1 Samuel 21 Study Notes: David at Nob and Gath
Fleeing Saul, David deceives the priest Ahimelech at Nob and receives the consecrated bread and Goliath’s sword while Saul’s servant Doeg is present. He then escapes to the Philistine city of Gath, where he is recognized and saves himself by pretending to be insane.
General
When the priest Ahimelech trembled and asked why David was alone, what did David tell him (1 Samuel 21:1-2)?
Answer: That Saul had sent him on a secret errand
Ahimelech, the priest at Nob, trembled when he met David and asked why no one was with him (21:1). David said the king had given him a task that no one was to know about, and that his men were waiting for him at an agreed place (21:2). This was not true. David had just parted from Jonathan to escape from Saul (20:42), and the narrator says that this same day David was fleeing from Saul (21:10). The account reports the lie without approving it; God’s word says the LORD hates falsehood and delights in faithful speech (Proverbs 12:22). Soon afterward Ahimelech’s family was killed, and David admitted that, having known Doeg was there, he bore responsibility for their deaths (22:22).
- 1 Samuel 21:1-2 (BSB)“Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.”Ahimelech trembles at David’s arrival, and David claims to be on a secret mission for the king.
- 1 Samuel 20:42 (BSB)“And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.”David had just left Jonathan in order to escape from Saul.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”Scripture declares that lying lips are detestable to the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 22:22 (BSB)“Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of everyone in your father’s house.”David later admits he is responsible for the deaths that followed.
Theological
How does David answer Ahimelech’s anxious question about why he has come alone (1 Samuel 21:1-2)?
Answer: That Saul had sent him on a secret errand
Met by a trembling Ahimelech at Nob (21:1), David claims to be on a confidential royal commission, with his men waiting at a prearranged spot (21:2). The claim is false: David has just taken leave of Jonathan in order to escape Saul (20:42), and the narrator states that he was fleeing from Saul that day (21:10). The narrative records David’s deception without commending it, and Scripture is plain that the LORD abhors falsehood and takes delight in faithful dealing (Proverbs 12:22). The priestly household of Nob is soon destroyed, and David later owns responsibility for their deaths, since he had known Doeg was present (22:22).
- 1 Samuel 21:1-2 (BSB)“Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.”Ahimelech trembles at David’s arrival, and David claims to be on a secret mission for the king.
- 1 Samuel 20:42 (BSB)“And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and mine forever.’” Then David got up and departed, and Jonathan went back into the city.”David had just left Jonathan in order to escape from Saul.
- Proverbs 12:22 (BSB)“Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.”Scripture declares that lying lips are detestable to the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 22:22 (BSB)“Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of everyone in your father’s house.”David later admits he is responsible for the deaths that followed.
General
The text names a servant of Saul who was held at Nob that day. Who was he (1 Samuel 21:7)?
Answer: Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd
The narrator pauses to mention a servant of Saul who was kept at Nob that day before the LORD: Doeg, an Edomite, who was over Saul’s shepherds (21:7). The detail prepares for what follows. Doeg later told Saul what he had seen (22:9-10), and David himself said he had known that Doeg was there and would certainly report it to Saul (22:22). Psalm 52 is headed as written after Doeg reported to Saul that David had visited Ahimelech’s house (Psalm 52:1).
- 1 Samuel 21:7 (BSB)“Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.”Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd, is at Nob that day.
- 1 Samuel 22:9-10 (BSB)“But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.””Doeg later reports to Saul what he saw at Nob.
- 1 Samuel 22:22 (BSB)“Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of everyone in your father’s house.”David admits he knew Doeg would tell Saul.
- Psalm 52:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Maskil of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.”The psalm’s heading links it to Doeg’s report to Saul.
Theological
Which of Saul’s servants does 1 Samuel 21:7 place at Nob when David received the bread and sword?
Answer: Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd
A single sentence introduces a witness: Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, held at Nob before the LORD that day (21:7). The note sets up the catastrophe of chapter 22, where Doeg informs on Ahimelech (22:9-10), and David later confesses he had known Doeg would report to Saul (22:22). The superscription of Psalm 52 ties that psalm to Doeg’s report to Saul about David’s visit to Ahimelech (Psalm 52:1).
