1 Samuel 22:1-23 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

1 Samuel 22. David at Adullam and Moab: Massacre at Nob (J). The series of narratives in ch. 22 may very well come from the same ancient document, and be the continuation of 1 Samuel 21:1-9.

1 Samuel 22:1 f. David takes refuge at Adullam (p. 31), about 12 miles SW. of Bethlehem: he is joined by his clan and by various unsatisfactory characters, to the number of about 400, i.e. he becomes a captain of bandits.

1 Samuel 22:3-5. David takes his father and mother for safety to the king of Moab at Mizpeh (not identified). According to Ruth 4:21 f., David's great-grandmother was a Moabitess, Ruth. The prophet Gad (cf. 2 Samuel 24:11; 1 Chronicles 29:29) appears, and bids David leave Mizpeh and return to Judah probably so with Syr., instead of, Abide not in the hold, i.e. Adullam, as the latter was in Judah.

1 Samuel 22:6-23 (J). Saul is sitting in state at Gibeah, under a tree on the height (so with RVm, not in Ramah), with his spear sceptre-wise in his hand, and his officers and courtiers about him; he hears from Doeg what has happened at Nob. He sends for the priests, and charges Ahimelech with treason. The priest protests that in helping the king's son-in-law, the commander of his bodyguard (HK; or chief of his subjects, ICC, with LXX, not and is taken into thy council), he thought he was serving a loyal servant of the king, and, therefore, the king himself. Nevertheless, Saul bids his guard slay the priests; but they refused, regarding their persons as sacred. However, a similar command to the Edomite Doeg was obeyed, and Doeg slew eighty-five priests who could work the ephodoracle; only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. Doubtless Saul would still have priests of his own, but the story does not mention them, and the primitive tradition in its extant form attaches special importance to the house of Eli.

1 Samuel 22:18. that did wear a linen ephod: so RV, rendering the Heb. text, which makes the ephod here the priestly garment (1 Samuel 2:18 *); the above follows the LXX.

1 Samuel 22:19. Saul subjects Nob to the herem (see pp. 99, 114). Some regard this verse as a late addition.

Related Commentaries of 1 Samuel 22:1

1 Samuel 22:1-23

1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

6 When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a treea in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;

8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that shewethb me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

10 And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, lessc or more.

16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17 And the king said unto the footmend that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests.

22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.