14Then Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, and is quickb to do your bidding, and is honored in your house. 15Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? By no means! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any member of my father’s house; for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17The king said to the guard who stood around him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David; they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not raise their hand to attack the priests of the LORD. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “You, Doeg, turn and attack the priests.” Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests; on that day he killed eighty-five who wore the linen ephod. 19Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep, he put to the sword.
20But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. 22David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsiblec for the lives of all your father’s house. 23Stay with me, and do not be afraid; for the one who seeks my life seeks your life; you will be safe with me.”
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a Syr Vg: Heb come out
b Heb and turns aside
c Gk Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
22.1–5 David becomes a leader of a band of outlaws recruited from those who, like David himself, have been discredited or disenfranchised by Saul’s regime. Here in the old story of David’s rise to power (see Introduction) the circumstances under which David was forced to become an outlaw are presented to exonerate him from possible charges of disloyalty to Saul.
22.1 Cave should perhaps be emended to “stronghold” cf. vv. 4–5. Adullam, a fortress of Judah about sixteen miles southwest of Jerusalem (see 2 Sam 23.13–14).
22.2 David, now a fugitive from Saul’s justice, becomes the champion and leader of everyone in the region who is disfranchised, disenchanted, and embittered.
22.3 Mizpeh, mentioned nowhere else but assumed to be an important city in Moab, which lay east of the Dead Sea (see 14.47); David traced his connections with Moab to his great-grandmother Ruth (see Ruth 4.13–22).
22.5 For the prophet Gad, whose appearance at this point is a surprise, see 2 Sam 24.11–19; 1 Chr 21.9–19; 29.29; 2 Chr 29.25. The forest of Hereth, mentioned nowhere else, was probably in the vicinity of Keilah (see 23.1).
22.6–23 Enraged by his discovery that Ahimelech gave David provisions and unimpressed by the priest’s explanation that he believed David a loyal servant of Saul, the desperate king orders the massacre of the priests of Nob.
22.6 This description of Saul corresponds to the classic depiction of a ruler sitting under a sacred tree (here a tamarisk) judging the people. In this case, Saul’s seat of judgment is located at the height, or “high place,” i.e., the local place of sacrifice, at Gibeah, Saul’s hometown and capital (see note on 9.1).
22.7–8 Saul’s angry words to his servants (the ranking members of his court) accuse them of hoping for favors from David, while implicitly reminding them that as Benjaminites they cannot expect such favors from a Judahite.
22.9 Doeg. See note on 21.7.
22.10 Our account of David’s visit to Nob (21.1–9) does not mention the fact that Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him.
22.14–15 Ahimelech’s excuse is true and honest: he believed David to be a fully trusted servant of Saul and knew nothing of the animosity that had developed between the two men. Quick to do your bidding, better “commander of your bodyguard,” the position that Benaiah son of Jehoiada held in David’s own administration (see 2 Sam 23.20–23).
22.17 Their hand also is with David, i.e., they too are in collusion with David (cf. 2 Sam 14.19; Jer 26.24).
22.18 As an Edomite (and as a scoundrel) Doeg is not as scrupulous as Saul’s Israelite servants about doing violence to the priests of the God of Israel. Linen ephod, the livery of priesthood (see 2.18; 14.3, 18).
22.20 The only survivor of the massacre at Nob and, therefore, of the Shilonite priesthood (see note on 21.1) is Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech (see notes on 2.31–33; 2.33).
22.22–23 Admitting that by deceiving Ahimelech (see 21.1–8) he put the priesthood of Nob in mortal danger, David offers its only survivor his patronage. Abiathar will share the high-priesthood with Zadok during David’s reign (see, e.g., 2 Sam 20.25), only to be banished by Solomon (1 Kings 2.26–27) for having supported the succession of Adonijah (1 Kings 1.7).
1 SAMUEL 23
David Saves the City of Keilah
1Now they told David, “The Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4Then David inquired of the LORD again. The LORD answered him, “Yes, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5So David and his men went to Keilah, fought with the Philistines, brought away their livestock, and dealt them a heavy defeat. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.
6When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has givena him into my hand; for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.” 10David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11And now, willb Saul come down as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.” The LORD said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The LORD said, “They will surrender you.” 13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the LORDc did not give him into his hand.
David Eludes Saul in the Wilderness
15David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh when he learned thatd Saul had come out to seek his life. 16Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the LORD.e 17He said to him, “Do not be afraid; for the hand of my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so.” 18Then the two of them made a covenant before the LORD; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon. 20Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD for showing me compassion! 22Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. 23Look around and learn all the hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the sout
h of Jeshimon. 25Saul and his men went to search for him. When David was told, he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. 26Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. 27Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.” 28So Saul stopped pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.f 29g David then went up from there, and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
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a Gk Tg: Heb made a stranger of
b Q Ms Compare Gk: MT Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will
c Q Ms Gk: MT God
d Or saw that
e Compare Q Ms Gk: MT God
f Or Rock of Division; meaning of Heb uncertain
g Ch 24.1 in Heb
23.1–14 This episode illustrates the value of David’s newly acquired priest. Guided by oracles obtained by Abiathar, David liberates a besieged town and successfully eludes Saul again.
