1 Samuel 22:9

9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's servants, answered: "I saw Jesse's son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.^[a]

1 Samuel 22:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 22:9

Then answered Doeg the Edomite
Josephus ^F4 calls him a Syrian, and so the Septuagint version; see ( 1 Samuel 21:7 ) ; being full of enmity to David, and willing to curry favour with Saul, and eager of further preferment, which Saul seemed to promise; and being more forward than the rest of his servants, prevented them and spoke first:

(which was set over the servants of Saul):
over his herdsmen; see ( 1 Samuel 21:7 ) ;

and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of
Ahitub;
in imitation of Saul, he calls David by way of contempt the son of Jesse; and signifies that what he had to say of him was not by report, but he himself was an eyewitness of his coming to Nob, a city of the priests, and to Ahimelech the high priest there, and of what passed between them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 12. sect. 1, 4.

1 Samuel 22:9 In-Context

7 Saul said to his servants, "Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse's son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? [Do you think] he'll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

8 That's why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse's son. None of you cares about me or tells me that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as [is the case] today."

9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's servants, answered: "I saw Jesse's son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.

10 Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11 The king sent [messengers] to summon Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and his father's whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king.

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Sm 21:1; Ps 52 superscription