1 Sam. 22:6-17 - EW Commentary
B. Saul murders the priests.
1. (1 Sam. 22:6-8) Feeling sorry for himself, Saul accuses his aides of treason.
6 Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing in front of him. 7 Saul said to his servants who were standing in front of him, "Hear now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse really give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day."
a. David and the men who were with him had been discovered: When it was just David hiding out from Saul, he could remain hidden for a long time. But you can't hide 400 men. When David came back into Judah, Saul's network of informants quickly discovered them.
b. With a spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him: When Saul had a spear in his hand, it usually meant he was going to try to hurt someone.
c. Will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards: Saul appealed to the truly worst in these men, asking them if a man from Judah will favor the tribe of Benjamin with riches and promotions.
i. Also, notice how Saul referred to David: "the son of Jesse." He didn't say, "The Man Who Killed Goliath," or "The Man Who Killed 200 Philistines," or "The Man Anointed by God." Saul knew that David came from a family of simple farmers, so he called him by the humblest name he could think of - the son of Jesse.
d. All of you have conspired against me... there is not one of you who is sorry for me: In his fleshly, self-focused world, everything revolved around Saul. He became paranoid and whiny, and he led through guilt and accusation.
e. My son has stirred up my servant against me: Jonathan never did any such thing but Saul could not accept the truth that David and Jonathan were in the right and he was in the wrong. So Saul constructed elaborate conspiracies against him.
2. (1 Sam. 22:9-10) Doeg reports on Ahimelech and David to King Saul.
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing in front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
a. Doeg the Edomite: This man was last seen in 1 Samuel 21:7 in Nob, at the tabernacle at the same time David came there.
b. He inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath: Doeg implicated the priest Ahimelech as David's accomplice. "Look at all the help Ahimelech gave David. Surely, they are working together against you Saul, and Ahimelech probably knows exactly where David is and where he is going." Doeg was more than an ambitious man looking to promote himself. He also knew how to divert Saul's anger and suspicion from his own staff to the priests.
3. (1 Sam. 22:11-15) Saul accuses Ahimelech of conspiracy with David.
11 Then the king sent a messenger to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." And he replied, "Here I am, my lord." 13 Saul then said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?" 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king's own son-in-law, who is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing at all of this whole affair."
a. Here I am, my lord: Ahimelech answered Saul with the honesty of a man with a clear conscience. He simply and honestly said, "Let not the king impute anything to his servant."
i. Saul continued in his reckless paranoia. He accused Ahimelech and David of conspiracy against him (you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse). He also thought that David was out to kill him (that he should rise against me, to lie in wait). Saul thought of himself as the victim, that David and Ahimelech were out to get him.
b. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much: Ahimelech told the exact truth. When David came to Ahimelech, the priest questioned him carefully (Why are you alone, and no one is with you, 1 Samuel 21:1). Instead of telling Ahimelech the truth, David lied to him. This put Ahimelech in a very vulnerable position.
i. Ahimelech was so unaware of the hatred Saul has for David that he praised David before the jealous king: "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David." This is because David told Ahimelech that he was on Saul's bidding when he was really running for his life (1 Samuel 21:2).
4. (1 Sam. 22:16-17) Saul commands the execution of the priests and their families, and Doeg the Edomite carries it out.
16 But the king said, "You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household!" 17 And the king said to the guards who were attending him, "Turn around and put the priests of the LORD to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not inform me." But the servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to attack the priests of the LORD.
a. "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's house!" Any man in the place of sin and rebellion Saul was in can't stand to see an innocent, guileless man like Ahimelech disagree with him. So he commanded him to be murdered.
i. Saul was reluctant to kill the enemies of the Lord when he was commanded to (1 Samuel 15:9). But he wasn't reluctant to murder the priests of the Lord in cold blood. Saul is clearly going off the deep end. "His anger was bent against the Lord himself, for taking away his kingdom, and giving it to another: and because he could not come at the Lord, therefore he wreaketh his rage upon his priests." (Trapp)
ii. "This is one of the worst acts in the life of Saul; his malice was implacable, and his wrath was cruel, and there is no motive of justice or policy by which such a barbarous act can be justified." (Clarke) "A bloody sentence, harshly pronounced and as rashly executed, without any pause or deliberation, without any remorse or regret. This was the worst act that ever Saul did." (Trapp)
b. The servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests: To their credit, Saul's servants feared God more than Saul and they refused to murder the priests.
