(KJV) 1 Samuel 221

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⥃David Flees to Adullam and Mizpeh [ Psalms 57:1–11 † Psalms 142:1–7 ]

[1] David2 therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave3 Adullam4: 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 distress5, and every one that [was] in debt6, and every one [that was] discontented7, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain8 over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

[3] [¶]And David went thence to Mizpeh9 of Moab: and he said unto the king10 of Moab, Let my father11 and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, [and be] with you, till I know12 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 hold13.

[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.

⥃Saul Slays the Priests of Nob [ Psalms 52:1–9 ]

[6] When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree14 in Ramah, having his spear15 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 Jesse16 give17 every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains18 of thousands, and captains of hundreds; [8] That all of you have conspired against me, and [there is] none that sheweth me19 that my son20 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 Doeg21 the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech22 the son of Ahitub23. [10] And he enquired24 of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals25, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. [11] Then the king sent to call26 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 son27 of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I [am28], my lord. [13] And Saul said unto him, Why have29 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 who30 [is so] faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s31 son in law, and goeth32 at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? [15] Did I then33 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, less or more34. [16] And the king said, Thou shalt35 surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and36 all thy father’s house.

[17] [¶]And the king said unto the footmen37 that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests38 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 not39 put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. [18] And the king said to Doeg40, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell41 upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore42 and five persons that did wear a linen ephod43. [19] And Nob44, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men45 and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge46 of the sword.

[20] And one47 of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped48, 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 occasioned49 [the death] of all the persons of thy father’s house. [23] Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh50 my life seeketh thy life: but with me51 thou [shalt be] in safeguard.

<< 1 Samuel 21 1 Samuel 23 >>

  1. 1Sam 22:1, Companies resort unto David at Adullam; 1Sam 22:3, At Mizpeh he commends his parents unto the king of Moab; 1Sam 22:5, Admonished by Gad, he comes to Hareth; 1Sam 22:6, Saul going to pursue him, complains of his servants’ unfaithfulness; 1Sam 22:9, Doeg accuses Ahimelech; 1Sam 22:11, Saul commands to kill the priests; 1Sam 22:17, The footmen refusing, Doeg executes it; 1Sam 22:20, Abiathar escaping, brings David the news. ↩

  2. 1Sam 21:10-15; Ps 34:1, Ps 57:1 *titles ↩

  3. Josh 12:15, Josh 15:35; 2Sam 23:13-14; 1Chr 11:15; Ps 142:1 *title Mic 1:3, Mic 1:15; Heb 11:38 ↩

  4. Adullam was a city of Judah; and, according to Eusebius, ten miles (Jerome says eleven) eastward from Eleutheropolis. ↩

  5. Judg 11:3; Matt 11:12, Matt 11:28 ↩

  6. Heb. had a creditor, Matt 18:25-34 ↩

  7. Heb. bitter of soul, 1Sam 1:10, 1Sam 30:6; Judg 18:25; 2Sam 17:8; Prov 31:6 *marg. ↩

  8. 1Sam 9:16, 1Sam 25:15-16, 1Sam 30:22-24; 2Sam 5:2; 2Kgs 20:5; 1Chr 11:15-19; Ps 72:12-14; Matt 9:12-13; Heb 2:10 ↩

  9. Judg 11:29 ↩

  10. 1Sam 14:47; Ruth 1:1-4, Ruth 4:10, Ruth 4:17 ↩

  11. Gen 47:11; Exod 20:12; Matt 15:4-6; 1Tim 5:4 ↩

  12. 1Sam 3:18; 2Sam 15:25-26; Phil 2:23-24 ↩

  13. 2Sam 23:13-14; 1Chr 12:16, Gad, 2Sam 24:11; 1Chr 21:9, 1Chr 29:29; 2Chr 29:25, depart, 1Sam 23:1-6; Neh 6:11; Ps 11:1; Isa 8:12-14, David departed, Matt 10:23 ↩

  14. or, grove in a high place ↩

  15. 1Sam 18:10, 1Sam 19:9, 1Sam 20:33 ↩

  16. 1Sam 22:9, 1Sam 22:13, 1Sam 18:14, 1Sam 20:27, 1Sam 20:30, 1Sam 25:10; 2Sam 20:1; 1Kgs 12:16; Isa 11:1, Isa 11:10 ↩

