on a special mission!”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David answered the priest, “Of course women have been kept away from us as usual when we go └on a mission┘. The young men's bodies are kept holy even on ordinary campaigns. How much more then will their bodies be holy today?”
JPS (Tanakh) In reply to the priest, David said, “I assure you that women have been kept from us, as always. Whenever I went on a mission, even if the journey was a common one, the vessels of the young men were consecrated; all the more then may consecrated food be put into their vessels today.”
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
ACV And David answered the priest, and said to 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 today shall their vessels be holy?
The Amplified Bible And David told the priest, Truly women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the food bags and utensils of the young men are clean, and although the bread will be used in a secular way, it will be set apart in the clean bags.
Updated Emphasized Bible And David answered the priest and said to him—
│Truthfully│ ║women║ have been withheld from us of late through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, —while [the bread] ║itself║ is in a manner common, and the more so since │today│ [there are other loaves] to be hallowed in the vessel.
NASB And David answered the priest and said to him, “Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vessels be holy?”
NKJV 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.”
NRSV David answered the priest, “Indeed women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the young men are holy even when it is a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?”
Owen's Translation And David answered the priest (and said to him), “Of a truth women have been kept from us as always. When I go are the vessels of the young men holy even when it is a common journey. How much more today will be holy their vessels?”
Young's Updated LT And David answers the priest, and says 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.”
What is the gist of this verse? David tells the priest that his men are clean. The additional information is somewhat problematic; however, what David is saying is that his men are kept from women and their weapons are consecrated even on common missions. Since they are supposedly on a special mission from Saul, their weapons are even more consecrated.
You will obviously note that I quoted a number of different translations, and you were surprised as to what a different take they each seemed to have. For that reason, we are going to break this verse up into smaller bites, so that we can better determine its meaning.
1Samuel 21:5a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
׳ânâh (ה ָנ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-NAWH] |
to answer, to respond; to speak loudly, to speak up [in a public forum]; to testify; to sing, to chant, to sing responsively |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #6030 BDB #772 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
for, that, because; when, at that time, which, what time |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem] |
if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though |
primarily an hypothetical particle |
Strong's #518 BDB #49 |
Together, kîy îm (ם ̣א י ̣) [pronounced kee-eem] act as a limitation on the preceding thought, and therefore should be rendered but, except, unless and possibly only. However, these particles are not used in a limiting way if they follow an oath, a question or a negative. Then they can be rendered that if, for if, for though, that since, for if, but if, indeed if, even if. |
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îshshâh (ה ָֹ ̣א) [pronounced eesh-SHAWH] |
woman, wife |
feminine singular noun |
Strong's #802 BDB #61 |
׳âtsar (ר ַצ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-TSAHR] |
to confine, to detain, to restrain, to refrain to shut, to surround, to enclose, to hold back, to restrain by rule |
feminine singular, Qal passive participle |
Strong’s #6113 BDB #783 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 1st person masculine plural suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
kaph or ke ( ׃) [pronounced ke] |
like, as, according to; about, approximately |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #453 |
temôwl (למ ׃) [pronounced teMOHL] |
yesterday; and is used figuratively for recently, formerly |
adverb |
Strong’s #8543 (and #865) BDB #1069 |
shileshôwm (םש ׃ל ̣ש) [pronounced shil-SHOHM] |
three days ago, the day before yesterday |
adverb |
Strong’s #8032 BDB #1026 |
Together, this preposition and two adverbs mean as before, previously, formerly. |
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be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yâtsâ (א ָצ ָי) [pronounced yaw-TZAWH] |
to go out, to come out, to come forth |
Qal infinitive construct with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #3318 BDB #422 |
It is proper and correct to translate the bêyth preposition when, when combined with a Qal infinitive construct. |
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Translation: David then answered the priest, and he said to him, “For though [or, even though] women were kept back with regards to us previously when I went out [of, in my going out],... David begins by telling the priest that women had been kept from him and his men on previous missions. Now, there are no men (probably—see the discussion in the previous verse); however, David had been on previous missions. There is no previous indication that there were any commands with respect to women and David’s army. This could be true and it may be false (that is, it is possible that on a typical mission, David’s men were kept from women). David’s interest here is the bread and he is going to say whatever he needs to say in order to eat.
That an army was to maintain some sort of sexual purity is more inferred by Scripture than strictly stated. For instance, Moses is about to receive the Ten Commandments, and he tells the men to consecrate themselves, which includes not having sex with their wives for three days (“Don’t go near a woman”—Ex. 19:14–15). In Deut. 23:9–11, a man who had a nocturnal emission was separated from the other soldiers and had to go through a cleansing ritual. Thirdly, a man who had just married was exempt from military service for one year while he enjoyed sex with his new wife (Deut. 24:5). And finally, when David brought Uriah the Hittite to Jerusalem (ostensibly for a status report), Uriah chose not to go back to his home and sleep with his wife, as his fellow soldiers were at war (2Sam. 11:8–11).
1Samuel 21:5b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
hâyâh (ה ָי ָה) [pronounced haw-YAW] |
to be, is, was, are; to become, to come into being; to come to pass |
3rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #1961 BDB #224 |
kelîy (י.ל) [pronounced kelee] |
manufactured good, artifact, article, utensil, vessel, weapon, armor, furniture, receptacle; baggage, valuables |
masculine plural construct |
Strong’s #3627 BDB #479 |
na׳ar (ר-ע-נ) [pronounced NAH-ģahr] |
boy, youth, young man, personal attendant |
masculine plural noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #5288 & #5289 BDB #654 |
qôdesh (ש∵דֹק) [pronounced koh-DESH] |
holiness, sacredness, apartness, that which is holy, holy things |
adjective/noun |
Strong's #6944 BDB #871 |
or |
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qâdôwsh (שד ָק) [pronounced kaw-DOWSH] |
sacred, holy, set apart, sacrosanct |
adjective |
Strong's #6918 BDB #872 |
Even though it appears as though the spelling of these two words is different, once the vowel points are removed, they are the same word (a vowel point is often used instead of the —the wâw cholem—in the Hebrew). This explains why Strong identifies this as #6944, but Owen suggests that it is BDB #872 instead. |
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Translation: ...then the weapons [or, vessels] of the young men are consecrated... The word kelîy properly means manufactured goods; context determines what sort of manufactured goods that we are speaking of. Given the meaning of the Hebrew word, there would be no reason to understand the vessels of the young men to refer to their bodies (although a similar phrase in the New Testament with the word vessel would reasonably understood in that way but this is not a typical Old Testament phrase). David will use this word in v. 8 to refer to weapons, and we will therefore understand it in that way. So, David is not saying that bodies of his young men are consecrated; however, he is saying that their weapons are consecrated, which implies that the young men are as well. This is a somewhat abstruse passage, but I would reasonably suppose that David is affirming that even the weapons of his soldiers have been consecrated (and the point here is for a typical, common mission).
1Samuel 21:5c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and; even; in particular, namely; when, since, seeing, though; then |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
hûw (אה) [pronounced hoo] |
he, it |
3rd person masculine singular, personal pronoun |
Strong’s #1931 BDB #214 |
dereke ( ∵ר ∵) [pronounced DEH-reke] |
way, distance, road, journey, manner, course |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #1870 BDB #202 |
chôl (לֹח) [pronounced kohl] |
profaneness, commonness, unholy [thing]; common, profane |
adjective |
Strong’s #2455 BDB #320 |
Although this is a masculine noun, there are several passages where this acts more like an adjective (see 1Sam. 21:4 Ezek. 42:20 48:15). |
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Translation: ...even [if] it—the journey—[is] a common [one] [lit., even it (is) a common journey]. The idea here is that the mission [literally, road, journey] that David is speaking of—for which the weapons of his men are consecrated—is a common mission. So, David is telling the priest that his men are kept from women and that even their weapons are consecrated for even common or minor missions. In other words, what the priest is requesting is routine 6 for David. This is always the way things are done, is what he is affirming to the priest. Again, bear in mind the David is starving, he has not been honest with Ahimelech as to his real purpose or about his estrangement with Saul, and he is saying whatever he finds necessary in order to get what he wants, which is bread and a weapon.
1Samuel 21:5d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
aph (ף ַא) [pronounced ah |
in fact, furthermore, also, yea, even, indeed |
conjunction |
Strong’s #637 BDB #64 |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
Together, these two conjunctions mean in fact, more than; but also; but even; much more; how much more
[when an affirmation precedes]; how much less [when a negation precedes].
|
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yôwm (םי) [pronounced yohm] |
day, today (with a definite article) |
masculine singular noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #3117 BDB #398 |
qâdash (שַד ָק) [pronounced kaw-DAHSH] |
to be pure, to be clean; to be holy, to be sacred; to set apart, to consecrate, to sanctify, to dedicate, to hallow |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #6942 BDB #872 |
Rotherham tells us that this verb should be plural, as per the Syriac. The end result is, Rotherham renders this as the loaves of bread are hallowed. However, since he suggests to examine the AV and the RV for other possible renderings, that would indicate to me that he was not completely sold on his own translation, which is somewhat convoluted. |
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be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
kelîy (י.ל) [pronounced kelee] |
manufactured good, artifact, article, utensil, vessel, weapon, armor, furniture, receptacle; baggage, valuables |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #3627 BDB #479 |
Although kelîy clearly has several different uses, this word needs to be understood in context; understanding it to refer to a manufactured weapon makes more sense than any other understanding. I don’t know that this word is ever used to refer to a person’s body (ala, the NEB and REB); and it is never used that way in the book of Samuel, although it is used dozens of times to refer to weapons or armor. |
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I realize that this may seem to be somewhat of a contradiction, inasmuch as David is requesting Ahimelech to give him a weapon and yet he tells Ahimelech that all of their weapons are holy. However, this may not be exactly what David is saying (see below). |
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Translation: Much more is it holy by means of the weapon [or, vessel] today.” The difference today is that they are supposedly on a special mission; therefore, so much more are their weapons consecrated today. However, this is probably not what David is saying. He refers to the weapons of his compadres in v. 5b, here he is speaking of the weapon, which is probably a reference to Goliath’s sword. This weapon is considered somewhat holy, as it represents God’s deliverance of Israel and it was kept in the Tabernacle of God. So the idea is, the weapons of his young men are generally set aside unto God; however, even more so is this sword of Goliath’s.
Again, all of this is a lie; David is hungry and he wants to eat; therefore, he is going to lie in order to get consecrated bread for himself. He does not realize what sort of consequences will come of this lie (which consequences we will study in the next chapter).
And so gives to him the priest a holy [thing] for is not there bread for if bread of the faces the removed [loaves] from to faces of Yehowah to set bread of heat in a day of his being taken away. |
1Samuel 21:6 |
The priest, therefore, gave to him a holy [thing], because there was no [common] bread [lit., the bread was not there] except the Bread of Presence [which] had been removed from the Presence of Yehowah to be replaced [lit., placed] [by] hot bread the day it was taken away. |
The priest, therefore, gave David holy bread, because there was no other bread besides the Bread of Presence which had been removed from the Presence of Jehovah and replaced by hot bread. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so gives to him the priest a holy [thing] for is not there bread for if bread of the faces the removed [loaves] from to faces of Yehowah to set bread of heat in a day of his being taken away.
Septuagint So Abimelech the priest gave him the showbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord in order that the hot bread should be set on, on the day on which he took them.
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David.
NLT So, since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
REB So, as there was no other bread there, the priest gave him the sacred bread, the Bread of the Presence, which had just been taken from the presence of the Lord to be replaced by freshly baked bread on the day that the old was removed.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ So the priest gave him holy bread because he only had the └bread┘ of the presence which had been taken from the Lord’s presence and replaced with warm bread that day.