1 Sam. 22:6-7 - Pulpit Commentary - Saul Orders Priests Killed
v. 6: Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing in front of him. - When Saul heard that David was discovered. Hebrew, "was known." The meaning is easy enough, though rendered obscure by the involved translation of the A.V; and is as follows: When Saul heard that there was information concerning David and his men, he held a solemn council, in which we see how simple was the dignity of his court, but how great the ferocity to which he was now a prey. There is no parenthesis, but the account of Saul taking his seat, surrounded by his officers, follows directly upon the narration of the fact that news of David had reached him, and should be translated thus: "And Saul takes his seat in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height, holding his javelin (as a sceptre) in his hand, and all his officers stand in order by him." For Saul's fondness for trees see 1 Samuel 14:2; but at a time when there were no large buildings a branching tree formed a fit place for a numerous meeting. A tree. Really a tamarisk tree, which "sometimes reaches such a size as to afford dense shade .... It is a very graceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts, closely clad with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful pink blossom". It grows abundantly on the seashore of England, but requires a warmer climate to develop into a tree. In Spain beautiful specimens may be seen, as for instance at Pampeluna. In Ramah. Conder (Handbook) thinks that Gibeah was the name of a district, which included Ramah; others take the word in its original signification, and render "on the height." Standing. The word means that they took each their proper posts around him (See on 1Sa 10:23; 1 Samuel 12:7, 1 Samuel 12:16; 1 Samuel 17:16). Saul was holding a formal court, to decide what steps should be taken now that David had openly revolted from him.
vv. 7-8: 7 Saul said to his servants who were standing in front of him, "Hear now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse really give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day." - Ye Benjamites. Saul had evidently failed in blending the twelve tribes into one nation. He had begun well, and his great feat of delivering Jabesh Gilead by summoning the militia of all Israel together must have given them something of a corporate feeling, and taught them their power when united. Yet now we find him isolated, and this address to his officers seems to show that he had aggrandised his own tribe at the expense of the rest. Moreover, he appeals to the worst passions of these men, and asks whether they can expect David to continue this favouritism, which had given them riches and all posts of power. And then he turns upon them, and fiercely accuses them of banding together in a conspiracy against him, to conceal from him the private understanding which existed between his own son and his enemy. Hath made a league. Hebrew, "hath cut." This use of the formal phrase forsaking a covenant seems to show that Saul was at length aware of the solemn bond of friendship entered into by Jonathan with David. To lie in wait. To Saul's mind, diseased with that suspicion which is the scourge of tyrants, David is secretly plotting his murder. As at this day. I.e. as today is manifest (see 1 Samuel 22:13).
vv. 9-10: 9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing in front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine." - Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul. This translation is entirely wrong, nor would Saul's Benjamites have endured to have an Edomite set over them. The verb is that used in 1 Samuel 22:6, and refers simply to Doeg's place in the circle of attendants standing round Saul. The words mean, "Doeg the Edomite, who stood there with the servants of Saul." As chief herdsman he was present as a person of some importance, but far below "the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds." I saw the son of Jesse, etc. As Saul was in a dangerous state of excite. sent, bordering on insanity, Doeg's statement was probably made with the evil intent of turning the king's suspicions from the courtiers to the priests. His assertion that the high priest enquired of Jehovah for David was possibly true (see on 1 Samuel 22:15).
