TWENTY-ONE

21:1
David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and as!ed,
"Wh# are #o$ alone% Wh# is no one with #o$%"
Nob is a city of priests. The Tabernacle is probably there. The city is a few miles south of Gibeah, Sauls
hometown.
Ahimelech He seems to be the high priest at Nob; he is from the priestly line of Eli.
Trembled Why i !himelech tremble when he met "a#i$ "a#is ran% an his reputation as a %iller.
&E'() He probably %new of Sauls hatre of "a#i an int want to be seen as "a#is ally in fear or in
re#erence for the future %ing of *srael. &(ambrige 'ible (ommentary)
"Wh# are #o$ alone% *t woul be #ery unusual for someone of "a#is ran% to tra#el alone an without
boyguars.
2
David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The !in& char&ed me with a certain matter and said to me,
No one is to !now an#thin& abo$t #o$r mission and #o$r instr$ctions' As (or m# men, ) have told
them to meet me at a certain place
"a#i answers the + ,uestions. He says he is alone because he is on a secret mission, which is a lie. He says
his men will meet him later, which is probably true. "a#is lie cause the li#es of many people in our ne-t
chapter.
meet me at a certain place .r /someplace aroun here.0 "a#i is #ery #ague about where his men are.
1aybe he oesnt %now their location.
*
Now then, what do #o$ have on hand% +ive me (ive loaves o( bread, or whatever #o$ can (ind"
"a#i is intereste in only two things2 foo an a weapon. There is no e#ience that "a#i worshippe the
3or at Nob.
+ive me (ive loaves o( bread "a#i isnt thin%ing #ery clearly. 4i#e loa#es is too much for one man an not
enough for "a#i an his cohorts. Hes really hungry.
,
-$t the priest answered David, ") don't have an# ordinar# bread on hand. however, there is some
consecrated bread here--provided the men have !ept themselves (rom women"
consecrated bread *ts strange that no orinary brea in a#ailable. .r brea of holy e-istence. &Thieme) This
is the Shewbrea of 3e# +52678. This was the 9brea of the :resence,9 the twel#e loa#es that were ba%e
e#ery wee% on the Sabbath, brought into the tabernacle, into the Holy :lace, lai on the table, si- loa#es in
each portion, each loaf representing a tribe of *srael. Each loaf was eicate to Go. They sat there the full
se#en ays, an were sanctifie to Go. They inicate Go was the total pro#ier for all the nees of *srael.
;
!t the en of se#en ays, ;+ fresh loa#es were brought in to replace the twel#e loa#es on the table. The high
priest, an the priests of the nation of *srael, coul eat those loa#es which were replace. They were set apart
for the use of the priests but coul be eaten only in the Holy :lace. So all !himelech ha was consecrate
brea, brea that ha come right off the table of the 3or.
/
David replied, ")ndeed women have been !ept (rom $s, as $s$al whenever ) set o$t The men's thin&s
are hol# even on missions that are not hol# 0ow m$ch more so toda#1"
2
3o the priest &ave him the
consecrated bread, since there was no bread there e4cept the bread o( the 5resence that had been
removed (rom be(ore the 6O7D and replaced b# hot bread on the da# it was ta!en awa#
<erse 6 is sai to be /hopelessly obscure.0 "a#i seems to be saying that his men were holy on non7holy
missions, so they are especially holy on their present secret holy mission. This may ha#e not been true.
The men's thin&s are hol# The => has the mens /#essels are holy.0 This coul mean their boies. The
W'( translates the phrase as /together with their gear.0
women have been !ept (rom $s No se- for three ays before ta%ing the Shewbrea. "a#is says it is their
custom not to ha#e se- with a women before they go out on a mission. Ha#ing se- woul ma%e the man
ceremonially unclean. The point is that "a#i is spiritually unclean. He is out of fellowship.
This brea was meant only for priests an their families.
How coul !himelech in goo conscience gi#e the consecrate brea to "a#i an his men, who were not
priests$ >esus sai in 1att ;+2;7?; 1ar% +2+@7+?; 3u%e A2;76 is that 9human nee ta%es priority o#er
ceremonial law9 an that it is always 9lawful9 on the Sabbath 9to o goo9 &1ar% @25). :ossibly the incient
recore in ##. ;7A too% place on a Sabbath ay, since #. A coul imply that the consecrate brea being
gi#en to "a#i ha been replace with a fresh supply &9hot brea9) not long before &cf. 3e# +52?).
There was nothing wrong in "a#i eating the brea or lying to the High :riest. The lie was to protect
!himelech. The lie was ta%ing the brea an swor after seeing "oeg there.
And 0e said to them, "0ave #o$ never read what David did when he was in need and became h$n&r#,
he and his companions: 22 how he entered the ho$se o( +od in the time o( Abiathar the hi&h priest,
and ate the consecrated bread, which is not law($l (or an#one to eat e4cept the priests, and he &ave it
also to those who were with him%" 8ar! 2:2/, 22
Have you never read The Gree% wor for rea means to read and to understand. Beligion oesnt %now
Scripture.
1ar% says the high priest was !biathar, but he was really !himelech, his father, ;Sam. +;2;7A.
E4planations (or the Discrepanc#
;. The '=( translates in the time of Abiathar as /in the passage about !biathar,0 meaning where in the .T
the incient coul be foun. .r in the days of Abiathar. &!rcher, Encyclopeia of 'ible "ifficulties, p. @A+)
+. !nother e-planation is that father an son were present when "a#i as%e for the brea, but !himelech
was slain shortly afterwars, so only !biathar is mentione by 1ar%. &:H( p. 6?) !biathar was one of
"a#is chief supporters.
+
@. (lar%e says that !himelech was calle !himelech !biathar, ba ab, father, understood; an !biathar was
calle !biathar !himelech, b ben, son, understood. :robably they both officiate in the high priesthoo; an
the name of the office was inifferently applie to either.
5. =aiser in his Hard Saying of the Bible gi#es se#eral possible solutions but conclues /this is one of the
problems in Scripture for which we o not ha#e a fully satisfactory solution.0 &p. 5;+) The E'( agrees with
=aisers statement. Guelich gi#es no e-planation for the e-change of names. &p. ;++)
6. !ll the e-planations are wea% an in ispute. *ll let the last wor be an internet commentary. /*t shoul be
recogniCe, howe#er, that this translation is tentati#e because the current state of %nowlege about the
meaning of this grammatical construction is incomplete, an any ecision about the meaning of this te-t is
open to future re#ision.0
The sacred bread refers to the 9brea of presentation,9 9showbrea,9 or 9brea of the :resence,9 twel#e
loa#es prepare wee%ly for the tabernacle an later, the temple. See E-. +62@D; @62;@; @82@A; 3e# +52678.
Each loaf was mae from @ ,uarts &@.6 liters; Heb 9two tenths of an ephah9) of fine flour. The loa#es were
place on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north sie opposite the lampstan &E-. +A2@6). *t
was the uty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh brea on the table; the loa#es from the pre#ious wee%
were then gi#en to !aron an his escenants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were consiere
sacre &3e# +528). See also 1att ;+2;7?, 3u%e A2;76.0 &*nternet (ommentary)
"a#i ate the holy brea. * thin% this shows that "a#i, though out of fellowhship, is still Gos man for he is
eating Gos holy brea.
And 0e was sa#in& to them, "The 3abbath was made (or man, and not man (or the 3abbath 98!
2:2:;
man This is the generic wor for man, the create man, the man of Genesis +. Gos gift to man was the
Sabbath to meet his nees. The :harisees woul agree with this answer. &Guelich p. ;+A)
>esus is saying that /the spirit of the 3aw in respect to human nee too% priority o#er its ceremonial
regulations.0 &'=( p. ;;5) Human nees ta%e preceence o#er rules. &Bay Steman)
See Gen. +2@ for more on the Sabbath.
Beligion per#erts the meaning of Scripture an as burens to man. 3oo% at the religions of the worl toay
an see the burens they place on man. 3oo% at *slam. .bser#ant 1uslims are re,uire to pray fi#e times a
ay an Eoin in community worship on 4riays at the mos,ue. E#ery belie#er is re,uire to ma%e a
pilgrimage to 1ecca, the holiest city, at least once in a lifetime, barring po#erty or physical incapacity. The
month of Bamaan is set asie for fasting. !lcohol an por% are always forbien. These are unnecessary
burens. E#en (hristians put burens on themsel#es with issues of false spirituality, li%e the 'lue 3aws of
years ago an other prohibitions.
So it was not wrong for "a#i to eat the consecrate brea. He ha a legitimate nee. What was wrong was
he i not come in an open an honest way. He cheate. *n ecei#ing the high priest, he was actually
cheating on Go. 3egitimate nee; wrong methoology. !ccoring to (hristFs own wor, "a#i coul ha#e
gotten the same consecrate brea from !himelech; he coul ha#e eaten it with no sin attache an been
totally free before the 3or, 94or the 3or esires compassion not sacrifice.9 *nstea, he blew it.
@