23.1 Keilah was just south of Adullam (see 22.1) on the border of Philistine territory. Though it was formally claimed by Judah (Josh 15.44), it seems to have been an independent city at the time of the events described here.
23.6 Ephod, here perhaps an instrument of divination or a container for such instruments, maybe the Urim and Thummim (see 14.3; 21.9).
23.14 The hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph, a part of the Judean hills that lay several miles southeast of Keilah. The town of Ziph was on a hilltop about five miles south-southeast of Hebron.
23.15–29 Another narrow escape for David.
23.15 Horesh, “Forest” in Hebrew; there is a ruin with a similar name near the site of ancient Ziph.
23.16 Strengthened his hand through the LORD. Jonathan not only offered David encouragement and reassurance (cf. Neh 6.9) but also gave him tangible support (cf. Judg 9.24).
23.17 Jonathan’s pledge of loyalty to David echoes the language of 20.12–17, where he sought David’s protection for his family. Here he acknowledges that David will become king. I shall be second to you may simply mean that Jonathan will be subordinate to David, but there is some evidence to suggest that “second to the king” or “next in authority to the king” was the name of an office Jonathan hoped to fill in David’s administration (see 2 Chr 28.7).
23.18 In the present form of the narrative Jonathan and David have made a covenant before (see 18.3; 20.8), but this may have been the first time in an earlier version of the story.
23.19 A group of Ziphites, residents of the Wilderness of Ziph, seek to curry favor with Saul by betraying David. Hill of Hachilah, Jeshimon. Locations unknown, except that they must be near Horesh (see v. 15) and Maon (v. 24).
23.24 Maon was on a hilltop about eight miles south of Hebron; David’s camp is in the Arabah, or rift valley east of the town.
23.26 Saul’s troops have David trapped on the other side of the mountain; they are closing in on him, i.e., circling around the mountain from both directions.
23.27 Saul’s army is called away by other duties, affording David a last-minute escape.
23.28 If the name Rock of Escape is understood as Rock of Division (see text note d), the point of the wordplay may be that two hostile parties were divided here and went their separate ways.
23.29 David retreats farther into the Judean wilderness, finding shelter near the oasis of En-gedi, about thirty-five miles southeast of Jerusalem, roughly at the midpoint of the western shore of the Dead Sea (see Josh 15.62).
1 SAMUEL 24
David Spares Saul’s Life
1When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.” 2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself.a Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4The men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 5Afterward David was stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 6He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the LORD’s anointed.” 7So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul. Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way.
8Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. 9David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of those who say, ‘David seeks to do you harm’? 10This very day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you into my hand in the cave; and some urged me to kill you, but I sparedb you. I said, ‘I will not raise my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are hunting me to take my life. 12May the LORD judge between me and you! May the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 13As the ancient proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’ but my hand shall not be against you. 14Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? 15May the LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and vindicate me against you.”
16When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 18Today you have explained how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands. 19For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the enemy safely away? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20Now I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my father’s house.” 22So David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
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a Heb to cover his feet
b Gk Syr Tg Vg: Heb it (my eye) spared
24.1–22 In the first of two very similar episodes (see ch. 26), David passes up an opportunity to kill his pursuer, and Saul is moved to a sincere but fleeting change of heart. The motif of David’s unswerving loyalty to Saul despite outward appearances to the contrary is an important element of the old story of David’s rise to power (see Introduction).
24.2 Rocks of the Wild Goats. Location unknown, but ibexes remain plentiful in the vicinity of En-gedi today.
24.4 We were not told previously that the Lord has promised to deliver David’s enemy to him; the words of David’s men should probably be understood as a traditional saying. David’s reason for cutting off a corner of Saul’s cloak is to use it later (v. 11) as visible evidence that he had an opportunity to harm Saul and declined to do so; in the parallel episode (see 26.12, 16) he will use a spear and a water jar for the same purpose.
24.6–7 David refuses to permit his men to harm Saul, who, as the LORD’ s anointed (see 9.16), is a sacrosanct individual whose slaying or even physical injury (see note on 26.9) would be a sacrilege (see also 26.9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam 1.14, 16).
24.14 In this
highly rhetorical self-abasement David compares himself to a dead dog (see 2 Sam 9.8; 2 Kings 8.13, Septuagint) and even a single flea on a dead dog.
24.16–19 Confronted with irrefutable evidence of David’s loyalty, Saul admits that David’s case is just, but this change of heart will be only temporary.
24.20 Saul acknowledges what Jonathan has already said (23.17), that David will be king.
24.21 Saul’s plea for the safety of his family echoes that of Jonathan in 20.15.
24.22 Stronghold, probably Adullam (see note on 22.1).
1 SAMUEL 25
Death of Samuel
1Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.
Then David got up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
David and the Wife of Nabal
2There was a man in Maon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was clever and beautiful, but the man was surly and mean; he was a Calebite. 4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6Thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7I hear that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing, all the time they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight; for we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
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