vv. 11-13: 11 Then the king sent a messenger to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." And he replied, "Here I am, my lord." 13 Saul then said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?" - All his father's house. Doeg's suggestion that the priests were David's allies at once arouses all Saul's worst passions. As if he had determined from the first upon the massacre of the whole body, he sends not merely for Ahimelech, but forevery priest at Nob. Shortly afterwards they arrived, for Nob was close to Gibeah, and Saul himself arraigns them before the court for treason, and recapitulates the three points mentioned by Doeg as conclusive proofs of their guilt.
vv. 14-16: 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king's own son-in-law, who is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing [i]at all of this whole affair." 16 But the king said, "You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household!" - Ahimelech's answers are those of an innocent man who had supposed that what he did was a matter of course. But his enumeration of David's privileges of rank and station probably only embittered the king. In his eyes David was of all Saul's officers the most faithful, both trusty and trusted (see on 1 Samuel 2:35). He was, moreover, the king's son-in-law; but the next words, he goeth at thy bidding, more probably mean, "has admission to thy audience," i.e. is thy privy councillor, with the right of entering unbidden the royal presence. Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? Though the meaning of these words is disputed, yet there seems no sufficient reason for taking them in any other than their natural sense. It was probably usual to consult God by the Urim and Thummim on all matters of importance, and David, as a high officer of Saul's court, must often have done so before starting on such expeditions as are referred to in 1 Samuel 18:13. But the Bible is singularly reticent in such matters, and it is only incidentally that we learn how fully the Mosaic law entered into the daily life of the people. But for this frightful crime we should not even have known that Saul had brought the ark into his own neighbourhood, and restored the services of the sanctuary. But just as he took care to have Ahiah in attendance upon him in war, so we cannot doubt but that his main object in placing the priests at Nob was to have the benefit of the Divine counsel in his wars. It would be quite unreasonable to suppose that such consultations required the king's personal attendance. Thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. Whatever Ahimelech had done had been in perfect good faith, and though David's conduct must have seemed to him suspicious, yet there was nothing that would have justified him in acting differently. Nevertheless, in spite of his transparent innocence, Saul orders the slaughter not only of God's high priest, but of the whole body of the priesthood whom he had placed at Nob, and now had summoned for this ferocious purpose into his presence.
v. 17: 17 And the king said to the guards who were attending him, "Turn around and put the priests of the LORD to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not inform me." But the servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to attack the priests of the LORD. - Footmen. Hebrew, "runners." They were the men who ran by the side of the king's horse or chariot as his escort (see on 1 Samuel 8:11). In constant training, they were capable of maintaining a great speed for a very long time. Here they were present at the king's council as his bodyguard, but when commanded to commit this horrid deed not one of them stirred from his place.
1 Sam. 22:6-17 - Extra Commentary
1 Samuel 22:6 "When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants [were] standing about him;)"
"Under a tree": Possibly located on a hill outside Gibeah which had been given over to pagan worship (Ezek. 16:24-25, 31, 39).
"Spear": A reminder of the threat that Saul was to friend and foe alike (compare 18:10-11; 19:9-10; 20:3).
It appears, from this, that Saul feared David greatly. He had his spear in his hand as a sign of his authority. He moved under this big shady tree, and had his men surrounding him on every side. This tree was a tamarisk, which was a big tree with many branches and much foliage. It gave off more shade than most of the other trees.
Verses 7-8: As Samuel predicted (8:14), and just as the kings of other nations did, Saul took the people's land and gave it to his commanders. Despite Saul's bribes, his commanders remained loyal to David and would not give him up.
1 Samuel 22:7 "Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;"
"Benjamites": Saul asked those of his own tribe whether associating themselves with David would provide for them more possessions and privileges than they already had from Saul.
Saul is trying to tell his men how much better off they are with him, than they would be with David. It seems to me that Saul fears that his men will leave him and go to the side of David. Saul had shown favoritism in his reign.
Verses 8-13: To lie in wait": Saul insinuated that David was plotting his death. This was not true, as David would later spare Saul's life (verses 24, 26).