:
Now one o( 3a$l's servants was there that da#, detained be(ore the 6O7D. he was Doe& the
Edomite, 3a$l's head shepherd
The W'( translation is, /.ne of the officials of Saul was etaine there on that ay. His name was "oeg the
Eomite, the strongest of the runners in Sauls ser#ice.0 He woul be part of the %ings escort that went
before the %ings chariot.
detained be(ore the 6O7D :ossibly because it was the Sabbath. 1ost commentaries ha#e only conEecture
about the constraint. 1aybe because of a #ow, or some act of penance.
Doe& the Edomite
; :robably a mercenary with a pri#ate army presse into ser#ice in Sauls war against Eom.
+ He is sai to be Sauls hea shepher.
@ "a#i feare he woul sen wor to Saul, so "a#i left No.
5 Saw "a#i at Nob. /Then answere "oeg the Eomite, which was set o#er the ser#ants of Saul, an sai, *
saw the son of >esse coming to Nob, to !himelech the son of !hitub.0 ;Sam. ++28
6 "oeg faile to tell the whole story, that !himelech was le to belie#e that "a#i was on a mission for =ing
Saul.
A Saul ha the priests an all their families %ille.
G "a#i wrote :salm 6+ on the occasion of "oeg the Eomite Hs betrayal of his location to Saul.
? "oeg fulfille the curse on Eli that no male shoul li#e to ol age. Go often uses e#il people an nations
to fulfill his Wor.
8 The character of "oeg is seen in that the *sraelites %ille many of his people in battle, yet he was e#ote
to the *sraelite %ing, Saul.
;D We first hear of war between *srael an Eom uner Saul &; Sam ;525G). "a#i prosecute the war with
terrific energy, slaying ;?,DDD Eomites &so rea instea of 9Syrians9) in the <alley of Salt &+ Sam ?2;@ f) ;
>oab remaining for si- months in the country, which was garrisone by *sraelites, 9until he ha cut off e#ery
male in Eom9 &; =ings ;;2;6)

