48443 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David answered the priest, and said unto him,.... In reply to the case of the young men his servants, and of himself too, who also was intended by the priest, though out of reverence to him not mentioned: of a truth women [have been] kept from us these three days since I came out; reckoning either from the time he fled from Saul at Naioth, or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day,.... When David came to Nob, and asked bread of the priest, and had it, which this man was an eyewitness of, 1 Samuel 22:9; detained before the Lord; either because it was sabbath day, and so he might not travel, at least no more than two thousand cubits; or by some vow of his, which...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David said unto Ahimelech,.... After he had given him some of the loaves of the shewbread: and is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? any weapon, meaning in the tabernacle, and in his keeping, and at his disposal; he knew the sword of Goliath was there, and perhaps had a principal view to it, and put this question in order to get...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul,.... He had fled before for fear of him both from his own house, and from Naioth, 1 Samuel 19:18; but now he fled out of the land of Israel, for fear of him; or it may be the reason of his fear and flight on this day was because of Doeg the Edomite, lest he should go directly to Saul, and tell him...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the servants of Achish said unto him,.... Who knew who David was, and perceiving that he was respected by Achish: [is] not this David the king of the land? of the land of the Philistines; so some render the words, "the king of this land" (q); which belongs unto him for his conquest of Goliath; for this was what was proposed by him, that...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David laid up these words in his heart,.... Pondered upon them, and thought them over in his mind, finding that he was known, and his character also, and considered with himself what might be the consequence of this: and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath; lest he should be set against him, and be prevailed upon by his servants to take...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he changed his behaviour before them,.... Behaved like a fool, or a madman: or changed his "taste" (s); which some understand of his reason, acted as if he was deprived of it; and others of his speech, his words and the accent of them, drawled them out, as such persons do: and feigned himself mad in their hands; for in their hands he was,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Achish to his servants, lo, you see the man is mad,.... Which he said, as willing his servants should think so, and therefore rather the object of their pity than of their rage and malice; or as really believing he was so, which he and they might conclude not merely from these his actions, before described, which they might judge real...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Have I need of madmen?.... Or fools, do I want them? have not I enough of them already at my court? I want wise men, and not fools and madmen. The Jews say (w) that the wife and daughter of Achish were mad; that while David was playing the fool and madman without, they were acting the same part within; so that Achish had enough of that sort of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 22 This chapter gives us an account of the flight of David from place to place, from Gath to the cave of Adullam, where his relations came to him; from thence to Mizpeh in Moab, where he got leave of the king of Moab for his father and mother to dwell there; and from thence, by the advice of Gad the prophet, departed...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
David therefore departed from thence,.... From Gath, being driven by Achish from his court, and let go by his servants, and glad he was of the deliverance: and escaped to the cave Adullam; which was no doubt near to a city of the same name in the tribe of Judah, of which [See comments on Joshua 15:35]; this being a strong place, and in his own...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
David, being driven from Achish, returns into the land of Israel to be hunted by Saul. I. David sets up his standard in the cave of Adullam, entertains his relations (ver. 1), enlists soldiers (ver. 2), but removes his aged parents to a more quiet settlement (ver. 3, 4), and has the prophet Gad for his counsellor, ver. 5. Saul resolves to pursue...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And everyone [that was] in distress,.... In straitened circumstances, through the oppression of men, through poverty, and afflictive providences in their families: and everyone [that was] in debt; and not able to pay their debts, and whose creditors were pressing upon them: and everyone [that was] discontented; with Saul's government and conduct:...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab,.... So called to distinguish it from a place of the same name in the land of Israel; which Junius says is the same with Malle, and signifies a fortified place, and refers to the Apocrypha: "And how that many of them were shut up in Bosora, and Bosor, and Alema, Casphor, Maked, and Carnaim; all these cities...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he brought them before the king of Moab,.... Having leave from him for it, and left them with him; so the Targum, "caused them to remain before him:'' and they dwelt with him all the whole time that David was in the hold; either in the cave of Adullam, as some think; or rather at Mizpeh in Moab, which might be a fortified place; or the sense...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the prophet Gad said unto David,.... Who either accompanied him in his exile, or was sent unto him on this account, being one of the company of the prophets, over whom Samuel was president, 1 Samuel 19:20; abide not in the hold, depart, and get thee into the land of Judah; this seems to confirm it that the hold David was in was not the cave of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him,.... That it was known where David was, and what number of men were gathered to him, and that they now openly appeared in the tribe of Judah; for some time Saul had heard nothing of him, but now a report had reached his ears that David was in arms, and at the head of a...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him,.... He took this opportunity of addressing them in the following manner, upon the report of David being at the head of a certain number of men: hear now, ye Benjamites; for Saul being of the tribe of Benjamin, his courtiers and his bodyguards chiefly, if not altogether, consisted of persons of...