- 1 Samuel 21:7 (BSB)“Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.”Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd, is at Nob that day.
- 1 Samuel 22:9-10 (BSB)“But Doeg the Edomite, who had stationed himself with Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.””Doeg later reports to Saul what he saw at Nob.
- 1 Samuel 22:22 (BSB)“Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite was there that day, and that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself am responsible for the lives of everyone in your father’s house.”David admits he knew Doeg would tell Saul.
- Psalm 52:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Maskil of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.”The psalm’s heading links it to Doeg’s report to Saul.
General
How did David get away from Achish (1 Samuel 21:13-15)?
Answer: He acted insane, so Achish refused to keep him
Afraid of Achish, David changed his behavior and acted as if he had lost his mind, scratching at the gate doors and drooling into his beard (21:13). Achish told his servants the man was plainly insane and asked whether he was short of madmen, that they should bring this one into his house (21:14-15). Achish wanted nothing to do with him, and David got away from Gath and went to Adullam (22:1). The heading of Psalm 34 ties that psalm to the time David feigned madness before Abimelech and was driven away, and in it David praises the LORD who answered him and freed him from every fear (Psalm 34:1, 4). Like his words to Ahimelech, David’s pretense is simply reported, not held up as a pattern; the psalm gives the credit for his rescue to the LORD (Psalm 34:6).
- 1 Samuel 21:13-15 (BSB)“So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me? Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?””David feigns madness, and Achish dismisses him.
- 1 Samuel 22:1 (BSB)“So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.”David leaves Gath and takes refuge at Adullam.
- Psalm 34:1 (BSB)“Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”The psalm’s heading links it to David’s feigned madness before the king.
- Psalm 34:4 (BSB)“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”David credits the LORD with answering him and delivering him from his fears.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”The psalm says the LORD heard the poor man and saved him from his troubles.
Theological
By what means did David escape from Achish’s court (1 Samuel 21:13-15)?
Answer: He acted insane, so Achish refused to keep him
Fearing Achish, David feigns madness — scratching at the gate doors and drooling into his beard (21:13) — and Achish dismisses him with contempt as one more madman he has no use for (21:14-15). David then escapes to Adullam (22:1). The superscription of Psalm 34 associates that psalm with David’s feigned madness before Abimelech, who then sent him away, and the psalm ascribes the deliverance not to the ruse but to the LORD who answered him and delivered him from his fears (Psalm 34:1, 4, 6). As with the deception at Nob, the narrative reports David’s pretense without commending it.
- 1 Samuel 21:13-15 (BSB)“So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me? Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?””David feigns madness, and Achish dismisses him.
- 1 Samuel 22:1 (BSB)“So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.”David leaves Gath and takes refuge at Adullam.
- Psalm 34:1 (BSB)“Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.”The psalm’s heading links it to David’s feigned madness before the king.
- Psalm 34:4 (BSB)“I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”David credits the LORD with answering him and delivering him from his fears.
- Psalm 34:6 (BSB)“This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.”The psalm says the LORD heard the poor man and saved him from his troubles.
General
Jesus later pointed to David eating the consecrated bread. What accusation was He answering (Matthew 12:1-4)?
Answer: That His disciples broke the Sabbath by picking grain
When the Pharisees objected that Jesus’ hungry disciples were picking heads of grain on the Sabbath, Israel’s weekly day of rest, Jesus reminded them of this very event: David and his men, hungry and needy, ate the holy loaves in God’s house, bread only the priests were allowed to eat (Matthew 12:1-4; Mark 2:25-26). Jesus did not say the rule about the bread was wrong; He called it unlawful for David. He went on to explain that God desires mercy, not sacrifice; had the Pharisees grasped that, they would have spared the guiltless instead of condemning them (Matthew 12:7, drawing on Hosea 6:6). He added that the Sabbath was given for people’s good, and that He Himself, as Son of Man, rules over that day (Mark 2:27-28).
- 1 Samuel 21:6 (BSB)“So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”David receives the consecrated bread, the event Jesus later cites.
- Matthew 12:1-4 (BSB)“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.”Answering the charge about picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus points to David eating the consecrated bread.
