1 Samuel 22

Chapter context

What is happening in 1 Samuel 22?

leadershipanointingobediencekingship

1 Samuel 22 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as David’s anointing and conflict with Saul. First Samuel traces the fall of Eli’s house, the ministry of Samuel, the failure of Saul, and the painful emergence of David. Read this chapter with the wider themes of leadership, anointing, and obedience in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. ² And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. ³ And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. ⁴ And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. ⁵ And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth. ⁶ When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) ⁷ Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; ⁸ That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. ¹¹ Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. ¹² And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. ¹³ And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ¹⁴ Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? ¹⁵ Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. ¹⁶ And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house. ¹⁷ And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. ¹⁸ And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. ¹⁹ And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. ²⁰ And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’s priests. ²² And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. ²³ Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

Study helps

Glossary

Adullam Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Khirbet esh Sheikh Madhkur.
David Person v. 1, 3-6, 14, 17, 20-22: Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25 .
Gath Place v. 1: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tell es Safi.
Mizpeh Place v. 3: Or Miz’peh, watch-tower; the look-out. (1. ) A place in Gilead, so named by Laban, who overtook Jacob at this spot ( Gen. 31:49 ) on his return to Palestine from Padan-aram. Modern identification: Kerak.
Moab Place v. 3-4: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Gad Person v. 5: Fortune; luck. (1. ) Jacob’s seventh son, by Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid, and the brother of Asher ( Gen. 30:11-13 ; 46:16 , 18). In the Authorized Version of 30:11 the words, “A troop cometh: and she called,” etc.
Hereth Place v. 5: Biblical forest. Modern identification: Kharas.
Gibeah Place v. 6: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tel el Ful.
Ramah Place v. 6: Biblical hill. Modern identification: Tel el Ful.
Saul Person v. 6-7, 9, 12-13, 21-22: Asked for. (1. ) A king of Edom ( Gen. 36:37 , 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48 .
Jesse Person v. 7-9, 13: Firm, or a gift, a son of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth ( Ruth 4:17 , 22; Matt. 1:5 , 6; Luke 3:32 ). He was the father of eight sons, the youngest of whom was David ( 1 Sam. 17:12 ).
Ahimelech Person v. 9, 11, 14, 16, 20: Brother of the king, the son of Ahitub and father of Abiathar ( 1 Sam. 22:20-23 ). He descended from Eli in the line of Ithamar. In 1 Chr. 18:16 he is called Abimelech, and is probably the same as Ahiah ( 1 Sam. 14:3 , 18).
Ahitub Person v. 9, 11-12, 20: Brother of goodness = good. (1. ) The son of Phinehas. On the death of his grandfather Eli he succeeded to the office of high priest, and was himself succeeded by his son Ahijah ( 1 Sam. 14:3 ; 22:9 , 11, 12, 20).
Doeg Person v. 9, 18, 22: Fearful, an Edomite, the chief overseer of Saul’s flocks ( 1 Sam. 21:7 ). At the command of Saul he slew the high priest Ahimelech (q. v. ) at Nob, together with all the priests to the number of eighty-five persons.
Nob Place v. 9, 11, 19: High place, a city of the priests, first mentioned in the history of David’s wanderings ( 1 Sam. 21:1 ). Here the tabernacle was then standing, and here Ahimelech the priest resided. (See AHIMELECH. ) From Isa. Modern identification: Ras el Mesharif.
City People v. 19: The earliest mention of city-building is that of Enoch, which was built by Cain ( Gen. 4:17 ). After the confusion of tongues, the descendants of Nimrod founded several cities (10:10-12).
Abiathar Person v. 20-22: Father of abundance, or my father excels, the son of Ahimelech the high priest. He was the tenth high priest, and the fourth in descent from Eli.