1 Samuel 21

David escapes to the city of Nob, where he receives help from the priests.

image of 1 Samuel 21

15
verses
2
min


David Escapes to Nob

1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought 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 thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

Commentary

1 Samuel 21 is a chapter that focuses on the story of David and his interactions with King Achish of Gath. David had been on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him, and he had sought refuge in Gath. When King Achish asked David to join him in battle against Saul, David agreed, but he had a plan to deceive the king. David pretended to be insane, and he acted out in a way that made King Achish believe he was mad. This allowed David to escape from Gath without being harmed. This chapter is a reminder of the importance of being wise and using our wits to get out of difficult situations. David's deception was a clever way to protect himself from harm, and it is a reminder that we should always be prepared to think on our feet and use our wits to get out of difficult situations. This chapter also serves as a reminder that God is always with us, and He will provide us with the wisdom and strength we need to get through any situation.

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FAQ

Assuming a reader with an average reading speed of 300 WPM reads the 1 Samuel, chapter 21 it would take approximately 2 minutes to finish.

There are 15 verses in 1 Samuel, chapter 21.