1 Samuel 22:8 "That all of you have conspired against me, and [there is] none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and [there is] none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"
The unhappy, jealous spirit had obtained such complete mastery over the unhappy king that now he suspected even the chosen men of his own tribe. All his tried favorites, the men of his own house, even his gallant son, he charged with leaning towards David the traitor, his supplanter in the hearts of Israel.
"My son hath made a league": It would seem as though Saul had learned something of what passed between Jonathan and David when they met for that farewell interview at the memorable New Moon feast. The words respecting the covenant between the two being too pointed and marked to refer only to the well-known ancient friendship between the prince and the son of Jesse.
"There is none of you that is sorry for me": These words of the sad king, tormented as he was by an evil spirit,
ever whispering doubt and jealous thoughts into the poor diseased mind, are here strangely real and pathetic.
"My son hath made a league" (see note on 20:8).
He is accusing his own men of betraying him. He leaves no one out, when he says all. He believes that Jonathan has gone into league with David. The only thing that Jonathan has really done is saved David's life. David had done nothing evil to his father. Saul would even kill his son, if he knew for sure he had conspired with David.
Verses 9-10: "Doeg the Edomite" (see note on 21:7 and the title of Psalm 52).
David wrote (Psalm 52), because of this incident (22:22). "Doeg" was a Gentile who tried to win Saul's favor by betraying Ahimelech and slaughtering the "priest" at "Nob".
1 Samuel 22:9 "Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub."
Josephus calls him a Syrian, and so the Septuagint version (see 1 Sam. 21:7); being full of enmity to David, and willing to curry favor with Saul, and eager of further preferment, which Saul seemed to promise. And being more forward than the rest of his servants, spoke first.
"Which was set over the servants of Saul": Over his herdsmen (see 1 Sam. 21:7).
"And said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub": In much the same way as Saul, he calls David by way of contempt, the son of Jesse. And signifies that what he had to say of him was not by report, but he himself was an eyewitness of his coming to Nob, a city of the priests, and to Ahimelech the high priest there, and of what passed between them.
We remember that, Doeg had accidentally been at Nob at the same time David was there. He is telling Saul that the priest, Ahimelech, helped David. He does not tell him that David told the priest he was on the king's business. Ahimelech had not betrayed Saul, but Doeg insinuated that he had.
1 Samuel 22:10 "And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
Which not being expressed before, some have taken it to be a lie of Doeg's, he being charged with lying by David (Psalm 52:3). But it is not at all improbable that David should desire him to inquire of the Lord for him, and that he did; and he seems to acknowledge it (1 Sam. 22:15); but according to the Jewish writers Doeg meant by this to prove a charge of treason both against David and Ahimelech. That the former made himself king, and the latter owned him to be so, since inquiry by Urim and Thummim was not made for a private person, but for a king.
"And gave him victuals": Hallowed bread, loaves of showbread, which none but priests might eat of; such was his kindness to him.
"And gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine": Which David took from him, and slew him with it. All this was true, but then he acted the deceitful part, with which he is charged in the above psalms, in not declaring how David had imposed upon the priest, by pretending he was sent in haste on the king's business. Which was
the reason he was so ill provided with servants, food, and armor; which if Doeg had reported faithfully, as he ought to have done, would have saved the credit and life of the priest, and of his family.
Doeg was trying to save his own life and the life of Saul's men. He turned Saul's attention away from his own men to the priest, Ahimelech. At this point, Saul is like a mad man.
1 Samuel 22:11 "Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that [were] in Nob: and they came all of them to the king."
This sending for all the priestly house to Gibeah when alone Ahimelech was to blame, if blame there was, looks as though Saul and Doeg had determined upon the wholesale massacre which followed.
There would be a large number of priests in this case. Saul's madness is now directed to all of the men who were related to Ahimelech. His intentions from the beginning, was to kill them all. Saul was so full of hate; it had to come out in killing the innocent.
