1 Samuel 22:19

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1 Samuel

1 Samuel 22

19 He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

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1 Samuel 22:19 in Other Translations

KJV

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.

ESV

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

NLT

19 Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

MSG

19 He then carried the massacre into Nob, the city of priests, killing man and woman, child and baby, ox, donkey, and sheep - the works.

CSB

19 He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword-both men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

1 Samuel 22:19 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 22:19

And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of
the sword
Either Doeg or Saul; who, as Josephus ^F9 says, sent men thither to slay all the inhabitants of it: both men and women, children and sucklings;
not sparing sex nor age: and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword;
Saul, who was so tender hearted and merciful in the case of the Amalekites, when his orders from the Lord were utterly to destroy them, ( 1 Samuel 15:2 1 Samuel 15:3 ) , that he spared their king, and the best of their cattle, ( 1 Samuel 15:7-9 ) ; yet now so cruel to a city of the priests, as to destroy all the inhabitants of it, and cattle in it; and yet this bloody affair of Saul's is not taken notice of afterwards, only his slaughter of the Gibeonites, ( 2 Samuel 21:1 ) ; and Abarbinel is of opinion, that the inhabitants of this place were Gibeonites, who were hewers of wood, and drawers of water, to the house of the Lord here, ( Joshua 9:23 Joshua 9:27 ) . Now Saul was the more severe this city, to deter others from joining with David, who, if they did, must expect the same treatment.

FOOTNOTES:

F9 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 12. sect. 6.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Samuel 22:19 In-Context

17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

18 The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

19 He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

20 But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.

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