1 Samuel 22:6-23

6 Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now ¹Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

7 Saul said to his servants who stood around him, "Hear now, O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? ²Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

8 "For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who discloses to me ³when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you ⁴who is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day."

9 Then ⁵Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, said, "⁶I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to ⁷Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

10 "⁸He inquired of the LORD for him, ⁹gave him provisions, and ¹⁰gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11 Then the king sent someone to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king.

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

13 Saul then said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me ¹¹by lying in ambush as it is this day?"

14 ¹²Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king's son-in-law, who is captain over your guard, and is honored in your house?

15 "Did I just begin ¹³to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! ¹⁴Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all * of this whole affair."

16 But the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household!"

17 And ¹⁵the king said to the guards who were attending him, "Turn around and put the priests of the LORD to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal * it to me." But the ¹⁶servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to attack the priests of the LORD.

18 Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn around and attack the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and ¹⁷he killed that day eighty-five men ¹⁸who wore the linen ephod.

19 And ¹⁹he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

20 But ²⁰one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ²¹escaped and fled after David.

21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.

22 Then David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when ²²Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of every person in your father's household.

23 "Stay with me; do not be afraid, for ²³he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me."

1 Samuel 22:6-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 22

This chapter gives us an account of the flight of David from place to place, from Gath to the cave of Adullam, where his relations came to him; from thence to Mizpeh in Moab, where he got leave of the king of Moab for his father and mother to dwell there; and from thence, by the advice of Gad the prophet, departed into the land of Judah, and came to the forest of Hareth, 1Sa 21:1-5; and of the complaint of Saul to his servants of their unfaithfulness to him, and indolence and unconcern at the behaviour of Jonathan and David to him, 1Sa 22:6-8; when Doeg the Edomite informed him of David being seen by him at Nob, and of his receiving food and a sword from Ahimelech the priest, who inquired of the Lord for him, 1Sa 22:9,10; upon which Saul sent for Ahimelech and all the priests at Nob, and charged them with a conspiracy against him; and notwithstanding the defence the priest made, Saul ordered him and the rest of the priests to be slain by his guards; which they refusing, Doeg became the executioner of them, and of all the inhabitants of the city of Nob, and the cattle in it, 1Sa 22:11-19; only Abiathar a son of Ahimelech escaped and fled to David with the sorrowful news; which greatly affected David, looking upon himself to be the occasion of this sad disaster, and he took Abiathar under his protection, and promised him safety, 1Sa 22:20-23.

Cross References

• 1. Judges 4:5; 1 Samuel 14:2
• 2. 1 Samuel 8:12; 1 Chronicles 12:16-18
• 3. 1 Samuel 18:3; 1 Samuel 20:16
• 4. 1 Samuel 23:21
• 5. Ps 52: title
• 6. 1 Samuel 21:1
• 7. 1 Samuel 14:3; 1 Samuel 21:1
• 8. Numbers 27:21; 1 Samuel 10:22
• 9. 1 Samuel 21:6
• 10. 1 Samuel 21:9
• 11. 1 Samuel 22:8
• 12. 1 Samuel 19:4, 5; 1 Samuel 20:32
• 13. 2 Samuel 5:19, 23
• 14. 2 Samuel 19:18, 19
• 15. 2 Kings 10:25
• 16. Exodus 1:17
• 17. 1 Samuel 2:31
• 18. 1 Samuel 2:18
• 19. 1 Samuel 15:3
• 20. 1 Samuel 23:6, 9; 1 Samuel 30:7; 1 Kings 2:26, 27
• 21. 1 Samuel 23:6
• 22. 1 Samuel 21:7
• 23. 1 Kings 2:26

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "uncovers my ear"
• [b]. Lit "uncovers my ear"
• [c]. Or "set over"
• [d]. Lit "said"
• [e]. So with Gr; Heb "turns aside to"
• [f]. Lit "small or great"
• [g]. Lit "runners"
• [h]. Lit "uncover my ear"
• [i]. Lit "fall upon"
• [j]. Lit "smite"
• [k]. Lit "smote"
• [l]. Lit "a charge"