JPS (Tanakh) So the priest gave him consecrated bread, because there was none there except the bread of display, which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, to be replaced by warm bread as soon as it was taken away.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
The Amplified Bible So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, which was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in its place the day when it was taken away.
NASB So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.
Young's Updated LT And the priest gives 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.
What is the gist of this verse? The priest therefore gave David the holy Bread of Presence, as the only bread that they had there was bread that had been removed from the table and replaced by new bread.
1Samuel 21:6a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
nâthan (ן ַתָנ) [pronounced naw-THAHN] |
to give, to grant, to place, to put, to set |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #5414 BDB #678 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
qôdesh (ש∵דֹק) [pronounced koh-DESH] |
holiness, sacredness, apartness, that which is holy, holy things |
adjective/noun |
Strong's #6944 BDB #871 |
Translation: The priest, therefore, gave to him a holy [thing],... The priest was therefore caused to give David that which was holy; which, in this context, are loaves of the Bread of Presence. We do not really have a precedent for this; as mentioned, David could have gone to the fields and harvest that which remained, but there is no indication anywhere in Scripture (other than this particular passage) that the Tabernacle of God also functioned as a soup kitchen.
1Samuel 21:6b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low] |
not, no |
negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation |
Strong’s #3808 BDB #518 |
hâyâh (ה ָי ָה) [pronounced haw-YAW] |
to be, is, was, are; to become, to come into being; to come to pass |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect |
Strong's #1961 BDB #224 |
shâm (ם ָש) [pronounced shawm] |
there; at that time, then; therein, in that thing |
adverb |
Strong’s #8033 BDB #1027 |
lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
Translation: ...because there was no bread [lit., the bread was not there]... Here we are told why the priest had to give David holy bread; this is because there was no bread there except for the bread which had been the Bread of Presence. The exception comes up in the next phrase.
1Samuel 21:6c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem] |
if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though |
primarily an hypothetical particle |
Strong's #518 BDB #49 |
Together, kîy îm (ם ̣א י ̣) [pronounced kee-eem] act as a limitation on the preceding thought, and therefore should be rendered but, except, unless and possibly only. However, these particles are not used in a limiting way if they follow an oath, a question or a negative. Then they can be rendered that if, for if, for though, that since, for if, but if, indeed if, even if. |
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lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
pânîym (םי̣נ ָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces; presence |
masculine plural noun (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
çûwr (רס) [pronounced soor] |
to be removed, to be taken away, to be caused to go away |
masculine plural, Hophal participle with the definite article |
Strong's #5493 (and #5494) BDB #693 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
pânîym (םי̣נ ָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, the two prepositions and pânîym mean from before, from the presence of, a from a position before a person or object, from before a place. However, this also expresses source or cause, and is also rendered because of, on account of. |
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YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] |
transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Yehowah |
proper noun |
Strong’s #3068 BDB #217 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
sûwm (ם) [pronounced soom]; also spelled sîym (םי ̣) [pronounced seem] |
to put, to place, to set, to make |
Qal infinitive construct |
Strong's #7760 BDB #962 |
lechem (ם ∵ח ∵ל) [pronounced LEH-khem] |
literally means bread; used more generally for food |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #3899 BDB #536 |
chôm (םֹח) [pronounced khoum |
heat, hot, warm |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #2527 BDB #328 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yôwm (םי) [pronounced yohm] |
day, today (with a definite article) |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #3117 BDB #398 |
lâqach (ח ַק ָל) [pronounced law-KAHKH] |
to be taken, to be taken away; to be brought; to be seized, to be captured |
Niphal infinitive construct with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #3947 BDB #542 |
Translation: ...except the Bread of Presence [which] had been removed from the Presence of Yehowah to be replaced [lit., placed] [by] hot bread the day it was taken away. This is the exception. There is no bread there except for the bread which had been the Bread of Presence and had been on the holy table before God. It had been removed and replaced by warm (i.e., fresh) bread.
Almost every commentary that I have read gets this wrong. Even McGee talks about how human need supercedes
all ritual and ceremonial laws.
God did provide for the poor and hungry in the Old Testament, and it was by
requiring that the farmers leave some of their fields un-harvested so that the poor could harvest the food
themselves. I want you to be clear on what David is doing here: he is simply killing two birds with one stone: he
needs a weapon and he is hungry. If he goes to the holy city, which is Nob at this time, he can get both. He figures
that he can talk the priest into going along with his two requests—for food and a weapon. David believes that he
can smooth-talk this priest and get what he wants. He doesn’t have time to stop first at a field and eat from the
harvest and then go to Nob for the sword. Why not take care of both things at once, is David’s thinking here. It is
called expediency.
The Tabernacle was not designed to be a soup kitchen—not even in those times. The priest was flabbergasted
by David’s request. It was unprecedented. He did not know what decision to make. There is a high ranking official
before him asking for bread and the priests did not bake bread for the poor, or for anyone else. They simply had
the Bread of Presence which was replenished every week (Lev. 24:8 tells us that the bread was put out with each
Sabbath day of worship; this could occur more often than every seven days, due to the various types of Sabbath
days). So this priest needed to make an executive decision. He needed to determine what does one do when the
Bread of Presence has been requested to eat. His solution was that David and his men must all be clean. Bear
in mind that this was not lawful for David to eat these loaves, as Jesus told the Pharisees: “Did you not read what
David did, when he was hungry, himself and those with him? How he went into the house of God, and the loaves
of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to him to eat, nor to those with him, except to the priests alone?”
(Matt. 12:3–4). Matthew Henry calls the priest over-nice if not superstitious.
We’ve already dealt with this
quotation of Jesus in great detail.
A moderately interesting question is, when did the priests bake the bread for the Sabbath? Weren’t they breaking
the Sabbath in order to bake this bread? Obviously they did not break the Sabbath in order to bake this bread, as
putting out this bread on each Sabbath day is a requirement of the priesthood. Ex. 12:16 gives us the simple
solution: “You must have a holy assembly on the first day and another one on the seventh. You must not work on
these days except to prepare your own meals. That's all you may do.” (God’s Word™). Another obvious exception
would be preparing the Bread of Presence (some of the very weird explanations was miraculous heat or some
other sort of miracle which made this possible).
And there a man from servants of Saul in the day the that detained to faces of Yehowah. And his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, mighty of the ones shepherding [a flock] who [are] to Saul. |
1Samuel 21:7 |
Also in that day [there was] there one of Saul’s servants, detained before Yehowah. And his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, a powerful [man] of the shepherds who belong to Saul. |
Also there that day was one of Saul’s servants, Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul’s chief shepherds. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And there a man from servants of Saul in the day the that detained to faces of Yehowah. And his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, mighty of the ones shepherding [a flock] who [are] to Saul.
Septuagint And there was there on that day one of Saul’s servants detained before the Lord, and his name [was] Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul.
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV It so happened that one of Saul's officers was there, worshiping the Lord that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds.
NLT Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day for ceremonial purification.
TEV (Saul’s chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfil a religious obligation.)
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ That same day one of Saul's servants who was obligated to stay in the Lord’s presence was there. His name was Doeg. A foreman for Saul's shepherds, he was from Edom.
JPS (Tanakh) Now one of Saul’s officials was there that day, detained before the Lord [i.e., excluded from the shrine, perhaps because of ritual impurity]; his name was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman [the meaning of the final two word uncertain].
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.
Young's Updated LT And 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 has.
What is the gist of this verse? The chief of Saul’s shepherds, Doeg the Edomite, is also there, kept there by Jehovah.
What we now have is a parenthetical statement of what was happening while David was speaking to Ahimelech. Doeg, an Edomite, and one of Saul’s suck-up officials (probably because he was an Edomite), is standing off watching this. He knows who David is and he knows of the situation between Saul and David (these are reasonable assumptions; Doeg will at least find out about this situation when he returns to the ranks of Saul).
1Samuel 21:7a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
shâm (ם ָש) [pronounced shawm] |
there; at that time, then; therein, in that thing |
adverb |
Strong’s #8033 BDB #1027 |
îysh (שי ̣א) [pronounced eesh] |
a man; a husband; one of virile age; an inhabitant of, a citizen of [when followed by a genitive of a place]; companion of, solider of, follower of [when followed by a genitive of king, leader, etc.]; anyone, someone, a certain one, each, each one, everyone |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #376 BDB #35 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
׳ebed (ד ∵ב ∵ע) [pronounced ĢEB-ved] |
slave, servant |
masculine plural construct |
Strong’s #5650 BDB #713 |
Shâûwl (לאָש) [pronounced shaw-OOL] |
which is transliterated Saul; it means asked for |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #7586 BDB #982 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yôwm (םי) [pronounced yohm] |
day, today (with a definite article) |
masculine singular noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #3117 BDB #398 |
hûw (אה) [pronounced hoo] |
that |
masculine singular, demonstrative pronoun (with a definite article) |
Strong’s #1931 BDB #214 |
Translation: Also in that day [there was] there one of Saul’s servants,... We are in the city of the priest, Nob. David has just conned Ahimelech out of several loaves of bread. At the same time, one of Saul’s servants is also there. That he is called a man of Saul’s servants indicates more than just being on Saul’s staff. What follows will be an indication of this man’s faithfulness to Saul. Recall that David was a soldier and that he was popular with his own men, as well as with the people. However, there are some men who are going to be yes men (in this case, to Saul), no matter what.
A staff which I worked on was like that. Whoever was department head, there would be those who would attach themselves to him or her and act as their friend in order to get the better assignments. There are also those who agree with their superiors, no matter what (this is different than obeying those who are in charge). I believe that the proper term is brown-noser. This is Doeg (Saul’s servant). We will find out that he is a brown-noser.
1Samuel 21:7b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
׳âtsar (ר ַצ ָע) [pronounced ģaw-TSAHR] |
to shut up; to be confined, to be detained, to be restrained, to be surrounded, to be enclosed; to be gathered together |
Niphal participle |
Strong’s #6113 BDB #783 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
pânîym (םי̣נ ָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, they mean upon the face of, before, before the face of, in the presence of, in the sight of, in front of. When used with God, it can take on the more figurative meaning in the judgment of. |
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YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH] |
transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Yehowah |
proper noun |
Strong’s #3068 BDB #217 |
Translation: ...detained before Yehowah. Now this is odd. What many exegetes suggest is that Doeg was unclean
and that he had to remain there before Jehovah. However, in most situations, those who were unclean were not
allowed any sort of contact with God or with the Tabernacle of God. For some reason, Doeg was detained before
God. Apparently, whoever he was with had already left (shepherds under his authority? Other high ranking
officials?), and it was just him in the city of the priests. Another possibility is that there was some sort of religious
feast going on, and being detained by Jehovah simply meant that he had to continue being there at the feast, even
though his mind was elsewhere. Gill suggests that it is the Sabbath, and that Doeg cannot travel more than 2000
cubits on the Sabbath.
At first, I thought that Doeg alone was detained. Perhaps he was there with his shepherd underlings; and perhaps he was there with other members of Saul’s cabinet; and, for whatever reason, he was detained. However, it is not absolutely necessary that Doeg is the only man there of the shepherds or even of Saul’s cabinet. Others could have been with him; however, he will be the man to tell Saul that David went through Nob as well (1Sam. 22:9).
My thinking, because of the actions which will follow in the next chapter, are that Doeg was an opportunist. He
wasn’t born a Jew so he didn’t exactly fit in, but he made an attempt to fit in. Here, he was at the city of priests,
possibly practicing the religion of the Jews.
