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Monday, September 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

1 Samuel 21:4

And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves: if the young men have been kept at least from women, then they shall eat them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Betrayal;   Confidence;   David;   Nob;   Tabernacle;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bread;   Priests;   Shewbread;   Tabernacle;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Bread;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Shiloh;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bread, Bread of Presence;   Murder;   Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech;   Bread;   Quotations;   Shewbread;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Matthew, the Gospel According to;   Nob;   Shewbread;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Common;   Nob;   Samuel, Books of;   Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   Shewbread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Nob;   Priests and Levites;   Sacrifice and Offering;   Shewbread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - David;   Holiness Purity;   Profaning, Profanity;   Shewbread (2);   Temple (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech ;   Nob;   Quotations;   Tabernacle, the;   41 Common Unclean Defiled Profane;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Shewbread;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Elhanan;   Ezekiel;   Samuel, Books of;   Shewbread, the;   Tabernacle;   Young Men;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ahimelech;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Doeg;   Nob;   Sacrifice;   Showbread;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, but the young men may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women.”
Hebrew Names Version
The Kohen answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
King James Version
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
Lexham English Bible
The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread here at hand; there is only holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women."
English Standard Version
And the priest answered David, "I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women."
New Century Version
The priest said to David, "I don't have any plain bread here, but I do have some holy bread. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women."
New English Translation
The priest replied to David, "I don't have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers have abstained from sexual relations with women."
Amplified Bible
The priest answered David, "There is no ordinary (unconsecrated) bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; [you may have it] if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
New American Standard Bible
The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Priest answered Dauid, and saide, There is no common bread vnder mine hande, but here is halowed bread, if the yong men haue kept themselues, at least from women.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
Contemporary English Version
"The only bread I have is the sacred bread," the priest told David. "You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night."
Complete Jewish Bible
Now, what do you have on hand? If you can spare five loaves of bread, give them to me, or whatever there is."
Darby Translation
And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
Easy-to-Read Version
The priest said to David, "I don't have any ordinary bread here, but I do have some of the holy bread. Your officers can eat it if they have not had sexual relations with any women."
George Lamsa Translation
And the priest answered David and said to him, There is no common bread in my possession, but there is hallowed bread; you may have it if the young men have kept themselves from touching unclean things.
Good News Translation
The priest said, "I don't have any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven't had sexual relations recently."
Literal Translation
And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but only holy bread, if the young men have only been kept from a woman.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The prest answered Dauid, and sayde: I haue no comen bred vnder my hande, but the holy bred, yf the yonge men haue onely refrained them selues from wemen.
American Standard Version
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
Bible in Basic English
And the priest, answering David, said, I have no common bread here but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the priest aunswered Dauid, and sayd: There is no common bread vnder myne hand, but here is halowed bread: if the young me haue kept them selues, specially from women.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now therefore what is under thy hand? five loaves of bread? give them in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.'
King James Version (1611)
And the Priest answered Dauid, and said, There is no common bread vnder mine hand, but there is hallowed bread: if the young men haue kept themselues at least from women.
English Revised Version
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
Berean Standard Bible
"There is no common bread on hand," the priest replied, "but there is some consecrated bread-provided that the young men have kept themselves from women."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the preest answeride to Dauid, and seide to hym, Y haue `not lewid, `that is, comyn, looues at hoond, but oneli hooli breed; whether the children ben clene, and moost of wymmen?
Young's Literal Translation
And the priest answereth David, and saith, `There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the youths have been kept only from women.'
Update Bible Version
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
World English Bible
The priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
New King James Version
And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women."
New Living Translation
"We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied. "But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently."
New Life Bible
The religious leader answered David, "I only have bread which has been set apart as holy, if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
New Revised Standard
The priest answered David, "I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, - but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the priest answered David, saying: I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread, if the young men be clean, especially from women?
Revised Standard Version
And the priest answered David, "I have no common bread at hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."
THE MESSAGE
"I don't have any regular bread on hand," said the priest. "I only have holy bread. If your men have not slept with women recently, it's yours."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."

Contextual Overview

1 And David comes to Nomba to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and nobody with thee? 2 And David said to the priest, The king gave me a command to-day, and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send thee, an concerning which I have charged thee: and I have charged my servants to be in the place that is called, The faithfulness of God, phellani maemoni. 3 And now if there are under thy hand five loaves, give into my hand what is ready. 4 And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves: if the young men have been kept at least from women, then they shall eat them. 5 And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yea, we have been kept from women for three days: when I came forth for the journey all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean, wherefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons. 6 So Abimelech the priest gave him the shewbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should be set on, on the day on which he took them. 7 And there was there on that day one of Saul’s servants detained before the Lord, and his name was Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul. 8 And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under thy hand spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent. 9 And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou smotest in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth: if thou wilt take it, take it for thyself, for there is no other except it here. And David said, Behold, there is none like it; give it me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

hallowed bread: 1 Samuel 21:6, Exodus 25:30, Leviticus 24:5-9, Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:4

if the young: Exodus 19:15, Zechariah 7:3, 1 Corinthians 7:5

Reciprocal: Leviticus 15:18 - unclean 1 Samuel 21:3 - under thine Ecclesiastes 3:5 - a time to embrace

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
then she said to Abraam, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not inherit with my son Isaac.
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraam, Let it not be hard before thee concerning the child, and concerning the bondwoman; in all things whatsoever Sarrha shall say to thee, hear her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Genesis 21:22
And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech spoke, and Ochozath his friend, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, to Abraam, saying, God is with thee in all things, whatsoever thou mayest do.
Genesis 21:23
Now therefore swear to me by God that thou wilt not injure me, nor my seed, nor my name, but according to the righteousness which I have performed with thee thou shalt deal with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.
Exodus 12:48
And if any proselyte shall come to you to keep the passover to the Lord, thou shalt circumcise every male of him, and then shall he approach to sacrifice it, and he shall be even as the original inhabitant of the land; no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
Leviticus 12:3
And on the eighth day she shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin.
Deuteronomy 12:32
Every word that I command you this day, it shalt thou observe to do: thou shalt not add to it, nor diminish from it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the priest answered David, and said, [there is] no common bread under mine hand,.... In the tabernacle, though he might have such in his own house; which was common for any man to eat of, even such as were not priests; but he had none there, and David was in haste to be gone because of Doeg, and could not stay till such was fetched:

but there is hallowed bread; such as was devoted to sacred use. Kimchi's father thinks this was the bread of the thank offering, to which Ben Gersom inclines; otherwise the Jewish writers in general understand it of the shewbread; and it is clear it was that from

1 Samuel 21:6 and from what our Lord says, Matthew 12:4. Now this the priest had under his hand, being just taken off of the shewbread table, and was the perquisite of the priests; and which, though it was not lawful for any but priests to eat of, yet in this case of necessity he seemed willing to give it to David and his men, on this condition: if the young men have kept themselves at least from women; from their wives or others, and from any pollution by them, in any way or manner; but as this was also only of a ceremonial kind, it might as well have been dispensed with, had this been the case, as the other.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Common - As opposed to holy. (See the marginal references, and compare the use of the word in Acts 10:14-15, Acts 10:28.) It gives an idea of the depressed and poor condition of the priesthood at that time, that Ahimelech should have had no bread at hand except the showbread.


 
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