1 Samuel 22: David at the cave of Adullam, and Saul has the priests of Nob killed
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What happens?
David escapes to the cave of Adullam, and his family and about four hundred men in distress, in debt or bitter of soul gather to him. He leaves his father and mother with the king of Moab, and the prophet Gad tells him to go into the land of Judah. Saul accuses his servants of plotting against him, and Doeg the Edomite tells him that Ahimelech asked Yahweh for David and gave him food and Goliath's sword. Saul calls Ahimelech and all the priests of Nob, and when Ahimelech says he knew nothing, Saul orders the priests killed. His servants refuse, so Saul tells Doeg, and Doeg kills eighty-five priests and strikes Nob, men, women, children, babies and animals. One son of Ahimelech, Abiathar, escapes to David, and David tells him to stay with him and be safe.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. David speaks to the king of Moab in verse 3, and the prophet Gad speaks to David in verse 5; the text does not say Gad's words came from Yahweh. Saul speaks to his servants in verses 7 and 8, and Doeg answers in verses 9 and 10. Saul and Ahimelech speak in verses 12 to 16, and Saul gives his orders in verses 17 and 18. David speaks to Abiathar in verses 22 and 23. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1David therefore departed from there and escaped to Adullam’s cave. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
In plain English: So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's household heard of it, they went down there to him.
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2Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them. There were with him about four hundred men.
In plain English: Everyone who was in distress, everyone who owed money (this Bible: was in debt), and everyone who was bitter (literally: bitter of soul; this Bible: discontented) gathered to him, and he became their leader (this Bible: captain). About four hundred men were with him.
The Hebrew words: "Discontented" is word for word "bitter of soul": mar, which the dictionary gives as "bitter (literally or figuratively)", with nephesh, the word this Bible gives as "soul". The same two words are said of Hannah in , "She was in bitterness of soul". "In debt" is from nasha, which the dictionary gives as "to lend on interest": word for word, "every man who had a creditor".
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3David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out to you, until I know what God will do for me.”
In plain English: From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come out and be with you, until I know what God will do for me."
Good to know: The text does not say why David took his parents to Moab. The book of Ruth ends by saying that Ruth the Moabite's son Obed "is the father of Jesse, the father of David" (). "The stronghold" in verse 4 is matsud, which the dictionary gives as "a net, or (abstractly) capture; also a fastness"; the text does not name the place.
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4He brought them before the king of Moab; and they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
In plain English: He brought them before the king of Moab, and they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
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5The prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Depart, and go into the land of Judah.” Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
In plain English: The prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave, and go into the land of Judah." So David left and came into the forest of Hereth.
Good to know: This is the first time the text names Gad the prophet. It gives his words to David, and does not say that they came from Yahweh, so they are not in gold.
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6Saul heard that David was discovered, with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.
In plain English: Saul heard that David had been found (this Bible: discovered), with the men who were with him. Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah (or: on the height), with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.
The Hebrew word: "In Ramah" here is ramah, which the dictionary gives as "a height (as a seat of idolatry)". The dictionary lists it apart from the town of Ramah in , which it gives as "Ramah, the name of four places in Palestine", though the two words look alike in Hebrew. This word is in only 5 verses: here and four in Ezekiel 16, where this Bible says "a lofty place" ().
What changes: Read as "in Ramah", Saul sat at a place called Ramah. Read as "on the height", he sat under the tree on the high ground at Gibeah. The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "in the hill below the field that is in Rama".
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7Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?
In plain English: Saul said to his servants who stood around him, "Listen now, you men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders (this Bible: captains) of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
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8Is that why all of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who discloses to me when my son makes a treaty with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?”
In plain English: Is that why all of you have plotted (this Bible: conspired) against me? No one tells me (literally: uncovers my ear) when my son makes a treaty (literally: cuts) with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or tells me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is today."
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9Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
In plain English: Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's servants, answered and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
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10He inquired of Yahweh for him, gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
In plain English: He asked Yahweh for him (this Bible: inquired of Yahweh for him), gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
Good to know: Chapter 21 tells of the bread and the sword, but it does not tell of Ahimelech asking Yahweh for David. In verse 15 Ahimelech answers, "Have I today begun to inquire of God for him?" These are Doeg's words, and the text does not say more.
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11Then 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.
In plain English: Then the king sent for 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.
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12Saul said, “Hear now, you son of Ahitub.” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
In plain English: Saul said, "Listen now, you son of Ahitub." He answered, "Here I am, my lord."
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13Saul 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 today?”
In plain English: Saul said to him, "Why have you plotted (this Bible: conspired) against me, you and the son of Jesse? You gave him bread and a sword, and asked God for him (this Bible: inquired of God for him), so that he would rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is today."
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14Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your body guard, and honored in your house?
In plain English: Then Ahimelech answered the king, "Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard (or: one who carries out your orders), and honored in your house.
The Hebrew word: "Captain of your body guard" is word for word "turns aside to your mishmaat". The dictionary gives mishmaat as "audience, i.e. the royal court; also obedience". In the same word is "his guard". The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "he is executor of all thy commands".
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15Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? Be it far from me! Don’t let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.”
In plain English: Have I begun today to ask God for him? Far be it from me! Do not let the king hold anything against (this Bible: impute anything to) his servant or all my father's house, because your servant knew nothing about all this, small or great (this Bible: less or more)."
Good to know: "Have I today begun to inquire of God for him?" can be read two ways. Read one way, Ahimelech says this was nothing new: he had asked God for David before. Read the other way, "Far be it from me!" goes with it, and he says he did not do it to plot against the king. Either way, he says he "knew nothing of all this, less or more".
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16The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
In plain English: The king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house."
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17The king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled and didn’t disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king wouldn’t put out their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh.
In plain English: The king said to the guards (literally: the runners) who stood around him, "Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they too are on David's side (literally: their hand also is with David), and because they knew that he was running away and did not tell me (literally: uncover my ear)." But the king's servants would not raise (this Bible: put out) their hand to strike down (literally: fall on) the priests of Yahweh.
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18The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.
In plain English: Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike down (this Bible: attack) the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. On that day he killed eighty-five men (this Bible: people) who wore a linen ephod.
Good to know: "A linen ephod" is what Samuel wore as a boy when he served before Yahweh (). The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "three hundred and five men, all wearing an ephod", where the Hebrew has eighty-five who wore a linen ephod.
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19He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword—both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle, donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
In plain English: He struck Nob, the town of the priests, with the edge of the sword (literally: the mouth of the sword): men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle, donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
Good to know: The Hebrew list here, "men and women, children and nursing babies", with cattle, donkeys and sheep, uses the same words as , where Samuel told Saul to strike Amalek: "man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey". The text does not comment on it here.
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20One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
In plain English: But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled to David (literally: after David).
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21Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh’s priests.
In plain English: Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests.
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22David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house.
In plain English: David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for (or: I have brought about) the death of every person (literally: every soul) of your father's house.
The Hebrew words: "I am responsible for" is word for word "I have turned in every soul of your father's house". "Turned" is sabab, which the dictionary gives as "to revolve, surround, or border". The old Greek translation in this collection (Brenton) has "I am guilty of the death of the house of thy father".
What changes: Read the way this Bible and the Greek have it, David says the deaths are on him. Read as "I have brought about", he says he was the cause of them. Either way, David speaks of himself, and the text does not add a judgment of its own.
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23Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. You will be safe with me.”
In plain English: Stay with me. Do not be afraid, because the one who seeks my life seeks your life. You will be safe with me."
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