<
David as!ed Ahimelech, "Don't #o$ have a spear or a sword here% ) haven't bro$&ht m# sword or
an# other weapon, beca$se the !in&'s b$siness was $r&ent"
"a#i says he ha to lea#e so ,uic%ly that he coulnt ta%e his swor.
E#en though he saw "oeg an %nows "oeg will tell Saul; an e#en though "a#i an all of *srael %now Saul
is ma, he goes ahea an as%s !himelech for a swor. "a#i is thin%ing only of himself.This is "a#is sin.

=
The priest replied, "The sword o( +oliath the 5hilistine, whom #o$ !illed in the >alle# o( Elah, is
here. it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod )( #o$ want it, ta!e it. there is no sword here b$t that
one" David said, "There is none li!e it. &ive it to me"
"a#i ta%es the swor; of course the swor int o Goliath any goo. The swor shoul ha#e remine
"a#i of the grace an blessings of Go.
5
1?
That da# David (led (rom 3a$l and went to Achish !in& o( +ath
11
-$t the servants o( Achish said to
him, ")sn't this David, the !in& o( the land% )sn't he the one the# sin& abo$t in their dances:
" @3a$l has slain his tho$sands,
and David his tens o( tho$sands'%"
"a#i flees to Gath. He is putting his security in the hans of a man an not Go. *t seems "a#i ha men in
the pre#ious narrati#e but is alone now. The (ambrige 'ible (om says the narrati#e may not be in
chronological orer.
the servants o( Achish The officers of !chish. "a#i was a youth when he slew Goliath an many years
ha#e passe; he int e-pect anyone to recogniCe him.
*n the title of :salm @5, he is calle !bimelech, possibly a :hilistine royal or ynastic title
Why go to !chish %ing of Gath, a :hilistine territory$ "a#i was hoping he woulnt be recogniCe there
an that as a fugiti#e of Saul, he woul be welcome.
the !in& o( the land the hero of the lan. &Thieme) The :hilistines seem to %now that "a#i is to be %ing of
*srael. Gath is the home of Goliath. .f course his swor woul be recogniCe there.
-$t the servants o( Achish The %ings ser#ant, maybe his boyguars, sang this song to point out how
angerous "a#i was to them.
3a$l has slain his tho$sands, and David his tens o( tho$sands "a#i is a angerous man to ha#e aroun.
"a#i is out of the Will of Go.
He flees to the enemies of *srael.
He tries to ma%e friens of his enemies.
"a#i in fellowship was not afrai of anything, but in sin, he is afrai of e#erything.
Hes putting himself on the same le#el as Saul. 'oth are ma.

12
David too! these words to heart and was ver# m$ch a(raid o( Achish !in& o( +ath
1*
3o he
pretended to be insane in their presence. and while he was in their hands he acted li!e a madman,
ma!in& mar!s on the doors o( the &ate and lettin& saliva r$n down his beard
David too! these words to heart The W'( says, /"a#i reflecte on these matters in his heart.0 "a#i
o#erthought the matter.
The :hilistines were Gree% people an the Gree%s belie#e the insane were being ealt with by the gos.
while he was in their hands This suggests that "a#i was actually arreste by the %ing of Gath.
1,
Achish said to his servants, "6oo! at the man1 0e is insane1 Wh# brin& him to me%
ma!in& mar!s on the doors o( the &ate and lettin& saliva r$n down his beard He scratche up the oors
of the gate.
6
1/
Am ) so short o( madmen that #o$ have to brin& this (ellow here to carr# on li!e this in (ront o( me%
8$st this man come into m# ho$se%"
The W'( has, /"o * lac% mamen that you ha#e brought this one to go craCy on me$ Shoul he enter my
house$0
!chish, the %ing, is saying his whole staff is ma an he oesnt nee another ma man.
in (ront o( me .r Ato my annoyance. /
come into m# ho$se !s a guest. Hes saying there are plenty of insane people in Gath an * ont nee
another person to pro#ie for.
(E< ;5 an ;6 /3oo% at himI !chish sai to his officers. /Jou can see that hes craCy. Why i you bring
him to me$ * ha#e enough craCy people without your bringing me another one here. =eep him away from my
palace.0
A