1 Samuel 21:4

_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._ Hallowed bread, х_ LECHEM_ (H3899) _ QODESH_ (H6944)] - consecrated bread. There might be plenty of bread in his house, but it was not at hand, and there was no time to wait for it. The "hallowed bread" was the old showbread (Matthew 6:3; Mark 2:25; Luke 6:3) which had been removed the previous day, and which was reserved for the use of the priests alone (Leviticus 24:

1-9 David, in distress, fled to the tabernacle of God. It is great comfort in a day of trouble, that we have a God to go to, to whom we may open our cases, and from whom we may ask and expect direction. David told Ahimelech a gross untruth. What shall we say to this? The Scripture does not conceal it, and we dare not justify it; it was ill done, and proved of bad consequence; for it occasioned the death of the priests of the Lord. David thought upon it afterward with regret. David had great faith and courage, yet both failed him; he fell thus foully through fear and cowardice, and owing to the weakness of his faith. Had he trusted God aright, he would not have used such a sorry, sinful shift for his own preservation. It is written, not for us to do the like, no, not in the greatest straits, but for our warning. David asked of Ahimelech bread and a sword. Ahimelech supposed they might ea...

COMMON - As opposed to holy. (See the marginal references, and compare the use of the word in Acts 10:14, Acts 10:28.) It gives an idea of the depressed and poor condition of the priesthood at that time, that Ahimelech should have had no bread at hand except the showbread....

DAVID'S FLIGHT TO NOB, AND SUBSEQUENTLY TO THE PHILISTINES (1 Samuel 21:1.). EXPOSITION DAVID'S FLIGHT TO NOB (1 Samuel 21:1). 1 SAMUEL 21:1 THEN CAME DAVID TO NOB. Nob means a _knoll _or _hill, _and apparently was situated a little to the north of Jerusalem on the road leading to Gath. The ark had evidently been removed thither by Saul early in his reign, after it had remained for twenty years in the house of Abinadab; a

AND THE PRIEST ANSWERED DAVID, AND SAID, [THERE IS] NO COMMON BREAD UNDER MINE HAND,.... In the tabernacle, though he might have such in his own house; which was common for any man to eat of, even such as were not priests; but he had none there, and David was in haste to be gone because of Doeg, and could not stay till such was fetched: BUT THERE IS HALLOWED BREAD; such as was devoted to sacred use. Kimchi's father thinks this was the bread of the thank offering, to which Ben Gersom inclines; otherwise the Jewish writers in general understand it of the shewbread; and it is clear it was that from 1 Samuel 21:6 and from what our Lord says, Matthew 12:4. Now this the priest had under his hand, being just taken off of the shewbread table, and was the perquisite of the priests; an

6. DAVID'S VARIED EXPERIENCES CHAPTER 21 _ 1. David at Nob with Ahimelech (1 Samuel 21:1)_ 2. David's flight to Achish, King of Gath (1 Samuel 21:10) With this chapter begins the record of David's wanderings as an exile. A number of Psalms were written by him during this period of the rejection of the Lord's anointed. We shall point out some of them. These Psalms are prophetic also foreshadowing the rejection and the sufferings of Christ as well as the tribulations of the pious remnant of Israel during the closing years of the age, preceding the coming and enthronement of the King of Israel, our Lord. He reached Nob after his separation from Jonathan. At Nob the tabernacle of the Lord had been established and Ahimelech (my brother is King) the son of Ahitub (22:9) and g

1 SAMUEL 21. DAVID AT NOB AND GATH. 1 Samuel 21:1 (J). From one of the ancient documents; it is not clear which of the previous sections finds its sequel here. It is often connected with 1 Samuel 19:17: if this is right, David fled straight from his own house to Nob. It is likely that originally stories of single episodes of David's adventures circulated separately by oral tradition or otherwise, not forming a connected narrative. When they were collected, different editors might arrange and connect them in different ways. David fled to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Nob was probably a little N. of Jerusalem, on the way from Gibeah to Bethlehem. According to 1 Samuel 22:9 Ahimelech was the son of Ahitub, and

COMMON: i.e. or unhallowed. HALLOWED. holy. See note on Exodus 3:5. KEPT. And thus ceremonially clean, to eat such bread....

_common_ Lit. profane or unholy, i.e. unconsecrated. Vulg. "laicos panes....

THE PRIEST ANSWERED—THERE IS NO COMMON BREAD, &C.— Cases of necessity, as the Jews themselves allow, often superseded the observation of the ritual laws; and this compliance of Ahimelech's is urged with great force by our Saviour, in vindication of a similar case, Mark 2:25 to which place we shall refer for more upon the subject, and for a solution of the difficulties arising from the different names....