1 Samuel 21:5

_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._ These three days - as required by law (Exodus 19:15). David and his attendants seem to have been during this interval lurking in some of the adjoining caves to avoid pursuit, and to have been consequently reduced to great extremities of hunger. Dean Stanley (Smith's 'Dictionary,' article 'David') says, that 'the young men spoken of were imaginary. He was alone.' This is directly at variance with the testimony of our Lord in the passages referred to, as well as with the answer of the high priest (1 Samuel 21:4), which implies

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...

THE VESSELS OF THE YOUNG MEN ... - i. e., their clothes Deuteronomy 22:5 or wallets (marginal reference), or other articles which might be Levitically unclean and need cleansing (Leviticus 13:58; Exodus 19:10, etc.; Mark 7:4), as well as the person. AND THE BREAD ... - The meaning is; “Though it is treating it like common bread to give it to me and my young men, there is fresh showbread baked and put on the table in place of what you give us;” the day being Friday. as is indicated in the verse following....

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 DAVID ANSWERED THE PRIEST, AND SAID UNTO HIM,.... In reply to the case of the young men his servants, and of himself too, who also was intended by the priest, though out of reverence to him not mentioned: OF A TRUTH WOMEN [HAVE BEEN] KEPT FROM US THESE THREE DAYS SINCE I CAME OUT; reckoning either from the time he fled from Saul at Naioth, or from the time he left Jonathan, during which time both he and his men could have no converse with women, and receive no pollution by them; and this was the time which according to the law was required for the sanctifying of persons in this way, Exodus 19:15; AND THE VESSELS OF THE YOUNG MEN ARE HOLY; their garments, as Kimchi, not being defiled with any ceremonial uncleanness, as by the touch of any unclean person: or what instruments soever they were provided with for their journey; or rather their bodies; see

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

VESSELS. wallets. Compare 1 Samuel 17:40. Word not used in O.T. in the N.T. sense of 2 Timothy 2:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:4, &. c. holy. See note on Exodus 3:5. Compare "hallowed", 1 Samuel 21:4. YEA, THOUGH IT WERE SANCTIFIED THIS DAY IN THE VESSEL. and the more so, when to-day [there are other loaves] to be hallowed in respect of their vessels,...

_the vessels_ The wallets or other utensils into which the bread would be put. If these were Levitically unclean they would defile the bread. David assures Ahimelech that there is no ceremonial objection to their taking the bread either in their persons or their baggage. _and the bread_, &c. The further argument which David employs to Persuade Ahimelech is stated in a sentence of almost hopeless obscurity. Perhaps either (1) "And when I came out the vessels of the young men were holy; how much more then, though it is a common journey, will it be holy in the vessel to-day:" i.e. the vessels were undefiled when we started, and though our journey has no religions object, yet as there has been no danger of pollution since, _a fortiori_they cannot defile bread put in them to-day: or (2) "And if it is a profane procedure, yet It will be sanctified to-day by the instrument:" i.e. if the act is...

AND THE VESSELS OF THE YOUNG MEN— i.e. their bodies; see 1 Thessalonians 4:4. Houbigant renders this verse, _David answered the priest, We have indeed been absent from our wives these three days, since I came out; and the vessels of the young men are holy. But if any uncleanness had happened by the way, on this very day their vessels are clean;_ rightly observing, that the word כלי _kelei,_ rendered _vessels,_ cannot with any propriety be understood of the _bodies_ of the young men in one place, and of the _vessel_ containing the shew-bread in another....