Perhaps he was paying a vow or seeking cleansing of some sort from
the priest. There are some people who expand their business contacts by attending a large church. Very likely,
this is the sort of man that Doeg is. He is there not so much out of religious conviction, but as a man trying to fit
in. In any case, we know that God has a plan, and that this plan is always functioning. So, no matter what the
human viewpoint reason was, it was God Who kept Doeg there. This was part of God’s plan. Now, this is going
to strike you as a little odd, as the result of Doeg’s being there will be the mass execution of all of the priests of God
(save one). In one way, this will be a lesson to David. As for their deaths, what the priests had done wrong, if
anything, is not revealed to us. Why God removed them, from their standpoint or from the standpoint of the
priesthood, is not revealed to us. They may have simply been innocent bystanders. However, I do not believe that
to be the case (and this will be discussed in greater detail below).
Another slightly related fact is, it appears as though the Tabernacle of God is up and running again. As we have discussed previously, the original Tabernacle still exists; however, the Ark of God is still in storage. Given that we have God detaining Doeg, given that we have the Showbread available, and given that there are a group of priests gathered here, would tell us that there is at least a limited function of the Tabernacle. Because the Ark is not there, this would tell us that these priests do not really grasp their true function.
1Samuel 21:7c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
shêm (ם ֵש) [pronounced shame] |
name, reputation, character |
masculine singular noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #8034 BDB #1027 |
Dôêg (ג ̤הֹ) [pronounced doh-AYG]; also spelled ג ̤א |
anxious, concerned, fear and is transliterated Doeg |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1673 BDB #178 |
ědôwmîy (י.םד ֱא) [pronounced eh-doh-MEE] |
reddish; and is transliterated Edomite; also Syrian |
gentilic adjective with the definite article |
Strong’s #123 BDB #10 |
Translation: And his name [is] Doeg the Edomite,... The pertinent verb here is dâag (ג -אָ) [pronounced daw-AHG], which means to be anxious, to be concerned, to fear. You will note that the consonants are exactly the same, which is the root of the word. This means that they likely mean the same thing. My guess is that Doeg was a difficult birth which caused his mother to be concerned; even to be afraid. And so she named her son accordingly. Strong’s #1672 BDB #178.
Doeg is called an Edomite. This should not cause us any problem. We have, particularly in the United States, men who have come from all over the world to live and work here. Doeg just happens to be an Edomite who moved to Israel for work. Certainly, Israel’s enemies often include the Edomites and certainly, just like today, a significant portion of those who live around Israel were hostile towards her. However, this does not mean that each and every person in Israel’s periphery was anti-Semitic. There are Persians in Iraq who absolutely hate us; there are also Persians in our country who love living here and the opportunities offered to them from living here.
The Edomites are first cousins to the Jews. Esau was Jacob’s (also known as Israel) twin brother. Jacob, who was a chiseler, still chose the birthright of Abraham. However, it was Jacob who was originally sent away. However, when they later met again, Jacob remained in the Land of Promise and Esau moves his family south of the Dead Sea, to the hill country of Seir, also known as Edom. There, his family develops separately from Israel (although there were many times when the paths of their families crossed).
When the Jews were going into the land (in a rather circuitous route), the Edomites temporarily slowed them down, being contrary to the Jews. Despite this, the Jews were forbidden to hate the Edomites, who are called their brothers (Deut. 23:7–8). We covered the Doctrine of the Edom in Gen. 21:21.
As we will see in the next chapter, Saul will go on somewhat of a tirade, demanding information about David from his men (information which most of them did not have). Doeg will have information. He will notice that no one offers Saul any help with finding David, so he will step forward and tell Saul everything that he knows.
1Samuel 21:7d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
abbîyr (רי ̣ ַא) [pronounced ahb-BEER] |
mighty, valiant, mighty one; bull; powerful; noble; chief |
masculine singular adjective construct |
Strong’s #47 BDB #7 |
râ׳âh (ה ָעָר) [pronounced raw-ĢAWH] |
shepherding, tending [a flock]; a shepherd, one who tends sheep |
masculine plural Qal active participle with the definite article |
Strong’s #7462 BDB #944 |
ăsher (ר ∵ש ֲא) [pronounced ash-ER] |
that, which, when, who |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
lâmed (ל) [pronounced le] |
to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
Shâûwl (לאָש) [pronounced shaw-OOL] |
which is transliterated Saul; it means asked for |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #7586 BDB #982 |
Translation: ...a powerful [man] of the shepherds who belong to Saul. The adjective found here is only used with the idea that Doeg is the chief of Saul’s shepherds. For that reason, this should be understood more that Doeg was one of Saul’s more important shepherds; and not necessarily the chief shepherd (although that is probably his designation). In any case, we have a similar designation in 1Chron. 27:29–30.
Please realize that the king became involved in many aspects of Israel. Since he needs a staff and an army, he then needs to feed these people. So Saul probably took a great many animals as a tax to the state and drafted other men into service to care for these animals.
Interestingly enough, David will know this man. In fact, since he was one of Saul’s officers in charge of the sheep, David probably made an effort to get to know this man, or to at least speak with him. Being a shepherd from way back, these two would have something in common. So David and Doeg knew one another. It is even possible that they knew one another simply because they were both officers under Saul; however, my guess is that David went out of his way to speak to him, simply because of their shared background.
Now, if David has spoken to this man, then David probably knows him fairly well and probably realized that he was an opportunist. I mention this because David’s actions will result in the death of all of these priests and their loved ones. This was not simply a slip up on David’s part. He didn’t simply see Doeg out of the corner of his eye and think, “I might know that guy.” David saw him and realized that this would get back to Saul. But David will not consider the repercussions to the priests; he will only consider the repercussions to himself. My point is, David is not ready to lead Israel. A good leader focuses on those under him; David’s focus is upon himself and his own safety.
And so says David to Ahimelech, “And not [is] there here under your hand a spear or a sword for both my sword and my manufactured goods [or, weapons] I have not brought in my hand for was a word of the king hasty.” |
1Samuel 21:8 |
Then David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or a sword on hand here, for I have not brought either my sword or my weapons with me [lit., in my hand], for the king’s directive [lit., word] required haste [lit., was urgent].” |
Then David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not a sword or a spear here? You see, I did not bring my own sword or weapons as the king’s orders were urgent.” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so says David to Ahimelech, “And not [is] there here under your hand a spear or a sword for both my sword and my manufactured goods [or, weapons] I have not brought in my hand for was a word of the king hasty.”
Septuagint And David said to Abimelech, “See if there is here under your hand spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent.”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword? I had to leave so quickly on this mission for the king that I didn't bring along my sword or any other weapons.”
NLT David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword? The king’s business was so urgent that I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ David asked Ahimelech, “Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I didn't take either my spear or any other weapon because the king's business was urgent.”
JPS (Tanakh) David said to Ahimelech, “Haven’t you got a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t take my sword or any of my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.”
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB And David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand [lit., under your hand]? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me [lit., in my hand] because the king’s matter was urgent.”
Young's Updated LT And David says to Ahimelech, “And is there not here under your 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.”
What is the gist of this verse? David asks Ahimelech the priest for weapons, as he had forgotten his (his story to Ahimelech was that he had left these weapons because Saul’s order required haste).
1Samuel 21:8a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
ăchîymeleke (∵ל∵מי.ח ֲא) [pronounced uh-khee-MEH-lek] |
brother of Melek or brother of a king and is transliterated Ahimelech |
Masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #288 BDB #27 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
êyn (ןי̤א) [pronounced ān] |
nothing, not, [is] not; not present, not ready; expresses non-existence, absence or non-possession; there is no |
particle of negation; substantive of negation |
Strong’s #369 BDB #34 |
yêsh (שֵי) [pronounced yaysh] |
being, substance, existence; used as a substitute for to be (without reference to number or tense); to be present, to be ready, to exist; the verb to be may be implied |
substantive |
Strong’s #3426 BDB #441 |
pôh (הֹ) [pronounced poe] |
here |
adverb |
Strong’s #6311 BDB #805 |
tachath (ת ַח ַ) [pronounced TAH-khahth] |
underneath, below, under, beneath, in the place [in which one stands] [when found in accusative position] |
preposition |
Strong’s #8478 BDB #1065 |
yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with the 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
Again, on hand appears to be a very reasonable interpretation for this prepositional phrase. |
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chănîyth (תי.נֲח) [pronounced khuh-NEETH] |
spear |
feminine singular noun |
Strong’s #2595 BDB #333 |
ô (א) [pronounced oh] |
or, or rather, otherwise, also, and |
conjunction |
Strong's #176 BDB #14 |
chereb (ב ∵ר ∵ח) [pronounced khe-REBV] |
sword, knife, dagger; any sharp tool |
feminine singular noun |
Strong’s #2719 BDB #352 |
Translation: Then David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or a sword on hand here,... David left Ramah in haste, forgetting to bring his weapons. Even when he returned and spoke with Jonathan, he was too emotionally involved to think about weapons. However, now he has spent some time on the road, David is hungry and he realizes that he does not have any weapons. He asks Ahimelech here whether or not there are any weapons at the Tabernacle (which we are assuming has been set up, given that the Table of Showbread alluded to and the fact that Nob is called the city of priests).
David knows that there is at least one weapon in Nob. After killing Goliath, David took his sword and transported it to Jerusalem. From there, the sword was apparently taken to Nob. David’s coming to Nob to ask for food and for weapons indicates that he knew that he could find both items here.
1Samuel 21:8b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
gam (ם ַ) [pronounced gahm] |
also, furthermore, in addition to, even, moreover |
adverb |
Strong’s #1571 BDB #168 |
Together, they can mean for even; though, even, although [concealing a fact]. |
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chereb (ב ∵ר ∵ח) [pronounced khe-REBV] |
sword, knife, dagger; any sharp tool |
feminine singular noun with the 1st person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #2719 BDB #352 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
gam (ם ַ) [pronounced gahm] |
both...and, furthermore...as well as, also...also, that...so; either...or (but not used disjunctively) |
when gam is repeated |
Strong’s #1571 BDB #168 |
kelîy (י.ל) [pronounced kelee] |
manufactured good, artifact, article, utensil, vessel, weapon, armor, furniture, receptacle; baggage, valuables |
masculine plural noun with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong’s #3627 BDB #479 |
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low] |
not, no |
negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation |
Strong’s #3808 BDB #518 |
lâqach (ח ַק ָל) [pronounced law-KAHKH] |
to take, to take from, to take away, to take in marriage; to seize, to take possession of; to send after, to fetch, to bring; to receive |
1st person singular, Qal perfect |
Strong’s #3947 BDB #542 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
Translation: ...for I have not brought either my sword or my weapons with me [lit., in my hand],... David now has to form some sort of an explanation as to why he lacked any weapons. So he tells Ahimelech that he did not bring any weapons, and explains why in the next phrase.
1Samuel 21:8c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
hâyâh (ה ָי ָה) [pronounced haw-YAW] |
to be, is, was, are; to become, to come into being; to come to pass |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal perfect |
Strong's #1961 BDB #224 |
dâbvâr (ר ָב ָ) [pronounced dawb-VAWR] |
word, saying, doctrine, thing, matter, command |
masculine singular construct |
Strong's #1697 BDB #182 |
meleke ( ∵ל ∵מ) [pronounced MEH-lek] |
king, ruler, prince |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #4428 BDB #572 |
nâchats (ץ -חָנ) [pronounced naw-KHAHTZ] |
urgent, pressing, hasty |
Qal passive participle |
Strong’s #5169 BDB #637 |
Translation: ...for the king’s directive [lit., word] required haste [lit., was urgent].” The king’s directive was urgent. It required David to leave with haste. Of course, all of this is a fabrication. David did leave in haste, and was unable to procure a weapon for that reason; but he is certainly not there because of some matter of the king.
