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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

1 Samuel 21:2

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Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Betrayal;   Confidence;   David;   Tabernacle;   Thompson Chain Reference - Deception;   Temptation;   Truth-Falsehood;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Lying;   Tabernacle;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Bread;   Nob;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Shiloh;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Lie, Lying;   Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech;   Bread;   Quotations;   Shewbread;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Matthew, the Gospel According to;   Nob;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   High Priest;   Nob;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Nob;   Priests and Levites;   Samuel, Books of;   Shewbread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - David;   Shewbread (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech ;   Nob;   Quotations;   Tabernacle, the;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ahimelech;   David;   Shewbread;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Business;   Elhanan;   Ezekiel;   Lie;   Priest, High;   Samuel, Books of;   Tabernacle;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ahimelech;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Doeg;   Nob;   Sacrifice;  

Contextual Overview

1David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you?” 1 Then came David to Nov to Achimelekh the Kohen: and Achimelekh came to meet David trembling, and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with you? 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? 1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and he said to him, "Why are you alone and there are no men with you?" 1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?" 1 David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David, and he asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" 1 David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?" 1Then David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling [in fear] to meet David and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?" 1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?" 1 Then came Dauid to Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest, and Ahimelech was astonied at the meeting of Dauid, and saide vnto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The king: The whole of this is a gross falsehood; and which was attended with the most fatal consequences. It is well known that from all antiquity it was held no crime to tell a lie in order to save life. Thus Diphilon נןכבלגבםש פן רוץהבע וני ףשפחסיב כודןלוםןם, ןץהום נוסינןיויףטבי הץףקוסוע. "I hold it right to tell a lie for safety: nothing should be avoided to save life." A heathen may say or sing thus, but no Christian can act thus and save his soul, though he may save his life. 1 Samuel 19:17, 1 Samuel 22:22, Genesis 27:20, Genesis 27:24, 1 Kings 13:18, Psalms 119:29, Galatians 2:12, Colossians 3:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 1:19 - General Judges 16:7 - If they bind 1 Samuel 22:14 - goeth 1 Samuel 27:10 - And David 2 Samuel 17:20 - They be gone

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Yitzchak. I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
Genesis 17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Genesis 17:19
And God said, "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. And I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant to his offspring after him.
Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual covenant for his descendants after him.
Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter); and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.
Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Genesis 17:19
Then God saide, Sarah thy wife shall beare thee a sonne in deede, and thou shalt call his name Izhak: and I will establish my couenant with him for an euerlasting couenant, and with his seede after him.
Genesis 17:19
But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
Genesis 17:19
But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said unto Ahimelech the priest,.... In reply to his question, and to account for such an appearance he made without an equipage:

the king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, let no man know anything of the business thereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; he pretended he was upon a secret expedition, by the order of Saul, which none were to know of, no, not his own servants, and that was the reason why he came to him alone; which was a downright lie, and was aggravated by its being told only for the sake of getting a little food; and especially told to an high priest, and at the tabernacle of God, and when he was come to inquire of the Lord there; and was attended with a dreadful consequence, the slaughter of the Lord's priests there, which afterwards lay heavy on David's mind, 1 Samuel 22:22; and is the very sin he is thought to refer to in

Psalms 119:28. This shows the weakness of the best of men, when left to themselves; David who as much hated lying as any man did, fell into it himself:

and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place; to such a place, of such an one, not naming place nor person, that they might not be known; so the Targum calls it a place hidden and kept; and that David had some servants, though not now with him, who ate of the shewbread, appears from Matthew 12:3; whom Jonathan might send after him, to a place agreed on and appointed between them; so that this might be true.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A fresh instance of David’s unscrupulous readiness of invention (compare 1 Samuel 20:6).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 21:2. The king hath commanded me a business — All said here is an untruth, and could not be dictated by the Spirit of the Lord; but there is no reason to believe that David was under the influence of Divine inspiration at this time. It is well known that from all antiquity it was held no crime to tell a lie, in order to save life. Thus Diphilus: -

Ὑπολαμβανω το ψευδος επι σωτηριᾳ

Λεγομενον, ουδεν περιποιεισθαι δυσχερες.


"I hold it right to tell a lie, in order to procure my personal safety; nothing should be avoided in order to save life."

A heathen may say or sing thus; but no Christian can act thus, and save his soul, though he by doing so may save his life.


 
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