John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. And David said unto Ahimelech the priest , etc.] In reply to his question, and to account for such an appearance he made without an equipage: the king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, let no man know anything of the business thereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee ; he pretended he was upon a secret expedition, by the order of Saul, which none were to know of, no, not his own servants, and that was the reason why he came to him alone; which was a downright lie, and was aggravated by its being told only for the sake of getting a little food; and especially told to an high priest, and at the tabernacle of God, and when he was come to inquire of the Lord there; and was attended with a dreadful consequence, the slaughter of the Lord’s priests there, which afterwards lay heavy on David’s mind, ( 1 Samuel 22:22); and is the very sin he is thought to refer to in ( <19B928> Psalm 119:28,29). This shows the weakness of the best of men, when left to themselves; David who as much hated lying as any man did, fell into it himself: and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place ; to such a place, of such an one, not naming place nor person, that they might not be known; so the Targum calls it a place hidden and kept; and that David had some servants, though not now with him, who ate of the shewbread, appears from ( Matthew 12:3); whom Jonathan might send after him, to a place agreed on and appointed between them; so that this might be true.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-9 - David, in distress, fled to the tabernacle of God. It is great comfor in a day of trouble, that we have a God to go to, to whom we may ope our cases, and from whom we may ask and expect direction. David tol Ahimelech a gross untruth. What shall we say to this? The Scriptur does not conceal it, and we dare not justify it; it was ill done, an proved of bad consequence; for it occasioned the death of the priest of the Lord. David thought upon it afterward with regret. David ha great faith and courage, yet both failed him; he fell thus foull through fear and cowardice, and owing to the weakness of his faith. Ha he trusted God aright, he would not have used such a sorry, sinfu shift for his own preservation. It is written, not for us to do the like, no, not in the greatest straits, but for our warning. David aske of Ahimelech bread and a sword. Ahimelech supposed they might eat the shew-bread. The Son of David taught from it, that mercy is to be preferred to sacrifice; that ritual observances must give way to mora duties. Doeg set his foot as far within the tabernacle as David did. We little know with what hearts people come to the house of God, nor what use they will make of pretended devotion. If many come in simplicity of heart to serve their God, others come to observe their teachers and to prove accusers. Only God and the event can distinguish between a Davi and a Doeg, when both are in the tabernacle. (1Sa 21:10-15)
Original Hebrew ויאמר559 דוד1732 לאחימלך288 הכהן3548 המלך4428 צוני6680 דבר1697 ויאמר559 אלי413 אישׁ376 אל408 ידע3045 מאומה3972 את853 הדבר1697 אשׁר834 אנכי595 שׁלחך7971 ואשׁר834 צויתך6680 ואת853 הנערים5288 יודעתי3045 אל413 מקום4725 פלני6423 אלמוני׃492
