1 Sam. 21 David cometh to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; pretendeth secret business from Saul; asketh bread: Ahimelech giveth him the shew-bread, 1 Sam. 21:1–6. Doeg seeth this, 1 Sam. 21:7. David asketh arms: Ahimelech giveth him Goliath’s sword, 1 Sam. 21:8–9.

Nob; a city of priests, as it is called 1 Sam. 22:19; either, 1. Because it was assigned to the priests. For though it be not expressed by this name among their cities, Josh.

The king hath commanded me a business: this seems to be a plain lie, extorted from him by fear and necessity. But as it was officious for himself, so it was pernicious to all the priests there. Whence David afterwards declares his repentance for this sin of lying, Ps. 119:29.

Under thine hand, to wit, in thy power, and ready for thee to give, and for me to take, and eat.

Under mine hand, to wit, here in the tabernacle; though doubtless he had enough of that and of other provisions in his house; but David was in great haste, and in fear of Doeg, whom he saw and knew there, 1 Sam. 22:22, and therefore would not stay till any thing could be fetched thence.

About these three days; as long as the law required, Ex. 19:15. And so long David and his men had, it seems, hid themselves for fear of Saul in some of those caves, whereof there were many in those parts; whereby they were kept both from all converse with any other persons besides themselves, and…

There was no bread there, to wit, in the tabernacle, where David and the priest now were. In the day when it was taken away, which was done upon the sabbath day, Lev.

Detained; not by force from others, but by his own choice; he fixed his abode there for that day; either because it was the sabbath day, on which he might not proceed in his journey, or other business; or for the discharge of some vow; or to beg direction and help from God in some great business.

He left his weapons behind him, that he might with less suspicion remove from place to place, and hide himself from Saul and his spies. The king’s business required haste; the message came to me when I was unarmed, and the business required so great expedition that I could not go home to fetch my…

Behind the ephod, i.e. behind that holy place allotted for the keeping of the sacred or priestly garments; all which are here comprehended under the ephod; which, as the chief of the kind, is put for all the rest.

A strange action; but it must be considered, 1. That Saul’s rage was so great and implacable, his power also and diligence in hunting after him so great, that he despaired of escaping him any other way; and it is not strange if a desperate disease produceth a desperate remedy. 2.

The king of the land, or, of this land, i.e. of the land of Canaan. They call him king, either more generally for the governor, as that word is used Deut.

Lest either their revenge or policy should prompt them to kill him.

His behaviour; his speech and gesture; and, it may be, his habit also. Feigned himself mad; which they might the more easily believe, partly because of the disappointment of his great hopes, and his extreme danger and trouble from Saul, which might well make him mad; and partly because he had put…

Ye see the man is mad; and so were Achish and his men too, to be so soon cheated. But this must be ascribed to the wise and powerful providence of God, who, in answer to David’s prayer now made, which is recorded Psalms 34:0; Psalms 61:0, did infatuate them, as he hath done many others in like…

I need wise men, not such fools or madmen as this is. I will not have my court disgraced with entertaining such fellows.