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1 Samuel
Chapter Twenty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, 1 Samuel 21:1; 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, 1 Samuel 22:6; 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, 1 Samuel 22:9; 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, 1 Samuel 22:11;
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, 1 Samuel 22:20.
1 Samuel 22:1 David therefore
departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers
and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
YLT
1And David goeth thence, and
is escaped unto the cave of Adullam, and his brethren hear, and all the house
of his father, and go down unto him thither;
David therefore departed from thence,.... From
Gath, being driven by Achish from his court, and let go by his servants, and
glad he was of the deliverance:
and escaped to the cave Adullam; which was no doubt near
to a city of the same name in the tribe of Judah, of which See Gill on Joshua 15:35; this
being a strong place, and in his own tribe, he might hope to be in greater
safety; here he penned his hundred forty second psalm, see Psalm 142:1,
and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it; that he was
come thither:
they went down thither to him; to visit and comfort
him, counsel and assist him all they could; and chiefly to secure themselves
from the rage and malice of Saul, who they might fear would fall upon them, and
avenge himself on them for David's sake.
1 Samuel 22:2 2 And
everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and
everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over
them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
YLT
2and gather themselves unto
him do every man in distress, and every man who hath an exactor, and every man
bitter in soul, and he is over them for head, and there are with him about four
hundred men.
And everyone that was in distress,.... In
straitened circumstances, through the oppression of men, through poverty, and
afflictive providences in their families:
and everyone that was in debt; and not able
to pay their debts, and whose creditors were pressing upon them:
and everyone that was discontented; with Saul's
government and conduct: or "bitter in soul"F24מר נפש "amarus animo",
Pagninus, Montanus. ; distressed and uneasy in their minds, being pinched with want,
or pressed with sore afflictions, which made them very disconsolate: these
gathered themselves unto him; to help him, or rather
to be helped by him; hoping in time things would take a favourable turn with
him, and he should be advanced to the throne, and so their circumstances would
be mended thereby:
and he became a captain over them; they enlisted themselves
in his service, and he took the command of them; he might not know the
circumstances of those in debt, nor of any of them thoroughly, nor their views
in joining him; however he meant not to shelter them from paying their just
debts if able, nor to encourage them in disloyalty to their king, only to make
use of them for his own preservation for the present. In this he was a type of
Christ, who receives sinners distressed with a sense of sin, discontented in
their present state, and in debt, and, unable to pay their debts; see Matthew 11:28,
and there were with him about four hundred men; among whom
some think were the three mighty men spoken of in 2 Samuel 23:13.
1 Samuel 22:3 3 Then David went from there
to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and
mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.”
YLT
3And David goeth thence to
Mizpeh of Moab, and saith unto the king of Moab, `Let, I pray thee, my father
and my mother go out with you, till that I know what God doth for me;'
And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab,.... So called
to distinguish it from a place of the same name in the land of Israel; which
Junius says is the same with Malle, and signifies a fortified place, and refers
to the Apocrypha:"And how that many of them were shut up in Bosora, and
Bosor, and Alema, Casphor, Maked, and Carnaim; all these cities are strong and
great:' (1 Maccabees 5:26)here he
might think himself safer, though in an enemy's country, than in the land of
Israel:
and he said unto the king of Moab, let my father and my mother, I
pray thee, come forth; out of the land of Israel, or out of the cave of Adullam,
whither they were come to him:
and be with you; if not with
the king of Moab at his court, yet in some part or other of his country, where
they might be safe from the rage of Saul:
till I know what God will do for me; on whose power and
providence he wholly relied, and not upon the men that flocked to him, nor upon
his own power and policy, courage and wisdom; he knew the promise of God to
him, and he put his trust in him for the performance of it; but knew not the time,
nor way, and manner, in which it would be performed; and expected in the
meanwhile to be obliged to remove from place to place; and considering that his
aged parents were not fit for such quick and sudden motions, and long flights,
he provided as well as he could for their settlement; which was an instance of
his filial affection for them, and piety towards them. His father's name is
well known, Jesse, 4:22, &c. but his mother's
name is nowhere mentioned; the Jews say her name was Natzbet, the daughter of
AdalF25T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 91. 1. .
1 Samuel 22:4 4 So he brought them before
the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the
stronghold.