Again, God has placed David in a marvelous position here: he is in the city of priests, Nob, and in this city is the ephod, which could have provided David guidance and direction. David is not thinking about God or the spiritual ramifications of his plight. He has given no thought to the possible negative consequences of his visit. David is hungry and he needs a weapon.
Application: David has an incredibly narrow focus in this incident, and he shows absolutely no spiritual application at this point. When you are under pressure, the first thing that you should reach for are your spiritual assets. Do not become so focused on the things of this world that you neglect all that God has provided.
McGee points out with regards to this passage.
Apparently, many have quoted the tail-end of this verse (“The
king’s business requires haste”), and they therefore assert that there are things which must be done quickly for the
Lord; presumably because the rapture is nigh. Since we have spent so much time with this passage, it should be
apparent that this is a misapplication and a wrenching of Scripture from its context. David is lying to the priest here.
The Bible accurately records his lie; the Bible does not assert that this statement is a maxim by which we should
live. In fact, quite the opposite is true. God often requires a great deal of preparation on our parts. A perfect
example of this is David at this point in his life: God has promised to make him king, but God is not going to make
David king tomorrow. Why? He’s not ready. He’s lying to this priest and he is putting the lives of all these priests
in jeopardy, and he is giving little or no thought to this. That is not how a leader should think! God must prepare
David, and that preparation will take time—5–20 years, I would guess. So, are you called to teach God’s Word?
This does not mean that you need to get out on a street corner or commandeer some platform right after you have
been called. There is no theological support for that. If you are called to the formal ministry, then take your time
and get prepared. As McGee writes, The thing that marks the work of God is not haste but the fact that He works
slowly and patiently.
And so says the priest, “A sword of Goliath the Philistine who you killed in a valley of the Elah—behold, she is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If her you will take to you, take, for none other besides her in here.” And so says David, “None like her; giver her to me.” |
1Samuel 21:9 |
The priest then said, “[There is] the sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of Elah. Listen, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you [want to] take it, [then] take it, for [there is] no other [weapon] besides that in here.” And David said, “[There is] no other like it; give it to me.” |
The priest then said, “We have in here the sword of Goliath—that Philistine that you killed in the Valley of Elah. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, then take it, for we have no other weapons here.” And David said, “There is no other weapon like it; give it to me.” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so says David, “None like her; giver her to me.”
Septuagint And the priest said, “Behold, the sword fo Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapped in a cloth [the Alexandrian and Hebrew both add: behind the Ephod]. If you will take it, take if for yourself, for there is no other except it here.” And David said, “Behold, there is none like it. Give it [to] me.”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV The priest answered, “The only sword here is the one that belonged to Goliath the Philistine. You were the one who killed him in Elah Valley, and so you can take his sword if you want to. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the statue.”
"It's the best sword there is,” David said. “I'll take it!”
NAB The priest replied: “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Vale of the Terebinth, is here [wrapped in a mantle] behind the ephod. If you wish to take that, take it; there is no sword here except that one.” David said: “There is none to match it. Give it to me!”
TEV Ahimelech answered, “I have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in Elah Valley; it is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it—it’s the only weapon here.”
“Give it to me,” David said. “There is not a better sword anywhere!”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ The chief priest answered, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Elah Valley, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the priestly ephod. If you want to take it, take it. There's no other weapon here.” David said, “There's none like it. Let me have the sword.”
JPS (Tanakh) The priest said, “There is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you slew in the valley of Elah; it is over there, wrapped in a cloth, behind the ephod. If you want to take that one, take it, for there is none here but that one.” David replied, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is one like it; give it to me.”
Young's Literal Translation And the priest says, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you did strike in the valley of Elah, lo, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if it you do take to yourself, take; for there is none other save it in this place.” And David says, “There is none like it—give it to me.”
What is the gist of this verse? The priest offers David Goliath’s sword and tells David that there are no other weapons in Nob. David says that there is no weapon like Goliath’s sword, and then asks for the sword.
1Samuel 21:9a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE] |
priest |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong's #3548 BDB #463 |
chereb (ב ∵ר ∵ח) [pronounced khe-REBV] |
sword, knife, dagger; any sharp tool |
feminine singular construct |
Strong’s #2719 BDB #352 |
Gâleyath (ת-ילָ) [pronounced gohl-YAHTH] |
conspicuous and is transliterated Goliath |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1555 BDB #163 |
Pelishetîy (י. ש ̣ל) [pronounced pe-lish-TEE] |
transliterated Philistines |
masculine plural gentilic adjective (acts like a proper noun) with the definite article |
Strong’s #6430 BDB #814 |
ăsher (ר ∵ש ֲא) [pronounced ash-ER] |
that, which, when, who |
relative pronoun |
Strong's #834 BDB #81 |
nâkâh (ה ָכ ָנ) [pronounced naw-KAWH] |
to smite, to assault, to hit, to strike, to strike [something or someone] down, to defeat |
2nd person masculine singular, Hiphil perfect |
Strong #5221 BDB #645 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
׳emeq (ק ∵מ ∵ע) [pronounced ĢEH-mek] |
valley, vale, lowland, deepening, depth |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #6010 BDB #770 |
êlâh (הָל̤א) [pronounced ā-LAW] |
terebinth and is transliterated Elah |
proper noun/location with the definite article |
Strong’s #424 BDB #18 |
Translation: The priest then said, “[There is] the sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of Elah. You will recall that David originally carried Goliath’s head around with him and eventually took it to Jerusalem (1Sam. 17:54, 57). At the same time, he placed Goliath’s weapons in his tent, meaning that he kept them as souvenirs. However, a lot has taken place since that time. David formed a close friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan. Saul first promoted David, and then got particularly angry when the people of Israel praised David more than they did Saul. He tried to kill David in the palace, but David evaded him. He promised one of his daughters in marriage to David, as long as David showed himself to be successful in battle against the Philistines. David was successful, but the daughter was given in marriage to another. Saul’s other daughter was promised to David if he brought to Saul 100 Philistine foreskins; David brought 200. So David did marry Saul’s other daughter. Around the same time, Saul made it known that he wanted to kill David. His son talked him out of it. Saul made several attempts on David’s life afterwards, without Jonathan knowing about them. David escaped and left town; but when Saul pursued him, he returned. We had the scene at the New Moon Festival, and now David has left Ramah once again and is in Nob. So, sometime after 1Sam. 17, Goliath’s sword got moved to Nob (or was given to the priests). We are not told when or by whom.
It is likely that David knew the sword was there. He first went to the City of the Prophets and now he was at the City of the Priests. He went to the former to get advice or guidance from Samuel; he came here to the latter apparently for food and weaponry. One does not generally associate the priesthood with the carrying of weapons; however, if David knew the sword was there, and that if anyone could put a claim on it, he could; that was his most logical move. The bread was probably an afterthought, a result of being so hungry after his trip.
You may ask, why was Goliath’s sword in Nob? David’s victory over Goliath was a testimony to God’s faithfulness. Recall, that as David went on the offensive against Goliath, he called out so that all could hear, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Jehovah of the Armies, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted. Today the Jehovah will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And this day I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. The whole world will know that Israel has a God. Then everyone gathered here will know that the Jehovah can save without sword or spear, because the Jehovah determines every battle's outcome. He will hand all of you over to us.” (1Sam. 17:45b–47). This was a spiritual battle, not a battle between two men. Therefore, the fact that David defeated Goliath and took his weapons was a spiritual victory—not simply for David, but for all of Israel. Therefore, the evidence of this spiritual victory was best stored with the Tabernacle of God.
One would hope that even the thought of Goliath’s sword would spark David’s memory; one would hope that handling the sword would bring this memory back to David, making him realize what God has done for him in the past. However, there is no indication throughout any of this chapter that David ever looked at things from a spiritual perspective.
You may also ask, why didn’t Jonathan give him his own weapons or some other set of weapons? First of all, Jonathan could not return to the palace without his weapons. Saul was already on to the fact that Jonathan was covering something concerning David, as he accused Jonathan outright of supporting David even to the detriment of his own dynasty. So, if Jonathan went out with his weapons, and then returned without them, the only reasonable explanation would be that he gave them away (1Sam. 14 tells us that Jonathan was no pansy). Furthermore, it would have looked suspicious if Jonathan carted an extra set of weapons out to the field to target practice. So, Jonathan could not help David in this way.
1Samuel 21:9b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
hinnêh (הֵ ̣ה) [pronounced hin-NAY] |
lo, behold, or more freely, observe, look here, look, listen, pay attention, get this, check this out |
interjection, demonstrative particle |
Strong’s #2009 (and #518, 2006) BDB #243 |
hîy (אי.ה) [pronounced hee] |
she, it |
3rd person feminine singular, personal pronoun |
Strong’s #1931 BDB #214 |
lûwţ (טל) [pronounced loot] |
to be wrapped, to be enveloped, to be covered over, to be hidden |
Qal passive participle |
Strong’s #3874 BDB #532 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
sîmelâh (הָל מ ̣) [pronounced sime-LAW] |
garment, clothing, cloth |
feminine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #8071 BDB #971 |
achar (ר ַח ַא) [pronounced ah-KHAHR] |
after, following, behind |
preposition |
Strong’s #310 BDB #29 |
êphôwd (דפ̤א) [pronounced ay-FOHD] |
is transliterated ephod |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #646 BDB #65 |
Translation: Listen, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. As was mentioned, the sword of Goliath ended up
at the Tabernacle (we are assuming that it is up and running). The priests, not certain what to do with it, wrapped
it in a cloth and placed it behind the ephod.
We don’t know if there was a container for these sacred objects or
whether they were simply placed inside the Tabernacle.
Freeman tells us that it was common in the ancient world to wrap valuables like swords with cloth. He even
mentions that money was wrapped either in a napkin or in a cloth.
I suspect that the intention was to keep the
sword from rusting.
Again and again, it is though God is hitting David over the head with a club, asking for him to look back at what He has done for him; and asking David to look to Him for guidance. The priest tells David, “Sure, we have Goliath’s sword; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.” The ephod is what was used in order to ask God for guidance. Here David stood, with a priest, desirous of Goliath’s sword. However, what God was offering David was guidance.
Now, why didn’t David snap and realize that he could ask for divine direction from this priest? Simple: David has lied to this priest. David has lied to him about why he’s there and this precludes him asking the priest for any real direction. David should have stopped, looked at the priest, and said, “I’m sorry, Ahimelech, I haven’t been straight with you. I’m not on some secret mission from Saul; I am running for my life from Saul. He is out to kill me and he might kill anyone associated with me. What can I do?” But David thinks that he knows what to do.
Application: No matter what situation you find yourself; no matter how deep the hole is that you have dug for yourself; what is important is God’s direction. We do not have priests today, as in the time of Israel; nor can we go to the Tabernacle (or Temple) and ask some holy man to put on an ephod and give us guidance. However, we do have the Word of God, available to us as has not been available for centuries of human history. It is doctrine in the soul combined with the filling of the Holy Spirit which gives us guidance today.
