1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21 (Listen)

David and the Holy Bread

21:1 ¹ Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.

8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

David Flees to Gath

10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,

  ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands’?”

12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

(ESV)

1 Samuel 21 Commentary

In 1 Samuel 21, David fled to Ahimelech the priest at Nob, asking for food (1 Samuel 21:1-3). Ahimelech gave him the consecrated bread, as David and his men were ceremonially clean (1 Samuel 21:4-6). David also requested a weapon, and Ahimelech provided the sword of Goliath (1 Samuel 21:8-9).

David then fled to King Achish of Gath, but Achish’s servants recognized him as the one praised for killing Saul’s thousands (1 Samuel 21:10-11). Fearful, David pretended to be insane, acting erratically to avoid trouble (1 Samuel 21:12-13). Achish dismissed him, questioning why he was brought to him (1 Samuel 21:14-15).

Deceptive Lie Or Shrewd Honesty?

David travels alone to Ahimelech, which immediately raises suspicion with the priest. It was odd for him to be traveling alone. When asked, David says he is on a mission from the king. I believe this was a lie. David was not perfect, and this chapter highlights what happens when we allow for fear of circumstances to dictate our decisions instead of fear of the Lord. However, it is possible he was referring to God, and if so, he would have been telling the truth. Still, most commentators agree this was a lie on David’s part.

If it was King Yahweh (cf. 8:7; 12:12), and I am inclined to believe it was since David is elsewhere recorded referring to God as king (cf. Pss 5:2; 20:9; 24:7–10; 29:10; 68:24; 145:1), then David was telling the truth.

The New American Commentary

“David is saying something in this chapter that is not true, as the context reveals. David was not on a mission for the king, and ‘the king’s business requires haste’ is in no way applicable to Christian work.”

Vernon McGee

“This was a plain lie. David came to the house of the LORD, but he lied to protect himself. David elaborated on his lie when he put false words in the mouth of Saul to establish an environment of secrecy (Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you), and when he referred to “my young men” (David was all alone).”

David Guzik

“David deceived Ahimelech into believing that he was on a secret mission for the king. His lie unwittingly precipitated a tragedy for the priests of Nob (1Sa 22:6-19). I have directed my young men: David apparently had arranged a rendezvous with a small band of men (1Sa 21:4-5; 1Sa 22:2; Mat 12:3-4).”

Nelson’s New Illustrated Commentary

Ahimelech faced a dilemma when David requested bread, as he only had consecrated bread. According to Levitical law, this kind of bread was reserved for priests (Lev 24:9). However, since the circumstances were life-threatening, Ahimelech had the priestly authority to make exceptions for life-preserving needs. He provided the consecrated bread, acting within his authority to uphold the spirit of the law in this particular situation (see Mar 2:23-28).

Although David’s words may not be an outright lie, there are severe consequences in 1 Samuel 22. In fact, David takes full responsibility in the next chapter.

“The priest gave David and his men the holy bread to eat and also the sword of Goliath for David’s protection. The whole plan seemed to be successful, except that one of Saul’s spies, Doeg, was there to witness the events; and this ultimately led to treachery and bloodshed.”

Warren Wiersbe

Crazy David

David seeks refuge among the Philistines in Gath. Recognizing him as the famed Israelite warrior, Achish’s servants question David’s presence because they remember the songs celebrating his victories over Saul. This shows us that Israel’s music and folklore traveled outside of their region.

David senses he is in trouble and immediately feigns madness, acting erratically by scratching on the city gates and letting saliva drip from his beard. This display convinces Achish that David poses no threat, leading him to dismiss David as a harmless madman.

“David took upon himself the trappings of insanity to hide his sanity; Saul surrounded himself with the trappings of sanity to cloak his insanity.”

The New American Commentary