YLT
4and he leadeth them before
the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David's being in the
fortress.
And he brought them before the king of Moab,.... Having
leave from him for it, and left them with him; so the Targum,"caused them
to remain before him:"
and they dwelt with him all the whole time that David was in the
hold; either in the cave of Adullam, as some think; or rather at
Mizpeh in Moab, which might be a fortified place; or the sense may be, while he
was in any hold in those parts, as he might go from one to another; what became
of David's parents afterwards, we nowhere else read. The JewsF26Bemnidbar
Rabba, sect. 14. fol. 212. 1. Tanchuma apud Jarchium in loc. say the king of
Moab slew his father and his mother, and his brethren, all but one, whom Nahash
the Ammonite preserved; and is the kindness David speaks of, 2 Samuel 10:2; and
if this was the case, now it was that his father and mother forsook him, and
God took him up, Psalm 27:10.
1 Samuel 22:5 5 Now the prophet Gad said
to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.”
So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
YLT
5And Gad the prophet saith
unto David, `Thou dost not abide in a fortress, go, and thou hast entered for
thee the land of Judah;' and David goeth and entereth the forest of Hareth.
And the prophet Gad said unto David,.... Who either
accompanied him in his exile, or was sent unto him on this account, being one
of the company of the prophets, over whom Samuel was president, 1 Samuel 19:20,
abide not in the hold, depart, and get thee into the land of Judah; this seems to
confirm it that the hold David was in was not the cave of Adullam, because that
was in the tribe of Judah; but rather some hold in the land of Moab, which he
is directed by the prophet to leave, and go into the country of Judah, his own
tribe, where Saul would not be so forward to pursue him, and where he would be
among his friends, and in the way, upon Saul's death, to be anointed king over
Judah; besides, appearing more openly would show the innocence of his cause,
and his confidence in the Lord, more than to lurk about in a foreign land:
then David departed; from "Mizpeh"
in "Moab"; or, however, from the hold in which he was:
and came into the forest of Hareth; where he would have
places and opportunity enough to hide himself as he saw fit. JeromF1De
loc. Heb. fol. 88. L. speaks of a village called Arath, where David abode, to
the west of Jerusalem. Kimchi says this was a dry barren place, but for the
sake of David it was made by the Lord a well watered and fruitful one.
1 Samuel 22:6 6 When Saul heard that David
and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying
in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all
his servants standing about him—
YLT
6And Saul heareth that David
hath become known, and the men who [are] with him, and Saul is abiding in
Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear [is] in his hand, and all his
servants standing by him.
When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were
with him,.... That it was known where David was, and what number of men
were gathered to him, and that they now openly appeared in the tribe of Judah;
for some time Saul had heard nothing of him, but now a report had reached his ears
that David was in arms, and at the head of a number of men; which now greatly
alarmed Saul, and possessed him with fears and jealousies of his people, and
all about him:
now Saul abode in Gibeah, under a tree in Ramah; this was
Gibeah of Saul, and in or near which was a place called Ramah, or an high
place, as the word signifies, on which was a remarkable tree, and under that
Saul abode, being a proper shelter for him from any inclemency of the weather;
for this was not Ramah where Samuel dwelt, though the Jews in the TalmudF2T.
Bab. Taanith, fol. 5. 2. so think, and metaphorically understand the tree in it
of Samuel in Ramah praying for him, by means of which he continued two years in
the height of his kingdom; but this was a tree in a literal sense. R. JonahF3Apud
Ben Melech in loc. says it is possible it might be the same which in Arabia is
called Ethel, and is like to a tamarisk tree:
having his spear in his hand: ready to defend himself,
and revenge his enemies; or rather which he held as a sceptre in his hand; See
Gill on 1 Samuel 20:33,
and all his servants were standing about him; in reverence
of him, and honour to him, waiting upon him, and ready to obey his orders:
these were his courtiers, or his guards, or both.
1 Samuel 22:7 7 then Saul said to his
servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse
give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds?
YLT
7And Saul saith to his
servants who are standing by him, `Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites; also to all
of you doth the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards! all of you he doth
appoint heads of thousands and heads of hundreds!
Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him,.... He took
this opportunity of addressing them in the following manner, upon the report of
David being at the head of a certain number of men:
hear now, ye Benjamites; for Saul being of the
tribe of Benjamin, his courtiers and his bodyguards chiefly, if not altogether,
consisted of persons of that tribe; and therefore as they were under obligation
to him, and ought to abide by him, and adhere closely to him, so it was the
more ungrateful in them, as he thought, not to be concerned for his honour and
interest:
will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards; as Saul had
done, or was capable of doing, and would do if they were faithful to him;
whereas it was not in the power of David, whom in contempt he calls the son of
Jesse, to do it; and even should he ever be king, and in his power to make such
donations, it cannot be thought he would give them to them, but to the
favourites of his own tribe:
and make you all captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds; which he now could not
do, since he had with him but four hundred men in all; and should his army
increase, and the kingdom come into his hands, so far would all of them be from
being advanced to posts in the army, that it was probable none of them would,
but those of his own tribe and party.
1 Samuel 22:8 8 All of you have conspired
against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a
covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry
for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to
lie in wait, as it is this day.”
YLT
8for ye have conspired all
of you against me, and there is none uncovering mine ear about my son's
covenanting with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me,
and uncovering mine ear, that my son hath raised up my servant against me, to
lie in wait as [at] this day.'
That all of you have conspired against me,.... For
though they had not revolted from him, and been guilty of overt acts of
treason, yet since they did not discover to him what he supposed they knew, and
showed no concern for the circumstances in which he was, he interpreted this a
conspiracy against him:
and there is none that showeth me that my son hath made a
league with the son of Jesse; Saul did not know this certainly, he only
suspected it from the strict and close friendship between them, and imagined
that some of his servants were acquainted with it, though they kept it from
him; whereas none knew of it but Jonathan and David themselves:
and there is none of you that is sorry for me; concerned,
troubled, and grieved, that he should be in such circumstances, his own son and
his son-in-law in league against him: or, as De Dieu renders it, were not
"solicitous" for him, cared not how things went with him, or, against
him:
or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against
me to lie in wait, as at this day? which he concluded was
the case, from Jonathan's not appearing at court since Saul cast the javelin at
him, 1 Samuel 19:10; or,
however, if he did, his countenance showed he was uneasy and discontented, and
displeased with Saul; and, besides, he could not think that David, with such a
handful of men he had with him, would ever attempt to invade his kingdom, and
seize his crown and throne, unless he was privately encouraged by his own son;
and David's being either in the cave of Adullam, or forest of Hareth, whichever
of them Saul heard of, he interpreted as lying in wait for him, whereas it was
only for the security of himself; and what Saul took ill of his servants was,
that none of them apprized him of his son's concern in this matter.
1 Samuel 22:9 9 Then answered Doeg the
Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of
Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
YLT
9And answer doth Doeg the
Edomite, who is set over the servants of Saul, and saith, `I have seen the son
of Jesse coming in to Nob, unto Ahimelech son of Ahitub,
Then answered Doeg the Edomite,.... JosephusF4Antiqu.
l. 6. c. 12. sect. 1, 4. 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.
1 Samuel 22:10 10 And he inquired of the Lord for him, gave
him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
YLT
10and he asketh for him at
Jehovah, and provision hath given to him, and the sword of Goliath the
Philistine hath given to him.
And he inquired of the Lord for him,.... Which not being
expressed before, some have taken it to be a lie of Doeg's, he being charged
with lying by David, Psalm 52:3; but it
is not at all improbable that David should desire him to inquire of the Lord
for him, and that he did; and he seems to acknowledge it, 1 Samuel 22:15; but
according to the Jewish writers Doeg meant by this to prove a charge of treason
both against David and Ahimelech; that the former made himself king, and the latter
owned him to be so, since inquiry by Urim and Thummim was not made for a
private person, but for a kingF5Misn. Yoma, c. 7. sect. 5. :
and gave him victuals; hallowed bread, loaves
of shewbread, which none but priests might eat of; such was his kindness to
him:
and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine; which David
took from him, and slew him with it. All this was true, but then he acted the
deceitful part, with which he is charged in the above psalms, in not declaring
how David had imposed upon the priest, by pretending he was sent in haste on
the king's business; which was the reason he was so ill provided with servants,
food, and armour; which if Doeg had reported faithfully, as he ought to have
done, would have saved the credit and life of the priest, and of his family.
