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Contemporary English Version

1 Samuel 21:6

The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Betrayal;   Confidence;   David;   Nob;   Shewbread (Showbread);   Tabernacle;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bread;   Hallowed Bread;   Shewbread;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bread;   Priests;   Shewbread;   Tabernacle;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Bread;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Shiloh;   Tabernacle;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Bread, Bread of Presence;   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;   Detained before the Lord;   High Priest;   Nob;   Samuel, Books of;   Shewbread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Holiness;   Nob;   Priests and Levites;   Sacrifice and Offering;   Shewbread;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - David;   Shewbread;   Shewbread (2);   Temple (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech ;   Nob;   Quotations;   Tabernacle, the;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Shewbread;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Elhanan;   Ezekiel;   Samuel, Books of;   Shewbread, the;   Tabernacle;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ahimelech;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Altar;   Bag;   Doeg;   Holiness;   Nob;   Sacrifice;   Showbread;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.
Hebrew Names Version
So the Kohen gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
King James Version
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord , to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Lexham English Bible
So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread there on the day when it was taken away.
English Standard Version
So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord , to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
New Century Version
So the priest gave David the holy bread from the presence of God because there was no other. Each day the holy bread was replaced with hot bread.
New English Translation
So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the Lord in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away.
Amplified Bible
So the priest gave him the consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the LORD in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.
New American Standard Bible
So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the Priest gaue him halowed bread: for there was no bread there, saue the shewe bread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hote bread there, the day that it was taken away.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.
Complete Jewish Bible
David answered the cohen, "Of course women have been kept away from us, as on previous campaigns. Whenever I go out on campaign, the men's gear is clean, even if it's an ordinary trip. How much more, then, today, when they will be putting something consecrated in their packs!"
Darby Translation
And the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away.
Easy-to-Read Version
There was no bread except the holy bread, so the priest gave David this bread. This was the bread that the priests put on the holy table before the Lord . Each day they took this bread away and put fresh bread in its place.
George Lamsa Translation
So the priest gave him hallowed bread; for there was no bread there but the shewbread that was taken from before the LORD to be replaced by hot bread on the day when it was taken away.
Good News Translation
So the priest gave David the sacred bread, because the only bread he had was the loaves offered to God, which had been removed from the sacred table and replaced by fresh bread.
Literal Translation
And the priest gave the holy bread to him, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence which is taken from the presence of Jehovah in order to put hot bread in on the day it is taken away.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then the prest gaue him of ye holy, in so moch as there was none other bred but the shewbredes, which were taken vp before the LORDE, that there might be other freshbredes set therin the daye wha he toke them awaye.
American Standard Version
So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Bible in Basic English
So the priest gave him the holy bread: there was no other, only the holy bread which had been taken from before the Lord, so that new bread might be put in its place on the day when it was taken away.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so the priest gaue him halowed bread: for there was none other bread there, saue the shew bread that was taken from before the Lord, to put freshe bread there the day that it was taken away.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David answered the priest, and said unto him: 'Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day, when there shall be holy bread in their vessels?'
King James Version (1611)
So the Priest gaue him hallowed bread; for there was no bread there, but the Shewbread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hote bread in the day when it was taken away.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.
English Revised Version
So the priest gave him holy [bread]: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Berean Standard Bible
So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the preest yaf to hym halewid breed, for noon other breed was there, no but oneli looues of settyng forth, that weren takun awey fro the face of the Lord, that hoote looues schulen be set.
Young's Literal Translation
And the priest giveth to him the holy thing, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which is turned aside from the presence of Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of its being taken away.
Update Bible Version
So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Webster's Bible Translation
So the priest gave him hallowed [bread]: for there was no bread there but the show-bread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
World English Bible
So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
New King James Version
So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.
New Living Translation
Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
New Life Bible
So the religious leader gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the bread before the Lord. It was taken from before the Lord, so hot bread could be put in its place.
New Revised Standard
So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord , to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The priest therefore gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, that hot loaves might be set up.
Revised Standard Version
So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
THE MESSAGE
So the priest gave them the holy bread. It was the only bread he had, Bread of the Presence that had been removed from God 's presence and replaced by fresh bread at the same time.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

Contextual Overview

1 David went to see Ahimelech, a priest who lived in the town of Nob. Ahimelech was trembling with fear as he came out to meet David. "Why are you alone?" Ahimelech asked. "Why isn't anyone else with you?" 2 "I'm on a mission for King Saul," David answered. "He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I had my soldiers stay somewhere else. 3 Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?" 4 "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." 5 "Of course we didn't sleep with women," David answered. "I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on a regular mission, and today we're on a special mission." 6 The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David. 7 It so happened that one of Saul's officers was there, worshiping the Lord that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds. 8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword? I had to leave so quickly on this mission for the king that I didn't bring along my sword or any other weapons." 9 The priest answered, "The only sword here is the one that belonged to Goliath the Philistine. You were the one who killed him in Elah Valley, and so you can take his sword if you want to. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the statue." "It's the best sword there is," David said. "I'll take it!"

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
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.
Genesis 21:12
But God said, "Abraham, don't worry about your slave woman and the boy. Just do what Sarah tells you. Isaac will inherit your family name,
Genesis 21:15
and after they had run out of water, Hagar put her son under a bush.
Genesis 21:22
About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!
Genesis 21:27
Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and then the two men made a peace treaty.
Genesis 21:28
Abraham separated seven female lambs from his flock of sheep,
Psalms 113:9
When a wife has no children, he blesses her with some, and she is happy. Shout praises to the Lord !
Psalms 126:2
We celebrated with laughter and joyful songs. In foreign nations it was said, "The Lord has worked miracles for his people."
Isaiah 49:15
The Lord answered, "Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came from her own body? Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you.
Isaiah 49:21
and Jerusalem will ask, "Am I really their mother? How could I have given birth when I was still mourning in a foreign land? Who raised these children? Where have they come from?"

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.


 
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