1Samuel 21:9c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
îm (ם ̣א) [pronounced eem] |
if, though; lo, behold; oh that, if only; when, since, though |
primarily an hypothetical particle |
Strong's #518 BDB #49 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
untranslated mark of a direct object |
affixed to a 3rd person feminine singular suffix |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
lâqach (ח ַק ָל) [pronounced law-KAHKH] |
to take, to take from, to take away, to take in marriage; to seize, to take possession of; to send after, to fetch, to bring; to receive |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #3947 BDB #542 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with a 2nd person masculine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
lâqach (ח ַק ָל) [pronounced law-KAHKH] |
take, seize, take away, take in marriage; send for, fetch, bring, receive |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperative; pausal form |
Strong’s #3947 BDB #542 |
Translation: If you [want to] take it, [then] take it,... Ahimelech, the priest, tells David that if he wants that sword, then take it. We don’t know how much Ahimelech suspects, or whether David’s general haste has simply caught him off-guard.
1Samuel 21:9d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
êyn (ןי̤א) [pronounced ān] |
nothing, not, [is] not; not present, not ready; expresses non-existence, absence or non-possession; there is no |
particle of negation; substantive of negation |
Strong’s #369 BDB #34 |
achêr (ר̤ח-א) [pronounced ah-KHEHR] |
another, following, other as well as foreign, alien, strange |
adjective/substantive |
Strong’s #312 BDB #29 |
zûlâh (הָלז) [pronounced zoo-LAH] |
except, besides, only, save that |
preposition, conjunction with a 3rd person feminine singular suffix |
Strong’s #2108 BDB #265 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
zeh (ה∵ז) [pronounced zeh] |
here, this, thus |
demonstrative adjective |
Strong’s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 |
Translation: ...for [there is] no other [weapon] besides that in here.” David and Ahimelech will say two very different things using very similar phrases. David has asked for weapons, and Ahimelech tells him there is the sword of Goliath; and adds, “We have no other weapons here besides that.”
1Samuel 21:9e |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
êyn (ןי̤א) [pronounced ān] |
nothing, not, [is] not; not present, not ready; expresses non-existence, absence or non-possession; there is no |
particle of negation; substantive of negation |
Strong’s #369 BDB #34 |
kaph or ke ( ׃) [pronounced ke] |
like, as, according to; about, approximately |
preposition with a 3rd person feminine singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #453 |
nâthan (ן ַתָנ) [pronounced naw-THAHN] |
to give, to grant, to place, to put, to set |
2nd person masculine singular, Qal imperative with a 3rd person feminine singular suffix |
Strong's #5414 BDB #678 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 1st person singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
Translation: And David said, “[There is] no other like it; give it to me.” David speaks, almost as though he is expressing agreement with Ahimelech, but his response is more of a play on words. He turns the phrase of the priest slightly to remark, “There is no sword like Goliath’s sword.” Then he demands the sword.
Wesley makes a point here: Goliath’s sword will remind David of God’s faithfulness. However, it is important to recognize that this did not occur right away. David didn’t hold the sword in his hands and realize that he had no reason to be afraid of Saul. David killed Goliath, a man Saul was afraid of. In fact, everyone in Saul’s army (except, perhaps, Jonathan was afraid of Goliath. But David does not consider this. His behavior will continue to be self-serving and lacking in faith until the next chapter. However, at some point, David will become more confident, less afraid, and more willing to be led by God.
Application: There is a readiness factor in the plan of God. We often want things to happen right here and now when we are not ready for the results. God has perfect timing. God has crowned David king over all Israel, but it is not time for David to function as king over all Israel. The first step toward this responsibility will be for David to be truthful with Ahimelech and to ask for God’s guidance. Secondly, he needs to give some thought to what he might cause to take place in Nob. So, you may think that it is about time that you were rich or that you had a reasonable amount of authority or that you ought to be married or that it is about damn time that God promoted you. However, God functions in His own time, which is the right time. I was more qualified than anyone else on staff to teach Calculus and Pre-Calculus (or, at least, second-most qualified); however, I taught the easier subjects; God had a reason for that and He chose for me to work with the younger high school students; that was His timing and that was His plan. There was no need for me to question either at any time.
Application: What if you don’t get married? What if you don’t get that promotion? What if God does not rain down gold coins onto your property? God has a perfect plan and we are in that plan. Our daily preparation is Bible class. We need to focus on God’s Word and then on what God places before us. What we want is really not that important. David will become king of Israel; but it will be according to God’s timetable and when David is ready for that responsibility. God has plans for you; if you lack the spiritual preparation, then God has little reason to execute those plans. Any promotion, blessing, or detail of life that God gives to us prior to our ability to appreciate these things only results in the lesson that it is just too damn bad you don’t have the capacity to appreciate it. If you give a three-year-old a copy of Fantastic Four #1, he will destroy it in about 3 minutes. Give the same person this destroyed comic book 30 years later, and he will recognize that it had great value at one time—until he destroyed it because he lacked the capacity to appreciate it. Now apply this same principle to marriage. Do you want to be married to your right man or right woman prior to your capacity to enjoy that marriage? Would you rather have it when you lack capacity and you end up forever ruining a good thing due to your lack of capacity? Our society is littered with destroyed marriages because one or both participants lacked the capacity to be married.
David Goes to Gath and Goes Before King Achish
And so David rises and so he flees in the day the that from faces of Saul. And so he goes unto Achish, king of Gath. |
1Samuel 21:10 |
So David arose and fled from Saul that day. He then went to Achish, the king of Gath. |
So David arose that day and fled from Saul. He then went to Achish, the king of Gath. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so David rises and so he flees in the day the that from faces of Saul. And so he goes unto Achish, king of Gath.
Septuagint And he gave it [to] him, and David arose and fled in that day from the presence of Saul. And David came to Anchus king of Geth.
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV David kept on running from Saul that day until he came to Gath, where he met with King Achish.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ That day David left. He was └still┘ fleeing from Saul when he came to King Achish of Gath.
JPS (Tanakh) That day David continued on his flight from Saul and he came to King Achish of Gath.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB Then David arose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.
Young's Updated LT And David rises and flees on that day from the face of Saul, and comes in unto Achish king of Gath.
What is the gist of this verse? Next, David goes Achish, king of Gath.
1Samuel 21:10a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
qûwm (םק) [pronounced koom] |
to stand, to rise up, to establish, to establish a vow, to cause a vow to stand, to confirm or to fulfill a vow |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #6965 BDB #877 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
bârach (ח-רָ) [pronounced baw-RAHKH] |
to go through, to flee |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #1272 BDB #137 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yôwm (םי) [pronounced yohm] |
day, today (with a definite article) |
masculine singular noun with a definite article |
Strong’s #3117 BDB #398 |
hûw (אה) [pronounced hoo] |
that |
masculine singular, demonstrative pronoun (with a definite article) |
Strong’s #1931 BDB #214 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
pânîym (םי̣נ ָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, mipânîym mean from before your face, out from before your face, from one’s presence. However, together, they can also be a reference to the cause, whether near or remote, and can therefore be rendered because of, because that. |
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Shâûwl (לאָש) [pronounced shaw-OOL] |
which is transliterated Saul; it means asked for |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #7586 BDB #982 |
Translation: So David arose and fled from Saul that day. Saul was nowhere around; however, David fleeing was from Saul, of course, and not from Ahimelech. He got the bread and the sword and took off. David gave no thought to the danger that he might have exposed the priests to.
1Samuel 21:10b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
bôw (א) [pronounced boh] |
to come in, to come, to go in, to go, to enter |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #935 BDB #97 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
âkîysh (שי.כָא) [pronounced aw-KEESH] |
transliterated Achish |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #397 BDB #37 |
meleke ( ∵ל ∵מ) [pronounced MEH-lek] |
king, ruler, prince |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #4428 BDB #572 |
Gath (ת ַ) [pronounced gahth] |
wine-press and is transliterated Gath |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1661 BDB #387 |
Translation: He then went to Achish, the king of Gath. David had been a great warrior against the Philistines. We are told this several times in what was probably a 5–10 year military career. It is inexplicable why he chose to go to the Philistines at this point. My guess is that David was not thinking clearly (which goes back, perhaps, to having Jonathan lie to his father). However, where better to go than to Saul’s enemies for protection from Saul? As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Interestingly enough, Achish is called Abimelech in Psalm 34:inscription (which Psalm we will cover at the end of this chapter). What is likely the case is that Achish is the official Philistine name of the king of any Philistine city whereas, Abimelech would be his actual name.
What is also interesting is that David has just gotten Goliath’s sword, which sword is unique, and he comes into
Gath, a city filled with Philistines, with this sword. He might as well have strapped Goliath’s head to his steed as
he galloped into town.
David will be recognized, but not because someone posted his picture on Gath’s
homepage on the Internet; nor because the local newspaper carried a cover story with pictures, David Beheads
Goliath! However, the soldiers of Achish knew Goliath’s sword and when this young man carrying Goliath’s sword
comes into Gath asking for an audience with Achish, they put 2 and 2 together. Some of them could have been
present when David and Goliath faced off.
From what follows, this appears to be a face-to-face meeting. That is, David didn’t simply stroll into the Gath area and hang out. He went to the state building and made an appointment to speak with the king of Gath directly. It is possible that David’s intention was to offer his services to Achish as a mercenary.
According to Canne, Browne, Blayney and Scott,
Gath was located about 32 miles west of Jerusalem, and was
one of the cities on the border of Judah and Philistia. Since David’s life was in danger within Judah, he thought that
perhaps he might be safer in another country.
And so say servants of Achish unto him, “[Is] not this David, king of the land? [Did] not this: they say in the dances to say, “Has killed Saul in his thousands, and David in his ten thousands’?” |
1Samuel 21:11 |
But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing this in their [lit., the] dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands; and David his tens of thousands’?” |
But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t this the man about whom they sing, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands’?”. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so say servants of Achish unto him, “[Is] not this David, king of the land? [Did] not this: they say in the dances to say, “Has killed Saul in his thousands, and David in his ten thousands’?”
Septuagint And the servants of Anchus said to him, “[Is] this not David, the king of the land? Did not the dancing women begin the song to him, saying, ‘Saul has struck his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV The officers of King Achish were also there, and they asked Achish, “Isn't David a king back in his own country? Don't the Israelites dance and sing, ‘Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand enemies’?”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ Achish's officers asked, “Isn't this David, the king of └his┘ country? He's the one they used to sing about in the dances:
‘Saul has defeated thousands
but David tens of thousands.’ ”
JPS (Tanakh) The courtiers of Achish said to him, “Why, that’s David, king of the land! That’s the one of whom they sing as they dance:
Saul has slain his thousands;
David, his tens of thousands.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying,
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
Young's Updated LT And 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 killed among his thousands, and David among his myriads’ ?”
What is the gist of this verse? The cabinet of Achish realized that this was the David who was known far and wide for killing Philistines. They even knew the song which celebrated his victories.
1Samuel 21:11a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
׳ebed (ד ∵ב ∵ע) [pronounced ĢEB-ved] |
slave, servant |
masculine plural construct |
Strong’s #5650 BDB #713 |
âkîysh (שי.כָא) [pronounced aw-KEESH] |
transliterated Achish |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #397 BDB #37 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied); with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
hă ( ֲה) [pronounced heh] |
interrogative particle which acts almost like a piece of punctuation, like the upside-down question mark which begins a Spanish sentence. The verb to be may be implied. |
Strong’s #none BDB #209 |
|
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low] |
not, no |
negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation |
Strong’s #3808 BDB #518 |
zeh (ה∵ז) [pronounced zeh] |
here, this, thus |
demonstrative adjective |
Strong’s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
meleke ( ∵ל ∵מ) [pronounced MEH-lek] |
king, ruler, prince |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #4428 BDB #572 |
erets (ץ ∵ר ∵א) [pronounced EH-rets] |
earth (all or a portion thereof), land |
feminine singular noun with a definite article |
Strong's #776 BDB #75 |
Translation: But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? So David is probably standing right there before Achish, the king of Gath; and his staff speak up, saying, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” This is telling in several ways. First of all, David was recognizable. These men knew him well enough by reputation and description to look at him and say, “Isn’t this David?” Although it is possible that some of them were at the battle where David defeated Goliath (some Philistines did escape), the giveaway was probably Goliath’s sword that he wore, which was probably disproportionate to his considerably smaller body. Who else, the Gathites would reason, would dare wear such a sword? Furthermore, no doubt, a physical description of David had been circulated.