- Mark 2:25-26 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.””Mark records the same appeal to David’s need and the consecrated bread.
- Matthew 12:7 (BSB)“If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”Jesus explains the principle by citing God’s desire for mercy rather than sacrifice.
- Mark 2:27-28 (BSB)“Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””Jesus declares that the Sabbath was made for man and that He is its Lord.
Theological
In Matthew 12:1-4 and Mark 2:23-26, what charge does Jesus answer by appealing to David’s eating of the consecrated bread?
Answer: That His disciples broke the Sabbath by picking grain
Jesus cites this episode when the Pharisees charge His disciples with Sabbath-breaking for plucking grain (Matthew 12:1-4; Mark 2:25-26). He does not deny that eating the consecrated bread was unlawful for David; rather, He uses Scripture itself to expose the Pharisees’ harshness: they had condemned the innocent because they did not grasp that God desires mercy and not sacrifice (Matthew 12:7, citing Hosea 6:6). Jesus then grounds the matter in His own authority: the Sabbath exists for humanity’s good, and He as Son of Man has lordship over it (Mark 2:27-28).
- 1 Samuel 21:6 (BSB)“So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”David receives the consecrated bread, the event Jesus later cites.
- Matthew 12:1-4 (BSB)“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.”Answering the charge about picking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus points to David eating the consecrated bread.
- Mark 2:25-26 (BSB)“Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.””Mark records the same appeal to David’s need and the consecrated bread.
- Matthew 12:7 (BSB)“If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”Jesus explains the principle by citing God’s desire for mercy rather than sacrifice.
- Mark 2:27-28 (BSB)“Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””Jesus declares that the Sabbath was made for man and that He is its Lord.
General
When David fled to the Philistine ruler Achish in Gath, what did Achish’s servants say about him (1 Samuel 21:10-11)?
Answer: They called him the land’s king and recalled a song about him
Fleeing Saul, David went to Achish, the ruler of Gath (21:10), a city of the Philistines — Israel’s enemies along the coast — and Goliath’s own hometown (17:4). Achish’s servants recognized him at once. They called him the land’s king and reminded Achish of the song Israel’s women had sung, giving Saul credit for thousands and David for tens of thousands (21:11; 18:7). David took note of what they said and grew greatly afraid of Achish (21:12). Psalm 56, headed as written when David was captured by the Philistines in Gath, is the prayer of a man who, when afraid, puts his trust in God (Psalm 56:1-3).
- 1 Samuel 21:10-12 (BSB)“That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.”David flees to Achish, is recognized by his servants, and becomes afraid.
- 1 Samuel 17:4 (BSB)“Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,”Goliath, whom David had killed, came from Gath.
- 1 Samuel 18:7 (BSB)“And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.””The song Achish’s servants quote had been sung by Israel’s women.
- Psalm 56:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack. My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”The psalm headed as from Gath expresses trust in God when afraid.
Theological
How do Achish’s servants identify David when he arrives in Gath (1 Samuel 21:10-11)?
Answer: They called him the land’s king and recalled a song about him
David seeks refuge with Achish of Gath (21:10), the Philistine city that had produced Goliath (17:4). Achish’s servants identify him immediately as the land’s king and cite the victory song that credited Saul with thousands and David with tens of thousands (21:11; 18:7). Hearing this, David is seized with fear of Achish (21:12). The superscription of Psalm 56 places that psalm in Gath at the time of David’s capture by the Philistines, and its confession is trust in God in the midst of fear (Psalm 56:1-3).
- 1 Samuel 21:10-12 (BSB)“That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.”David flees to Achish, is recognized by his servants, and becomes afraid.
- 1 Samuel 17:4 (BSB)“Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,”Goliath, whom David had killed, came from Gath.
- 1 Samuel 18:7 (BSB)“And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.””The song Achish’s servants quote had been sung by Israel’s women.
- Psalm 56:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack. My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”The psalm headed as from Gath expresses trust in God when afraid.
General
What weapon did Ahimelech give David, and where had it been kept (1 Samuel 21:8-9)?
