1 Samuel 21:9

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 sword: 1 Samuel 17:51-54

the valley: 1 Samuel 17:2, 1 Samuel 17:50

behold: 1 Samuel 31:10

behind: Exodus 28:6-14

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 17:4 - Goliath 1 Samuel 17:54 - took the head 2 Kings 11:10 - king David's spears 1 Chronicles 20:5 - Goliath 2 Chronicles 23:9 - spears Hosea 3:4 - ephod

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Avram's wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, a Mitzrian, whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children. And she had a female Egyptian servant, and her name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him a child, but she had an Egyptian slave woman whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Nowe Sarai Abrams wife bare him no children, and she had a maide an Egyptian, Hagar by name.

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian servant-woman whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1
Abram's wife Sarai had not been able to have any children. But she owned a young Egyptian slave woman named Hagar,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the priest said, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah,.... See 1 Samuel 17:2;

behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; the garment of the high priest, in which were the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate, or the linen vestments of the priests; see 1 Samuel 22:18; which were laid up in a chamber for their use; and behind them the sword of Goliath was wrapped up in a linen cloth, and reserved as a monument of the goodness of God to Israel, and the salvation of them wrought by the hands of David, who slew Goliath with this his own sword, and brought it with him. The Targum understands this word, rendered "behind", not of the place where the sword was, but of the time when the priest said this, and paraphrases the words,

"after he had inquired for him by the ephod;''

see 1 Samuel 22:10;

if thou wilt take that, take [it]; as if he should say, it is not mine to give thee, but thou mayest take it if thou pleasest; none has a better right to it; it is what thou tookest from the Philistine, and may take it again for thy use if thou art so inclined; and thou must either take this or none:

for [there is] no other save that here; in the tabernacle, nor even in the priest's house, nor in the city; for it was a city of priests, who did not wear swords:

and David said, [there is] none like that, give it me; and which, as he was capable of wielding and making use of, as it is plain he was by cutting off Goliath's head with it; so it might serve to strengthen his faith in God, as often as he looked upon it, that he would keep and preserve him, and in due time deliver him out of the hands of Saul, and all his enemies.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod - Rather, “in the cloak,” Goliath’s military cloak, which was part of the dedicated trophy. The ephod was naturally hung up where the high priest alone could get at it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 21:9. The sword of Goliath — It has already been conjectured (see 1 Samuel 17:1-58) that the sword of Goliath was laid up as a trophy in the tabernacle.