Secondly, notice that the cabinet of Achish recognizes David’s authority in Israel, even though he had left Israel in a panic (they don’t know this). Saul may have been the official ruler over Israel but everyone saw David as the man who was rightfully the ruler of Israel. To clarify, in the ancient world, a leader was a military leader; not some lawyer. He had proven himself to be courageous, a man able to make the difficult decisions, a man of discipline, and one who is willing to give his all for very little recompense. There are a lot of great attributes which can be associated with a military hero. So, it was reasonable for the greatest military hero to also be seen as the ruler over the land. Furthermore, a military hero also has the support and power of his army behind him. So, because of David’s military exploits, he was the leader of Israel in the eyes of his enemies. It is telling that they recognized what Saul and his staff refused to recognize.
1Samuel 21:11b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
hă ( ֲה) [pronounced heh] |
interrogative particle which acts almost like a piece of punctuation, like the upside-down question mark which begins a Spanish sentence. The verb to be may be implied. |
Strong’s #none BDB #209 |
|
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low] |
not, no |
negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation |
Strong’s #3808 BDB #518 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
zeh (ה∵ז) [pronounced zeh] |
here, this, thus |
demonstrative adjective |
Strong’s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 |
׳ânâh (הָנָע) [pronounced ģaw-NAWH] |
to answer, to respond; to speak loudly, to speak up [in a public forum]; to testify; to sing, to chant, to sing responsively |
3rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #6030 BDB #772 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
mechôwlâh (הָלח מ) [pronounced mekhoh-LAW] |
dances, dancing (which usually accompanies and celebrates a victory of some sort) |
feminine plural noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #4246 BDB #298 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to |
preposition with the 1st person singular suffix |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
Qal infinitive construct |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
nâkâh (ה ָכ ָנ) [pronounced naw-KAWH] |
to smite, to assault, to hit, to strike, to strike [something or someone] down, to defeat |
3rd person masculine singular, Hiphil perfect |
Strong #5221 BDB #645 |
Shâûwl (לאָש) [pronounced shaw-OOL] |
which is transliterated Saul; it means asked for |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #7586 BDB #982 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
ălâphîym (מי.פָלֲא) pronounced uh-law-FEEM] |
thousands, families, [military] units |
masculine plural noun with the 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #505 (and #504) BDB #48 |
we (or ve) (ו) [pronounced weh] |
and, even, then; namely |
simple wâw conjunction |
No Strong’s # BDB #251 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
rebâbâh (הָבָבר) [pronounced rebvaw-BVAW] |
multitude, myriad, ten thousand |
feminine plural noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #7233 BDB #914 |
Translation: Did they not sing this in their [lit., the] dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands; and David his tens of thousands’?” The main verb means to sing (it is also used to mean to speak). The Philistines were aware of the Israelite women gathering and dancing and celebrating, and singing this song (the song that really hacked off Saul—see 1Sam. 18:7). This would imply to us that the Philistines did have spies; whether they had become a part of Israel and were within Israel’s population or whether they were observers from afar, we don’t know. However, they were obviously able to at least hear the singing of the women.
And so puts David the words the these in his mind and so he is afraid, very, from faces of Achish king of Gath. |
1Samuel 21:12 |
David put these words in his heart and consequently was very much afraid because of Achish, king of Gath. |
David pondered these words and became very afraid of Achish king of Gath. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so puts David the words the these in his mind and so he is afraid, very, from faces of Achish king of Gath.
Septuagint And David put the words in his heart, and was greatly afraid of Anchus king of Geth.
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV David thought about what they were saying, and it made him afraid of Achish.
NAB David took note of these remarks and became very much afraid of Achish, king of Gath.
NJB David pondered these words and became very frightened of Achish king of Gath.
NLT David heard these comments and was afraid of what King Achish might do to him.
TEV Their words made a deep impression David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ When David realized what they had said, he was terrified of King Achish of Gath.
JPS (Tanakh) These words worried David and he became very much afraid of King Achish of Gath.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB And David took these words to heart, and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.
Young's Updated LT And David lays these words in his heart, and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath,...
What is the gist of this verse? David thought about his situation and what these men just said, and he became afraid on the King of Gath.
1Samuel 21:12a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
sûwm (ם) [pronounced soom]; also spelled sîym (םי ̣) [pronounced seem] |
to put, to place, to set, to make |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #7760 BDB #962 |
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED] |
beloved and is transliterated David |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1732 BDB #187 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
dâbvâr (ר ָב ָ) [pronounced dawb-VAWR] |
words, sayings, doctrines, commands; things, matters, reports |
masculine plural noun with the definite article |
Strong's #1697 BDB #182 |
êlleh (ה ∵ ֵא) [pronunced EEHL-leh] |
these, these things |
demonstrative plural adjective with the definite article |
Strong's #428 BDB #41 |
lêbvabv (ב ַב ֵל) [pronounced layb-VBAHV] |
mind, inner man, inner being, heart |
masculine singular noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #3824 BDB #523 |
Translation: David put these words in his heart... The word for heart is lêbvabv and it means mind, heart, inner man, thinking. Putting these words into his thinking meant that David thought about what these men said and suddenly realized what a very precarious position that he was in. No doubt, David went through that momentary thought, “Holy crap, what did I just do!”
1Samuel 21:12b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
yârê (א ֵר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAY |
to fear, to fear-respect, to reverence, to have a reverential respect |
3rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #3372 BDB #431 |
meôd (דֹא ׃מ) [pronounced me-ODE] |
exceedingly, extremely, greatly, very |
adverb |
Strong’s #3966 BDB #547 |
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min] |
from, away from, out from, out of from, off, on account of, since, above, than, so that not, above, beyond, more than |
preposition of separation |
Strong's #4480 BDB #577 |
pânîym (םי̣נ ָ) [pronounced paw-NEEM] |
face, faces; presence |
masculine plural construct (plural acts like English singular) |
Strong’s #6440 BDB #815 |
Together, mipânîym mean from before your face, out from before your face. However, together, they can also be a reference to the cause, whether near or remote, and can therefore be rendered because of, because that. |
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âkîysh (שי.כָא) [pronounced aw-KEESH] |
transliterated Achish |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #397 BDB #37 |
meleke ( ∵ל ∵מ) [pronounced MEH-lek] |
king, ruler, prince |
masculine singular construct |
Strong’s #4428 BDB #572 |
Gath (ת ַ) [pronounced gahth] |
wine-press and is transliterated Gath |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #1661 BDB #387 |
Translation: ...and consequently was very much afraid because of Achish, king of Gath. It is obvious that David was not thinking clearly. You may wonder, just what the hell was David thinking? To explain: Saul was his enemy and Saul was out to kill him, so where better to go than to Saul’s enemy, to a people that Saul could not stand up to—the Philistines. Saul would not follow David into the midst of the Philistines. You see, except for Jonathan’s incredible attack, Saul had seemed to lose his nerve when it came to the Philistines. So David figured that this would be the place to go, as an ex-patriot. However, the men of Gath didn’t see things that way. Who they had standing before them was the most renown Philistine killer, David. So their take was very different than David’s. David suddenly saw things from their perspective rather than from his, and this caused him to become afraid of Achish. Achish, like Saul, could order David’s execution on a whim; he could order David’s torture for sport. Suddenly, David found himself in the same situation that he was in when he was in Israel.
Application: I have told you how important this time was in David’s life. It was not simply because he wrote some psalms during this time period, although that was certainly important. What is the key in this situation is that David suddenly sees reality from the other man’s perspective. He understands that there is a different way to view things. As children, we grow up very egocentric, to reaching almost a crisis point in our teens. Part of growing up is realizing that other people have needs, thoughts and desires and that everyone was not put on this earth in order to cater to us, regardless of what our parents and schools have done up to this point. I have harped on principles of authority because (1) I have never had an interest in being the man in charge but (2) I have been subject to some horrible authority figures (and I realize that there are much worse out there). If you are going to have authority over a group of one or more people, you need to be able to see things from their perspective. You should not wait for them to explain to you what their point of view is, as most of the time, they won’t. As a leader, you need to recognize what their needs, desires and aspirations are. You need to see things from their vantage point. You need to see yourself from their vantage point. Up until 10 seconds ago, David was completely egocentric. He understood how things were from his personal perspective; and now, he realizes there is a whole different point of view that he was not hip to. In this situation, his non-alertness to the viewpoint of the other man put his life in danger. For you, that is rarely the case. However, if you are going to command any position of authority, and if you want to be a great leader, then you need to see things from the other guy’s point of view.
And so changes his behavior in their [two] eyes and so he is mad in their hand and so he marks upon doors of the gate and so he causes to go down saliva into his beard. |
1Samuel 21:13 |
Then David changed his behavior before them [lit., in their eyes] and he feigned madness in their presence [lit., in their hand]. Then he made marks upon the doors of the [city] gate and caused drool to run down into his beard. |
Then David radically changed his behavior before them: he reigned insanity while under their control and made marks upon the city gates when not under their control. He also allowed saliva to run down his chin. |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so changes his behavior in their [two] eyes and so he is mad in their hand and so he marks upon doors of the gate and so he causes to go down saliva into his beard.
Septuagint And he changed his appearance before him, and feigned himself a false character in that day; and drummed upon the doors of the city, and used extravagant gestures with his hands, and fell against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and scratched up the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard.
NAB So, as they watched, he feigned insanity and acted like a madman in their hands, drumming on the doors of the gate and drooling onto his beard.
NJB When their eyes were on him, he played the madman and, when they held him, he feigned lunacy. He drummed his feet on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.
NLT So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.
TEV So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard.
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ So he changed his behavior └when he was┘ in their presence and acted insane └as long as he was┘ under their authority. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate and let his spit run down his beard.
JPS (Tanakh) So he concealed his good sense from them; he feigned madness for their benefit [lit., in their hand; meaning of Hebrew uncertain]. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
Updated Emphasized Bible So he feigned himself mad in their sight, and raged in their hand, —and struck against [MT: made marks upon] the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down upon his beard.
NASB So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard.
NKJV So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness [or, insanity] in their hands, scratched [or, scribbled] on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.
Young's Updated LT ...and changes his behaviour before their eyes, and feigns himself mad in their hand, and scribbles on the doors of the gate, and lets down his spittle unto his beard.
What is the gist of this verse? David feigned insanity before Achish.
Obviously, the LXX has a lot more going on than the Hebrew. It sounds fuller than the Masoretic text version. David
is also drumming on the city gates, making extravagant gestures with his hands, and falling against the city walls.