  17. 1Sam 8:14-15 ↩

  18. 1Sam 8:11-12 ↩

  19. Heb. uncovereth mine ear, 1Sam 20:2; Job 33:16 *marg. ↩

  20. 1Sam 18:3, 1Sam 20:8, 1Sam 20:13-17, 1Sam 20:30-34, 1Sam 20:42, 1Sam 23:16-18 ↩

  21. He is also said to be "the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul;" and the Septuagint intimates that he was over the mules of Saul. He may have been what we call the king's equerry or groom. 1Sam 21:7; Ps 52:1 *title Ps 52:1-5; Prov 19:5, Prov 29:12; Ezek 22:9; Matt 26:59-61 ↩

  22. 1Sam 21:1-15 ↩

  23. 1Sam 14:3 ↩

  24. 1Sam 22:13, 1Sam 22:15, 1Sam 23:2, 1Sam 23:4, 1Sam 23:12, 1Sam 30:8; Num 27:21 ↩

  25. 1Sam 21:6-9 ↩

  26. Rom 3:15 ↩

  27. 1Sam 22:7, 1Sam 22:13 ↩

  28. Heb. Behold me, 2Sam 9:6; Isa 65:1 ↩

  29. 1Sam 22:8; Ps 119:69; Amos 7:10; Luke 23:2-5 ↩

  30. 1Sam 19:4-5, 1Sam 20:32, 1Sam 24:11, 1Sam 26:23; 2Sam 22:23-25; Prov 24:11-12, Prov 31:8-9 ↩

  31. 1Sam 22:13, 1Sam 17:25, 1Sam 18:27 ↩

  32. 1Sam 18:13, 1Sam 21:2 ↩

  33. He seems to intimate, that his enquiring now for David was no new thing, having often done so before, without ever being informed it was wrong in itself or displeasing to the king., the servant, Gen 20:5-6; 2Sam 15:11; 2Cor 1:12; 1Pet 3:16-17 ↩

  34. Heb. little or great, 1Sam 25:36 ↩

  35. 1Sam 14:44, 1Sam 20:31; 1Kgs 18:4, 1Kgs 19:2; Prov 28:15; Dan 2:5, Dan 2:12, Dan 3:19-20; Acts 12:19 ↩

  36. Deut 24:16; Esth 3:6; Matt 2:16 ↩

  37. or, guard, Heb. runners, 1Sam 8:11; 2Sam 15:1; 1Kgs 1:5 ↩

  38. 1Sam 22:13, 1Sam 20:33, 1Sam 25:17; 1Kgs 18:4 ↩

  39. 1Sam 14:45; Exod 1:17; 2Kgs 1:13-14; Acts 4:19 ↩

  40. 1Sam 22:9 ↩

  41. 2Chr 24:21; Hos 5:11, Hos 7:3; Mic 6:16; Zeph 3:3; Acts 26:10-11 ↩

  42. The LXX read, τριακοσιους και πεντε ανδρας, "three hundred and five men;" and Josephus, "three hundred and eighty-five men." Probably the eighty-five were priests and the three hundred the families of the priests; three hundred and eighty-five being the whole population of Nob. 1Sam 2:30-33, 1Sam 2:36, 1Sam 3:12-14 ↩

  43. 1Sam 2:28; Exod 28:40 ↩

  44. 1Sam 22:9, 1Sam 22:11, 1Sam 21:1; Neh 11:32; Isa 10:32 ↩

  45. 1Sam 15:3, 1Sam 15:9; Josh 6:17, Josh 6:21; Hos 10:14; Jas 2:13 ↩

  46. This is one of the worst acts of Saul's life. His malice was implacable, and his wrath cruel; and there is no motive of justice or policy by which such a barbarous massacre can be justified. ↩

  47. 1Sam 23:6, 1Sam 30:7; 2Sam 20:25; 1Kgs 2:26-27 ↩

  48. 1Sam 2:33, 1Sam 4:12; Job 1:15-17, Job 1:19 ↩

  49. 1Sam 21:1-9; Ps 44:22 ↩

  50. 1Kgs 2:26; Matt 24:9; John 15:20, John 16:2-3; Heb 12:1-3 ↩

  51. John 10:28-30, John 17:12, John 18:9 ↩