1 Samuel 22:12 "And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I [am], my lord."
The charge exhibited against him; in contempt of him, he does not so much as call him by his name, nor give him the title of his office, as high priest; though he was the second person in the kingdom, and to whose office a few years ago the civil government was annexed.
"And he answered, here I am, my lord": Giving due honor to Saul, though he received none from him, and appearing with great boldness, as having a clear conscience, and so ready to hear what was to be said unto him.
Ahimelech appeared before Saul, representing all of the priests. When Saul called his name, He answered by calling Saul his lord. This is a statement, which says he recognizes Saul as his earthly king.
1 Samuel 22:13 "And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"
"Conspired against me": Saul insisted falsely that Ahimelech was in league with his enemy David.
Of course, Ahimelech had given food and the sword of Goliath to David, but for an entirely different reason than Saul supposes. David had told the priest, that he was on business for Saul.
1 Samuel 22:14 "Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who [is so] faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honorable in thine house?"
"And goeth at thy bidding": Ahimelech responded to Saul by defending David's character as loyal to Saul.
Ahimelech knew that the heart of David was not against Saul. He even reminds Saul, that David is his son-in-law. Ahimelech had no reason to suspect that David was at odds with Saul. David had been faithful to Saul. He had won many battles in the name of Saul. He does take a stand, expressing his belief that David is an
honorable man.
1 Samuel 22:15 "Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute [any] thing unto his servant, [nor] to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more."
Was this the first time of inquiring of God for him? No; I have done this many a time, when he has been going upon the king's business, engaging in war with his enemies. He has then consulted the Lord by me, and I have inquired of the Lord for him, as I now did; and which I did as innocently, and as much for the king's service, as ever I did any. Kimchi observes it may be read without the interrogation: "That day I began to inquire of God for him"; it was the first time I ever did, and I did not know it would have been grievous to thee, or have given thee any disturbance or uneasiness. I did not know that he fled from thee, or was not in thy service, and upon thy business; had I known it, I would never have done it, and as it is the first time it shall be the last.
"Be it far from me": From doing such a thing, had I known it to be disagreeable to thee, or how David stood with thee.
"Let not the king impute [any] thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father": Charge me or them with the crime of treason, or conspiracy against him, or with aiding, assisting, and abetting traitors and conspirators.
"For thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more; was entirely ignorant of this affair; which plain, honest, account of things, one might have thought, would have been satisfying to Saul.
This verse is in defense of himself and the priests with him. He truly did not know that David was running from Saul, when he came to him. Saul was cruel and looking for someone to take out his anger on. The priest explains, that he was innocent of wrong doing, but that will not matter with Saul.
Verses 16-19: This fulfills the curse on Eli's house (see note on 1 Sam. 2:31), with the exception of Abiathar, who was later dismissed from the priesthood by Solomon (1 Kings 2:26-29).
1 Samuel 22:16 "And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house."
He pronounces the sentence himself, without taking the opinion and advice of others, or further time; which was an act of arbitrary power, and upon an innocent person, which was an act of great injustice.
"Thou, and all thy father's house": More unrighteous still; but God suffered him to do this to fulfil his will, and execute his threatening against the house of Eli, which was this priest's father's house, for former wickedness; but this is no excuse for, nor extenuation of the sin of Saul.
It does not matter that he is innocent. Saul orders him and his father's entire family killed. He is killing the representatives of the LORD upon the earth. This is a very serious sin.
1 Samuel 22:17 "And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also [is] with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD."
The term "footmen" (literally, "runners"), refers to the royal bodyguard who protected the "king;" some ran before his chariot (8:11), while others guarded the palace door (1 Kings 14:27). The position was an honored one in the ancient Near East.
"Would not ... to fall upon the priests": Although Saul condemned Ahimelech and the priests to death, his servants knew better than to raise their weapons against the priests of the Lord.
The footmen of Saul's were Israelites. They knew the danger of killing a priest. The servants of Saul refused to kill these men of God. A man, who truly knew God, would have thought about his order to kill the priests and changed it, but not Saul.