1Samuel 21:13a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
shânâh (הָנ ָש) [pronounced shaw-NAW] |
to change, to vary; to transfer to another place; to deform |
3rd person masculine singular, Piel imperfect |
Strong’s #8138 BDB #1039 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
ţa׳am (םַע ַט) [pronounced TAH-ģahm] |
taste, flavor of food; taste [in the sense of personal judgment], discretion; sentence of a king, a royal decree, behavior |
masculine singular noun |
Strong’s #2940 BDB #381 |
be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
׳ayin (ן̣יַע) [pronounced ĢAH-yin] |
spring, literal eye(s), spiritual eyes, spring |
feminine dual noun with the masculine plural suffix |
Strong’s #5869 (and #5871) BDB #744 |
Translation: Then David changed his behavior before them [lit., in their eyes]... When David arrived in Gath, he demanded an audience with the king. He of course appeared rational. However, realizing that his coming to Gath could have been a mistake, David then changed his behavior before them. The Masoretic text gives us three ways in which he changed his behavior. The Septuagint gives us four ways. Furthermore, in the Greek, we are told that David changed his appearance. The idea is that he began to act, using his facial features. In the next phrase, I will explain why he took that approach.
1Samuel 21:13b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
hâlal (ל ַל ָה) [pronounced haw-LAHL] |
to be mad, to be foolish; to feign madness |
3rd person masculine singular, Hithpael imperfect |
Strong’s #1984 BDB #237 |
This word appears to be properly a homonym, with several meanings: it can mean to sing, to praise; to be bright, to be clear; to boast, to glory about oneself; to be foolish, to be mad. Even though there are a wide variety of uses, the variant meanings tend to remain within their respective stems. That is, the meanings of the Poel don’t appear to bleed over into the Qal usage. |
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The Hithpael is the reflexive of the Piel, and appears to be equivalent to the Hithpolel and the Hithpalal (which
are both found in Owen, but not elsewhere). The Hithpael conveys the idea that one puts himself into the state
or the action of the verb, which is an achieved state. Seow gives several uses: (1) Its primary use is
reflexive—the verb describes action on or for oneself. That is, the subject of the verb is also the object of the
verb. However, this does not completely convey the reflexive use, as there are examples where the verb takes
on another object. These verbs are known as tolerative—the subject allows an action to affect himself or herself.
(2) Reciprocal use: Occasionally, the Hithpael denotes reciprocity; that is, they worked with one another, they
looked at one another. (3) The third use is known as iterative, which means that the Hithpael suggests repeated
activity (he walked about, he walked to and fro, and turned back and forth). (4) The fourth use is known as
estimative: the verb indicates how one shows himself or regards himself, whether in truth or by pretense (he
pretended to be sick, they professed to be Jews).
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Now, you may think that there is a lot of information here which is not really that important; however, I give you
this because at least on exegete, Clarke, says that God caused David to have this epileptic fit.
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be (׃) [pronounced beh] |
in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within |
a preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #none BDB #88 |
yâd (דָי) [pronounced yawd] |
generally translated hand |
feminine singular noun with a 3rd person masculine plural suffix |
Strong's #3027 BDB #388 |
Translation: ...and he feigned madness in their presence [lit., in their hand]. The first thing that David did is he acted crazy. If you examined the Hebrew exegesis, you see that the word for feigning madness actually has a plethora of meanings, few of which seem to be related. However, the word does seem to maintain some stability within the various stems.
When it says that David feigned madness in their hand, it means that, while under their control or power, he acted crazy. It is possible that the men by his side have seized him before Achish or that he was somehow restrained or constrained by them. It was not necessarily because he was acting crazy, but because he was David, the killer of thousands of Philistines.
Probably the exact scenario is this: the servants of Achish proclaim that David is an enemy of the Philistines and then they seize him. While he is under their control, he distorts his face (as per the Greek), he drools and acts like he’s a few sandwiches short of a picnic. He does whatever he can while restrained. This is going to limit David’s acting out considerably.
As mentioned within the exegesis, at least one exegete said that David did not feign madness, but that God caused
him to have an epileptic fit. I have explained within the context of this exegesis that this was unlikely (see above).
By the way, the consensus of exegetes (which is not always the deciding factor) is that David caused himself to
appear mad. A sample from one exegete (Spurgeon): he [David]...resorted to methods of such dubious morality
as pretending to be mad and behaving as a lunatic.
1Samuel 21:13c |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
tâwâh (הָו ָ) [pronounced taw-WAWH] |
to mark a boundary line, to set a limit, to limit; to make a mark, to set a mark |
3rd person masculine singular, Piel imperfect |
Strong’s #8427 & #8428 BDB #1063 |
This is not a homonym, as presented by Strong, but actually two aspects of the same word. It’s primary meaning is to make a mark, which is substantiated by its substantive cognates. However, often a mark is made in order to set or mark a boundary, so it also can mean to place a boundary around; from this, we can derive the less concrete meaning to limit. |
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Rotherham tells us that David struck against the doors of the city, pointing to the LXX. According to Edersheim,
a slight alteration of the Hebrew letters turns scribbling to drumming or beating.
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׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ] |
upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside |
preposition of proximity |
Strong’s #5921 BDB #752 |
deleth (ת∵ל∵) [pronounced DEH-leth] |
doors, gates of a city |
feminine dual construct |
Strong’s #1817 BDB #195 |
The difference between the plural construct and the plural noun is simply the vowel points, which were added long after the original text was written. |
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sha׳ar (ר-ע -ש) [pronounced SHAH-ģahr] |
gate [control of city can be implied]; area inside front gate; entrance |
masculine singular noun with the definite article |
Strong’s #8179 BDB #1044 |
Translation: Then he made marks upon the doors of the [city] gate... This is not within the palace of Achish, but out by the city gates. The idea is that, as we will see, Achish is going to allow David to leave, and David will continue this act. He doesn’t simply say, “I’m outta here” and makes a run for it. He stays in character, even when released, and even makes marks upon the city gate, almost as though he is setting a boundary that he is not supposed to cross over. This would have actually occurred after the next few verses.
This could be a reference to the gates of the entrance into the palace of Achish. Through these gates would be a courtyard (compare Esther 2:19, 21). David would have exhibited the same behavior, for the sake of Achish’s servants. In any case, they no doubt escorted David to the gates of the city.
The Septuagint gives us a greater set of similar behaviors. Instead of making marks on the city gates, he drums on them. I worked with a young man who had Turret’s Syndrom, and drumming was a major part of his behavior. When he was able to concentrate on something, he would not drum as often. However, when his attention span wandered, he could be drumming with his hands constantly. The second thing that David did, according to the Septuagint, is he made wild, extravagant gestures with his hands. Again, this is typical behavior for a person who is not altogether tied to reality, but realizes that he has an audience. David could have done this at the point of being let go. Finally, the third thing that David did (according to the LXX) is fell against the doors of the gate. Most people, when given their walking papers, would simply walk slowly, but directly, toward the exterior of the city. David took a few detours, walking into the doors of the gate rather than simply exiting though the gates. David’s intent was to appear completely disoriented, which would be in character for suddenly showing up at the doorstep of Achish king of Gath. No doubt, David was a 3 Stooges fan.
1Samuel 21:13d |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
yârad (ד ַר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAHD] |
to cause to go down, to cause to come down, to bring down |
3rd person masculine singular, Hiphil imperfect |
Strong’s #3381 BDB #432 |
rîyr (רי.ר) [pronounced reer] |
saliva, drool, spit |
masculine singular noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #7388 BDB #938 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
zâqân (ן ָקָז) [pronounced zaw-KAWN] |
chin, beard |
masculine singular noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #2206 BDB #278 |
Translation: ...and caused drool to run down into his beard. The final thing that David did (and probably while still
in the custody of Achish’s soldiers) is that he let drool run down his chin and into his beard (assuming that he had
a beard—the Hebrew allows for either chin or beard). This would give the appearance of David having a fit of
epilepsy. According to Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, the spit on the beard was a tremendous personal insult,
indicating that David, in their eyes, was clearly over the edge.
Although the MT makes David’s behavior appear almost like an epileptic fit, the LXX makes it appear more as though he had Turret’s syndrom. Interestingly enough, in v. 14 of the Septuagint, we have the word epilêptôn (ἐπιληπτων), which is obviously from whence we get out word epileptic. Whichever, his behavior probably convinced the soldiers who held him, to some degree.
And so says Achish unto his servants, “Lo, you see a man is mad; for why do you bring him to me? |
1Samuel 21:14 |
Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad; why did you bring him to me? |
Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that this man is insane; why did you bring him to me? |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text And so says Achish unto his servants, “Lo, you see a man is mad; for why do you bring him to me?
Septuagint And Anchus said to his servants, “Lo! You see this man [is] mad [or, an epileptic]; why have you brought him in to me?
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV “Look at him!” Achish said to his officers. “You can see he's crazy. Why did you bring him to me?
NJB And Achish said to his courtiers, “You see the man is raving; why bring him to me?
NLT Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman?
TEV So Achish said to his officials, “Look! The man is crazy Why did you bring him to me?
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ Achish said to his officers, “Look at him! Don't you see └that he's┘ insane? Why bring him to me?
JPS (Tanakh) And Achish said to his courtiers, “You see the man is raving; why bring him to me?
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me?
Young's Updated LT And Achish says unto his servants, “Lo, you see a man acting as a madman; why do you bring him in unto me?”
What is the gist of this verse? Achish points out the obvious—that David is mad. He then asks, “Why did you bring him to me?”
1Samuel 21:14a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
âmar (ר ַמ ָא) [pronounced aw-MARH] |
to say, to speak, to utter; to say [to oneself], to think |
3rd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect |
Strong’s #559 BDB #55 |
âkîysh (שי.כָא) [pronounced aw-KEESH] |
transliterated Achish |
masculine proper noun |
Strong’s #397 BDB #37 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied) |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
׳ebed (ד ∵ב ∵ע) [pronounced ĢEB-ved] |
slave, servant |
masculine plural noun with a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong’s #5650 BDB #713 |
hinnêh (הֵ ̣ה) [pronounced hin-NAY] |
lo, behold, or more freely, observe, look here, look, listen, pay attention, get this, check this out |
interjection, demonstrative particle |
Strong’s #2009 (and #518, 2006) BDB #243 |
rââh (ה ָא ָר) [pronounced raw-AWH] |
to see, to look, to look at, to view, to behold; to perceive, to understand, to learn, to know |
2nd person masculine plural, Qal imperfect |
Strong's #7200 BDB #906 |
îysh (שי ̣א) [pronounced eesh] |
a man, a husband; anyone; a certain one; each, each one, everyone |
masculine singular noun |
Strong's #376 BDB #35 |
shâga׳ (עַג ָש) [pronounced shaw-GAH] |
to be mad, to be a madman |
Hithpael participle |
Strong's #7696 BDB #993 |
Translation: Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad;... Achish points out what is
apparent and obvious. David was drooling and acting crazy; and he did not appear to be a threat to anyone. Achish
tells them to look; David is obviously out of his mind. This does not mean that is what Achish actually thinks.
Although we don’t really know what is going on in his mind, several exegetes
suggest that Achish allows David
this out due to a respect that he has for David (which respect will be later confirmed in subsequent chapters). My
guess is that Achish considers the situation, thinks to himself, maybe he’s mad and maybe he’s not; and simply
chooses to let David go.
1Samuel 21:14b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
mâh (ה ָמ) [pronounced maw] |
what, how, why |
interrogative; exclamatory particle |
Strong’s #4100 BDB #552 |
Lâmed + mâh can be rendered why, for what reason, to what purpose, for what purpose, indicating an interrogatory sentence. |
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bôw (א) [pronounced boh] |
to take in, to bring, to come in with, to carry |
2nd person masculine plural, Hiphil imperfect |
Strong’s #935 BDB #97 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
untranslated mark of a direct object |
affixed to a 3rd person masculine singular suffix |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied with a 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
Translation: ...why did you bring him to me? This question was rhetorical, as we will see in the next verse. It is unfortunate that his question and answer were separated. Even of itself, it is pretty clear that this is a rhetorical question—if Philistia’s greatest enemy traverses her borders, then certainly the ruler of Philistia would require knowledge of this.