Answer: Goliath’s sword, kept wrapped up behind the ephod
Continuing his story that the king’s business was urgent, David said he had brought no sword or weapon (21:8). The only sword at Nob was the one that had belonged to the Philistine champion Goliath, whom David had killed at Elah. It was kept wrapped up behind the ephod — a sacred priestly garment — and David accepted it eagerly, saying no other sword could compare (21:9). David had defeated Goliath without a sword of his own, felling him with a stone from his sling (17:50), and he had afterward stored the giant’s weapons in his tent (17:54). Doeg would later report this gift to Saul (22:10).
- 1 Samuel 21:8-9 (BSB)“Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.””David asks for a weapon and receives Goliath’s sword from behind the ephod.
- 1 Samuel 17:50 (BSB)“Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”David had defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone, without a sword.
- 1 Samuel 17:54 (BSB)“David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.”David had kept Goliath’s weapons after the battle.
- 1 Samuel 22:10 (BSB)“Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.””Doeg tells Saul that Ahimelech gave David Goliath’s sword.
Theological
What weapon does David receive at Nob, and where had it been stored (1 Samuel 21:8-9)?
Answer: Goliath’s sword, kept wrapped up behind the ephod
Still maintaining the pretext of urgent royal business (21:8), David asks for a weapon and is offered the only one at Nob: Goliath’s sword, kept wrapped behind the ephod, which David accepts as unequaled (21:9). The trophy of the LORD’s victory at Elah, won when David overcame Goliath with no sword of his own (17:50) and afterward stored the giant’s weapons in his tent (17:54), now returns to David in his flight. Doeg’s report would include this detail (22:10).
- 1 Samuel 21:8-9 (BSB)“Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.””David asks for a weapon and receives Goliath’s sword from behind the ephod.
- 1 Samuel 17:50 (BSB)“Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”David had defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone, without a sword.
- 1 Samuel 17:54 (BSB)“David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.”David had kept Goliath’s weapons after the battle.
- 1 Samuel 22:10 (BSB)“Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.””Doeg tells Saul that Ahimelech gave David Goliath’s sword.
General
Why did Ahimelech give David the consecrated bread (1 Samuel 21:4-6)?
Answer: There was no other bread on hand at Nob
David asked for five loaves or whatever could be found (21:3). Ahimelech had no ordinary bread, only consecrated bread — bread set apart as holy to God — and he would give it only if David’s young men had stayed away from women, and David assured him that they had (21:4-5). This was the bread that stood on the golden table before the LORD: twelve loaves set out every Sabbath, which the law reserved for the priests descended from Aaron, to be eaten in a sacred place (Leviticus 24:5-6, 8-9). It had just been taken away and replaced with fresh, warm loaves, and since there was nothing else, the priest gave it to David (21:6).
- 1 Samuel 21:4-6 (BSB)““There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”Ahimelech gives David the consecrated bread because no other bread is available.
- Leviticus 24:5-6 (BSB)“You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.”The law describes the twelve loaves set on the gold table before the LORD.
- Leviticus 24:8-9 (BSB)“Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD—his portion forever.””The bread was set out each Sabbath and belonged to Aaron and his sons to eat in a holy place.
Theological
What circumstance led Ahimelech to give David the consecrated bread (1 Samuel 21:4-6)?
Answer: There was no other bread on hand at Nob
Asked for five loaves or whatever was available (21:3), Ahimelech had only consecrated bread and made ritual purity the condition: the young men must have kept from women, which David affirmed (21:4-5). This was the holy bread of God’s table, the twelve loaves set before the LORD each Sabbath on the gold table and assigned by the law to the Aaronic priests as a most holy portion to be eaten in a sacred place (Leviticus 24:5-6, 8-9). Freshly replaced and the only bread available, it was given to David (21:6).
- 1 Samuel 21:4-6 (BSB)““There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.”Ahimelech gives David the consecrated bread because no other bread is available.
- Leviticus 24:5-6 (BSB)“You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD.”The law describes the twelve loaves set on the gold table before the LORD.
- Leviticus 24:8-9 (BSB)“Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the food offerings to the LORD—his portion forever.””The bread was set out each Sabbath and belonged to Aaron and his sons to eat in a holy place.