1 Samuel 23:6

6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the holy vest with him when he came to David at Keilah.)

1 Samuel 23:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 23:6

And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled
to David to Keilah
Either when he was there, or near the place:

[that] he came down with an ephod in his hand;
not with a linen ephod on his back, which the priests in common wore, but the ephod with the Urim and Thummim in his hand, which was peculiar to the high priest; and his father the high priest being dead, it belonged to him, and therefore he took care to bring it with him; though the words may be literally rendered, "the ephod came down in his hand" F11, as it were by chance, and not with design; and so some Jewish interpreters F12 understand it, that in his fright and flight, among his garments and other things he took hold of to carry with him, and not minding well what he took, this happened to be, being so ordered by the providence of God; though the Targum renders it,

``the ephod he made to descend in his hand,''

or brought it in his hand; and so Kimchi and Abarbinel observe it may be interpreted, though they seem to incline to the other sense.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 (wdyb dry dwpa) "ephod descendit in manu sua", Pagninus, Montanus; "ephod descendebat in manu sua", Munsterus; so Tigurine version and Piscator.
F12 Kimchi & Ben Melech.

1 Samuel 23:6 In-Context

4 David again asked the Lord, and the Lord answered, "Go down to Keilah. I will help you defeat the Philistines.
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines and took their cattle. David killed many Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.
6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the holy vest with him when he came to David at Keilah.)
7 Someone told Saul that David was now at Keilah. Saul said, "God has handed David over to me! He has trapped himself, because he has entered a town with gates and bars."
8 Saul called all his army together for battle, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.