A lack of madmen I that you have brought this one to be mad upon me? For why does this one come unto my house?” |
1Samuel 21:15 |
Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to act crazy on account of me? Why does this one come into my house?” |
Am I so lacking in madmen that you brought this man into my house?” |
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Here is how others have translated this verse:
Ancient texts:
Masoretic Text A lack of madmen I that you have brought this one to be mad upon me? For why does this one come unto my house?”
Septuagint Am I in want of madmen that you have brought him in to me to play the madman? He will not come into the house.”
Significant differences .
Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:
CEV I have enough crazy people without your bringing another one here. Keep him away from my palace!”
NJB Have I not enough madmen, without your bringing me this one to weary me with his antics Is he to join my household?”
NLT We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”
REB Am I short of madmen that you bring this one to plague me? Must I have this fellow in my house?”
TEV Don’t I have enough madmen already Why bring another one to bother me with his crazy actions right here in my own house?”
Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):
God’s Word™ Do I have such a shortage of lunatics that you bring this man so that he can show me he is insane? Does this man have to come into my house?”
JPS (Tanakh) Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to rave for me? Should this fellow enter my house?” [This is actually v. 16 in the JPS].
Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:
NASB “Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”
Young's Updated LT A lack of madmen have I, that you have brought in this one to act as a madman by me! Does this one come in unto my house?”
What is the gist of this verse? Achish makes light of the situation, asking whether he really needs one more madman in his palace. “Do I lack madmen that I really need one more?”
1Samuel 21:15a |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
wa (or va) (ַו) [pronounced wah] |
and so, then |
wâw consecutive |
No Strong’s # BDB #253 |
châçêr (ר̤סָח) [pronounced khaw-SAYR] |
wanting, lacking, needing; void of |
adjective construct |
Strong’s #2638 BDB #341 |
shâga׳ (עַג ָש) [pronounced shaw-GAH] |
to be done with divine fury; to be mad, to be a madman; as a participle, it can mean madman, fanatic |
masculine plural, Pual participle |
Strong's #7696 BDB #993 |
ânîy (י.נָא) [pronounced aw-NEE] |
I, me; in answer to a question, it means I am, it is I |
1st person singular, personal pronoun |
Strong’s #589 BDB #58 |
kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee] |
when, that, for, because |
conjunction; preposition |
Strong's #3588 BDB #471 |
bôw (א) [pronounced boh] |
to take in, to bring, to come in with, to carry |
2nd person masculine plural, Hiphil perfect |
Strong’s #935 BDB #97 |
êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth] |
generally untranslated |
indicates that the following substantive is a direct object |
Strong's #853 BDB #84 |
zeh (ה∵ז) [pronounced zeh] |
here, this, thus |
masculine singular, demonstrative adjective |
Strong’s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 |
lâmed (ל) (pronounced le) |
to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to |
preposition |
No Strong’s # BDB #510 |
shâga׳ (עַג ָש) [pronounced shaw-GAH] |
to be mad, to be a madman |
Hithpael infinitive construct |
Strong's #7696 BDB #993 |
׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ] |
upon, beyond, on, against, above, over; on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, besides, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by on to, towards, to, against, in the matter of, concerning, as regards to |
preposition of proximity with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong’s #5921 BDB #752 |
Translation: Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to act crazy on account of me? What Achish says is actually very funny. “Don’t I already have enough madmen in the palace? You bring me one more?” Achish apparently is not concerned for his own safety because of David. In fact, seeing the greatest warrior of Israel acting crazy will give Achish a matter to ponder—is Israel now vulnerable, because David is mentally incapacitated?
Does Achish really think that David is crazy? It is possible that this was just a cleaver line, and Achish could not
help but use it. In later times, we will see that Achish actually respected and liked David (compare 1Sam. 27:2–3),
whereas his soldiers and the people of Philistia were apprehensive about him, if not outright antagonistic toward
David. On the other hand, the people of Israel in general liked and respected David, although the ruler of Israel,
Saul, was very antagonistic toward him, a dichotomy noted by Matthew Henry.
1Samuel 21:15b |
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Hebrew/Pronunciation |
Common English Meanings |
Notes/Morphology |
BDB and Strong’s Numbers |
hă ( ֲה) [pronounced heh] |
interrogative particle which acts almost like a piece of punctuation, like the upside-down question mark which begins a Spanish sentence. The verb to be may be implied. |
Strong’s #none BDB #209 |
|
zeh (ה∵ז) [pronounced zeh] |
here, this, thus |
masculine singular, demonstrative adjective |
Strong’s #2088, 2090 (& 2063) BDB #260 |
bôw (א) [pronounced boh] |
to take in, to bring, to come in with, to carry |
3rd person masculine singular suffix, Hiphil imperfect |
Strong’s #935 BDB #97 |
el (ל∵א) [pronounced el] |
in, into, toward, unto, to, regarding, against |
directional preposition (respect or deference may be implied with a 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #413 BDB #39 |
bayith (ת̣י ַ) [pronounced BAH-yith] |
house, household, habitation as well as inward |
masculine singular noun with the 1st person singular suffix |
Strong's #1004 BDB #108 |
Translation: Why does this one come into my house?” Achish already has enough madmen in the palace. Why
let this man come into his house?
Thieme on numerous occasions spoke ill of commentaries. When it comes to a passage like this, such an attitude is justified. Achish gives David a pass here. I have read through several commentaries on this particular situation, and none of them get it right. One commentator tells us that the Jews thought the wife and daughter of Achish were mad. Another said that because David was mad, Achish wanted nothing to do with him. One said that the ancients kept madmen around as an entertainment source, but that Achish really didn’t need another crazy man right then. Only Wesley seemed to have a clue, as he recognized that Achish probably knew that David was faking his insanity. Given this, let me explain... |
1. Achish and David have more in common than Achish and his underlings. 2. Later on, we will find that Achish clearly likes David, whereas his soldiers and the people of Philistia were apprehensive and/or outright antagonistic toward David (1Sam. 27:2–3). 3. Achish is the ruler of a city and David is seen as the ruler (or, at least, the potential ruler) of Israel (v. 11). 4. Achish does not view David as a threat. My guess is that his reconnaissance* shows David to really be alone and not backed by an army waiting outside the city. 5. David is afraid of Achish (v. 12), but Achish is not afraid of him. He simply does not view David as any sort of threat to him. He has not shown up in Gath with a cadre of soldiers; he has only Goliath’s sword, which is going to be much too large for David. And David is acting crazy. So, as far as Achish is concerned, there is not threat here—not to him anyway. 6. We have observed a mutual respect (or, at least mercy) between rulers before when Saul chose not to execute Agag in 1Sam. 15:8. 7. Despite the fact that David had led attacks against the Philistines on several occasions, it is very likely that David had not provoked these attacks. Therefore, even though the Philistines had been at war against David, David responded as any brave man would. Achish could not fault him for protecting his own homeland; he rather respected him. 8. It is unclear as to how much information Achish had about the riff between Saul and David. David was a likable man who was easy to respect; and Saul was self-serving, not a man to command respect. Therefore, if Saul was before Achish, he might have had him executed. 9. If Achish knows about Saul and David, then a civil war between the two of them would be something that is favorable to Achish and to Philistia. This could have been the deciding factor in Achish’s choice. 10. Achish apparently sent David away after this (Psalm 34:inscription), which is what we would expect him to do if he wants to see a civil war led by David. 11. Achish is a pretty funny guy; given his position, he probably lacked opportunity to exhibit this side of his personality. He chose here to show this personality trait. Sometimes, a funny guy is willing to take a chance in order to drop a funny line. |
*There is no mention of a reconnaissance, but certainly, if David was found entering the city, some perimeter examination would have undoubtedly been launched. The fact that the Philistines knew the lyrics of Israel’s latest song (v. 11b) indicates that the Philistines had a good spy network up and running. |
It was at this time that David was inspired to write Psalms 34 56. He didn’t sit down in the palace of Achish and begin writing the first few lines of these psalms, but after leaving Gath, he probably sat down and thought things through. It was in Gath where David began to see things from the standpoint of another person, and therefore began to develop the characteristics that a leader should have.
I should mention one other thing. One of the bones of contention in the first half of this chapter was whether David was leading a band of men or not. Let me offer several reasons why he probably was not: |
1. Nowhere in this chapter is such a band of men ever mentioned (except in David’s lie to Ahimelech). 2. Ahimelech asks David specifically why he is alone (1Sam. 21:1). 3. Achish is not threatened by David, which would not of have been the case if David showed up with a band of men. 4. David is just now becoming a man of leadership; and remember, God often does not give you blessing and responsibility until you are ready for it. This is illustrated by David’s life. |
Arguments in Favor of David Traveling With Others at this Time |
1. In Psalm 34:2, when David rejoices, other grace-oriented believers rejoice as well with him. This cannot occur if David is traveling alone. 2. David asks others to celebrate Jehovah with him in Psalm 34:3, suggesting that he is not alone (this could also be poetic license). 3. As discussed, Jesus seemed to indicate that David had companions with him at this time (Matt. 12:3–4). We have already discussed this, as Jesus often said things which indicated that his hearers did not know Scripture. 4. Even though no one is mentioned as being with David in 1Sam. 21, this does not mean that he was traveling alone. |
I need to do some summing up, and this chapter is easy to sum up: it is David looking out for #1. David’s life is in danger, he recognizes that, and he is willing to do anything to save his own life. He will lie, he will mislead, he will do whatever it takes to save his own skin. As has been discussed, there will be two results to his actions in this chapter: (1) Saul will kill all of the priests and their families in anger and (2) the Philistines will strike Israel, thinking that Israel’s greatest general is now incapacitated.
Application: There are many sayings out there designed to turn us away from doing that which is right: “If you don’t look out for #1, no one else will.” “You must be able to love yourself in order to love others.” “You must first be happy with yourself.” The most unhealthy focus that you can have is on yourself. Life is more than being able to innumerate your wants and needs and then implementing that which is necessary in order to fulfill those wants and needs. In fact, the Bible tells us that God looks out for us; God takes care of us. “So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothes. Look at the birds. They don't plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying? And why worry about clothes? Notice how the flowers grow in the field. They never work or spin yarn for clothes. But I say that not even Solomon in all his majesty was dressed like one of these flowers. That's the way God clothes the grass in the field. Today it's alive, and tomorrow it's thrown into an incinerator. So how much more will he clothe you people who have so little faith? Don't ever worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or ‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ Everyone is concerned about these things, and your heavenly Father certainly knows you need all of them. But first, be concerned about his kingdom and what has his approval. Then all these things will be provided for you. So don't ever worry about tomorrow. After all, tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:26–34 God’s Word™).
Application: One of the most common reasons for the dissolution of a marriage is that one or both partners begin to be concerned about #1. They become overly concerned about their own wants, needs and desires; their focus is on themselves, rather than on their partner or on their children. Let’s even approach this from a relatively selfish angle: let’s say that you want your circumstances to be the best possible: then focus on the needs and desires of your mate and your children. It won’t not happen overnight, but your unselfish approach will be rewarded.
At this time, let’s go and examine Psalms 34 and 56, the two psalms which mark a turning point in David’s life, from complete self-centeredness to that of being a true leader. No one whose focus is on himself can be a good leader.