1 Samuel 22:11 11 So the king sent to call
Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the
priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king.
YLT
11And the king sendeth to
call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the
priests, who [are] in Nob, and they come all of them unto the king;
Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub,.... Sent
messengers to him, and summoned him to appear before him:
and all his father's house; the family of Eli, which
God had threatened to destroy, and now the time was hastening on:
the priests that were in Nob; in which dwelt none but
priests, at least these were the chief of the inhabitants, and therefore called
the city of the priests, 1 Samuel 22:19,
and they came all of them to the king; not being
conscious of any evil they had committed, or that could be charged upon them;
or otherwise they would not have appeared, but would have fled to David for
protection.
1 Samuel 22:12 12 And Saul said, “Hear now,
son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
YLT
12and Saul saith, `Hear, I
pray thee, son of Ahitub;' and he saith, `Here [am] I, my lord.'
And Saul said, hear now, thou son of Ahitub,.... The
charge exhibited against him; in contempt of him, he does not so much as call
him by his name, nor give him the title of his office, as high priest; though
he was the second person in the kingdom, and to whose office a few years ago
the civil government was annexed:
and he answered, here I am, my lord; giving due
honour to Saul, though he received none from him, and appearing with great
boldness, as having a clear conscience, and so ready to hear what was to be
said unto him.
1 Samuel 22:13 13 Then Saul said to him,
“Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have
given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should
rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”
YLT
13And Saul saith unto him,
`Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, by thy giving to
him bread and a sword, and to ask for him at God, to rise against me, to lie in
wait, as [at] this day?'
And Saul said unto him, why have ye conspired against me,
thou, and the son of Jesse?.... No less than treason
and rebellion is he charged with, in conjunction with David; the proof follows:
in that thou hast given him bread and a sword; the
shewbread, and the sword of Goliath, 1 Samuel 21:6, and
so had furnished him with food and arms; one that he suggests was in rebellion
against him, and therefore he must be involved in the same crime; but the
stronger proof follows
and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me,
to lie in wait as at this day: inquired of the Lord for him by Urim and
Thummim, to know his mind in this affair, and thereby encouraged him to rise up
in rebellion against him, and to lie in wait, as he did at the present time,
watching for an opportunity to seize his crown and kingdom.
1 Samuel 22:14 14 So Ahimelech answered the
king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David,
who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in
your house?
YLT
14And Ahimelech answereth the
king and saith, `And who among all thy servants [is] as David -- faithful, and
son-in-law of the king, and hath turned aside unto thy council, and is honoured
in thy house?
Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said,.... First
with respect to David, and then with regard to himself; with respect to David
as follows:
and who is so faithful amongst thy servants as David; I considered
him, as if he should say, as a servant of thine, upon an errand of thine, and
doing thy business; and as a faithful one, none more so, and as such I valued
and regarded him, not as a rebel to thee, having no such thought of him:
which is the king's son in law; who has behaved himself
so well, and thou hast entertained such an opinion of him, as to take him into
thy family, and marry thy daughter to him; wherefore showing him favour, and
doing him honour, was doing honour to thee and thy family, and surely there can
be no blame in that:
and goeth at thy bidding; has always been ready to
execute thy commands, and obey thine orders, let them be what they will; as to
go out against an enemy, and fight Saul's battles for him:
and is honourable in thine house? behaved honourably
there, and highly esteemed by all, as well as had the honour bestowed upon him
to be the king's son-in-law, and made captain of a thousand; and therefore who
could think that showing respect to such a man could be deemed treason and
conspiracy, or he be thought to be a traitor to the king? and then with respect
to himself he answers,
1 Samuel 22:15 15 Did I then begin to
inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to
his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew
nothing of all this, little or much.”
YLT
15To-day have I begun to ask
for him at God? far be it from me! let not the king lay anything against his
servant, against any of the house of my father, for thy servant hath known
nothing of all this, less or more.'
Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?.... Was this
the first time of inquiring of God for him? no; I have done this many a time,
when he has been going upon the king's business, engaging in war with his
enemies; he has then consulted the Lord by me, and I have inquired of the Lord
for him, as I now did; and which I did as innocently, and as much for the
king's service, as ever I did any. Kimchi observes it may be read without the
interrogation, "that day I began to inquire of God for him"; it was
the first time I ever did, and I did not know it would have been grievous to
thee, or have given thee any disturbance or uneasiness. I did not know that he
fled from thee, or was not in thy service, and upon thy business; had I known
it, I would never have done it, and as it is the first time it shall be the
last:
be it far from me; from doing such a thing, had I known it to
be disagreeable to thee, or how David stood with thee:
let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor
to all the house of my father; charge me or them with the crime of
treason, or conspiracy against him, or with aiding:, assisting, and abetting
traitors and conspirators:
for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more; was entirely
ignorant of this affair; which plain, honest, account of things, one might have
thought, would have been satisfying to Saul; but it seems it was not by what
follows.
1 Samuel 22:16 16 And the king said, “You
shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”
YLT
16And the king saith, `Thou
dost surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all the house of thy father.'
And the king said, thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech,.... He
pronounces the sentence himself, without taking the opinion and advice of
others, or further time; which was an act of arbitrary power, and upon an
innocent person, which was an act of great injustice:
thou, and all thy father's house; more unrighteous still;
but God suffered him to do this to fulfil his will, and execute his
threatenings against the house of Eli, which was this priest's father's house,
for former wickedness; but this is no excuse for, nor extenuation of the sin
of, Saul.
1 Samuel 22:17 17 Then the king said to the
guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their
hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not
tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to
strike the priests of the Lord.
YLT
17And the king saith to
runners, those standing by him, `Turn round, and put to death the priests of
Jehovah, because their hand also [is] with David, and because they have known
that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered mine ear;' and the servants of the
king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests
of Jehovah.
And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him,.... Or the
"runners"F6לרצים
"cursoribus", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
; the running footmen, that used to run before him when he went out from place
to place, and were here waiting on him, ready to set out whenever he should
give the orders to go elsewhere. The tradition of the Jews is, that these were
Abner and AmasaF7Midrash Tillim apud Abarbinel. in loc. ; but, as
Kimchi observes, they were not footmen, but princes, captains in the army, and
the first of them the general of it:
turn and slay the priests of the Lord; he owns them
to be the priests of the Lord, and calls them so, and yet gave orders to put
them to death, though innocent; one would have thought this their character
would have flown in his face, and stung his conscience, and deterred him from
so foul a fact:
because their hand also is with David; as well as
Ahimelech; which did not at all appear, nor that they had so much as seen him
at Nob, only Ahimelech; and still less that they had entered into a conspiracy
with him:
and because they knew when he fled, and did not show it to me; which also
was false; they knew nothing of the flight of David, and therefore could not
discover it to the king:
but the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to
fall upon the priests of the Lord; their consciences would
not suffer them to do it; they refused to obey the king's orders, and chose
rather to expose themselves to his resentment, than to be guilty of such a
crime. Saul's footmen had more sense of honour, justice, and truth, than he
himself had, and were worthy of praise; but they would have been deserving of
more, if they could not have prevailed upon him by entreaties and remonstrances
to have forborne such a bloody execution, instead of being the tame spectators
of it, they had taken him, and bound him as a madman, and so facilitated the
escape of the priests, and prevented this shocking scene of wickedness.
1 Samuel 22:18 18 And the king said to Doeg,
“You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the
priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod.
YLT
18And the king saith to Doeg,
`Turn round thou, and come against the priests;' and Doeg the Edomite turneth
round, and cometh himself against the priests, and putteth to death in that day
eighty and five men bearing a linen ephod,
And the king said to Doeg, turn thou and fall upon the priests,.... For
determined he was they should die; if one would not put them to death, another
should, and who so fit for this bloody work as the false accuser of them, and
false witness against them?
and Doeg the Edomite turned; immediately, he at once
obeyed the king's orders, as brutish as they were:
and fell upon the priests; with his sword in hand:
and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a
linen ephod; not the ephod of Urim and Thummim, which was only worn by the
high priest, but a garment wholly linen, worn by common priests; the Targum
is,"who are fit to be clothed with a linen ephod;'not that they were
clothed with it, but were deserving of it; or it designs the great and more honourable
among the servants of the Lord, as Kimchi observes, for such were clothed with
this garment, as Samuel and David; and he thinks it suggests, that more were
slain than these; and the Septuagint version makes them to be eight hundred
five, and JosephusF8Antiqu. l. 6. c. 12. sect. 6. three hundred
eighty five; in the slaying of whom, as the same writer says, Doeg was assisted
by some wicked men like himself; and the slaughter did not end here, as the 1 Samuel 22:19
shows.
