1 Samuel 21:6

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

gave him: Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:4, Mark 2:25-27, Luke 6:3, Luke 6:4

hot bread: Leviticus 24:5-9

Reciprocal: Exodus 25:30 - General Leviticus 22:10 - General Leviticus 24:9 - Aaron's 1 Samuel 21:4 - hallowed bread 1 Samuel 22:10 - him victuals

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Then Avraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to him who is one hundred years old? Will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth?"

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Genesis 17:17
And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed. And he said in his heart, "Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?"

Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?"

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed as he said to himself, "Can a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?"

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?"

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, "Will a child be born to a man a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, give birth to a child?"

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell vpon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a childe be borne vnto him, that is an hundreth yeere olde? and shall Sarah that is ninetie yeere olde beare?

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart, "Will a son be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?"

Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, "I am almost a hundred years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is ninety. How can she have a child?" So he started laughing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So the priest gave him hallowed [bread],.... Being satisfied with the account he gave of himself, and his young men, and of the lawfulness of it in case of necessity, acts of mercy being to be preferred to ritual services. Whether he gave him five loaves, as he desired, is not said; but the reason of his giving him such sort of bread is observed,

for there was no bread there; in the tabernacle, whatever might be in the house of the priest:

but the shewbread that was taken from before the Lord; from off of the shewbread table; and it seems to have been just taken off, it being sabbath day, and not as yet carried to the house of the priest, and divided among the other priests as usual; and which was then removed, to put hot bread, in the day that it was taken away; that is, new bread, twelve fresh cakes; for when the twelve, that had stood a week on the shewbread table were removed, twelve more were immediately put in their room, and it seems by this they were put hot there; but here arises a difficulty, how they could be put hot there, when it was not lawful to bake on a sabbath day. About this the Jews are divided; some say they were baked on the sabbath day, but the greater part say that baking did not drive away the sabbath, or it was lawful on the sabbath day; but others say that they were baked on the evening of the sabbath, and kept in the oven until the time of their being set upon the table h; and, as Abarbinel observes, the mouth of the oven might be stopped up till that time to keep in the heat; but others say i this heat was miraculous, or that a miracle was wrought for the sake of it; which is not probable.

h T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 95. 2. i T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 2l. 1. Menachot, fol. 96. 2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 21:6. So the priest gave him hallowed bread — To this history our Lord alludes, Mark 2:25, in order to show that in cases of absolute necessity a breach of the ritual law was no sin. It was lawful for the priests only to eat the shew-bread; but David and his companions were starving, no other bread could be had at the time, and therefore he and his companions ate of it without sin.