1 Samuel 22:19 19 Also Nob, the city of the
priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and
nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.
YLT
19and Nob, the city of the
priests, he hath smitten by the mouth of the sword, from man even unto woman,
from infant even unto suckling, and ox, and ass, and sheep, by the mouth of the
sword.
And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the
sword,.... Either Doeg or Saul; who, as JosephusF9Antiqu. l.
6. c. 12. sect. 6. 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, that
he spared their king, and the best of their cattle, 1 Samuel 15:7; 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. Now
Saul was the more severe this city, to deter others from joining with David,
who, if they did, must expect the same treatment.
1 Samuel 22:20 20 Now one of the sons of
Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
YLT
20And there escapeth one son
of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he fleeth after
David,
And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named
Abiathar, escaped,.... Who very probably was left by his father to take care of the
sanctuary, and the holy things in it, when he and the rest of the priests were
summoned to appear before Saul; who having heard of his bloody execution of
them, before his messengers could get to Nob, took, the ephod, with the Urim
and Thummim, and made his escape, as appears from 1 Samuel 23:6; this
man succeeded his father in the high priesthood, and continued in it until the
times of Solomon:
and fled after David; who was now removed, or
removing from the forest of Hareth to Keilah, whither Abiathar followed him,
and came to him there, 1 Samuel 23:6, and
with whom only he could be safe, and therefore it was right to flee unto him.
1 Samuel 22:21 21 And Abiathar told David
that Saul had killed the Lord’s
priests.
YLT
21and Abiathar declareth to
David that Saul hath slain the priests of Jehovah.
And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. Of which
perhaps he had not as yet heard; though tidings of such a nature generally fly
swiftly; and a sorrowful shocking account he had to give, and which was so to
David.
1 Samuel 22:22 22 So David said to Abiathar,
“I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely
tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s
house.
YLT
22And David saith to
Abiathar, `I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he
doth certainly declare [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] round to every person
of the house of thy father;
And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day,.... That is,
he thought in his mind at that time:
when Doeg the Edomite was there; at Nob; in
the tabernacle, at the same time that David was there:
that he would surely tell Saul; that he saw David there,
and what passed between him and Ahimelech; he knew he was a spiteful
mischievous man; that he was a true Edomite, though a proselyte, and bore
hatred and enmity in his mind against an Israelite, and especially an Israelite
indeed, as David was:
I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy
father's house: or have been the cause of all the evils that befell them, and
the death they were put unto, not with design, but by accident; and it grieved
him that he should be any ways an accessory thereunto, though without
intention.
1 Samuel 22:23 23 Stay with me; do not fear.
For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be
safe.”
YLT
23dwell with me; fear not;
for he who seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for a charge [art] thou with me.'
Abide thou with me, fear not,.... He appeared to be in
a fright; which is not to be wondered at, as not knowing what to do, and where
to go and provide for his safety; when, to allay his fears, and make him easy,
David invites and encourages him to stay with him, and not be afraid of Saul,
nor any other:
for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life; or, as Kimchi
observes, it may be interpreted, "my life he seeks who seeks thy
life"; we are in the same circumstances, and have the same common enemy,
and therefore it is best and safest to be together; as the Targum,"he that
seeks to kill me seeks to kill thee;'and as Jarchi adds, he that loves me will
love thee, and he that keeps my life will keep thine:
but with me thou shalt be in safeguard; intimating,
that he would be as careful of him as of himself; and that for this reason, as
Ben Gersom suggests, because he brought the ephod with the Urim and Thummim
with him, by which he could inquire of God for him; but this was the thing
David was confident of, that God would preserve him, and raise him to the
kingdom, and therefore Abiathar might be sure of safety with him: at this time
he penned the fifty second psalm, which shows the frame of spirit he was now
in; see Psalm 52:1.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》