1 Samuel 22:14

1Sa 22:14 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?

Ver. 14. And who is so faithful, &c.] This, some {a} think, was not so wisely spoken by Ahimelech - viz., thus highly to commend David, whom he saw to be under so great displeasure now, whatever he had been formerly. Others hold that he did all in the honesty and integrity of his heart; giving David his due, and tacitly taxing Saul of tyranny.

{a} Peter Martyr.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa_22:14

And Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David.

In defence of the king

Now, it was for acts of kindness to David, the outcast and fugitive, that Ahimelech the high priest was confronted by the infuriated king. Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, the kings son-in-law, who goes at thy bidding and is honourable in thine house? Did I pray for him as against thee? That were far from me. Let not the king accuse me falsely; for as to trouble between Saul and David I knew nothing, less or more. Brave words, O priest! Never did martyr witness more magnificently for the truth, and never with less hope of pardon. The gigantic figure of the king, clad in armour and terrible in wrath, towered before the white-robed priest. It is a vary beautiful, even if it be a very costly, thing to live a righteous life. The whole spirit and range of heroism is to be found in that order of piety which this high priest illustrated and adorned. Analyse this great high priestly life.

I. It was a life often up in defence of the kings better nature against his worse nature. He aimed to rescue Saul from Saul. It is as if he had said, Why do you so unking yourself as to injure a man who would not injure you? David is your friend. Jealousy demeans you. Jealousy and not David is your real foe.

II. Again, it was a life given up in defence of Ahimelechs own better nature against his lower nature. Doubtless this high priestly life was of value to him who had it. But he made no plea foe it. He pleaded only for the life of the outcast and fugitive.

III. It was a life given up in defence of the innocent fugitive. Ahimelech, friend of the king, dared to defend the outcast David.

IV. Now consider that this defence--three fold--is worth whatever it costs. The defence of my neighbours better nature against his worse nature; of my own better nature against my worse nature, and of Christ against the world, is worth whatever it may cost. First, because a mans soul, or immortal nature, is of more value to him than any imaginable physical safety or comfort. Second, because my neighbours better nature is of more value to the world and to me, than anything else I can give to the world, or the world can give me. This world has enough of everything but goodness. It does not need that I give it anything, unless I can give it goodness. Let me help a man to conquer himself and I am a philanthropist. Third, it is worth all it costs because, in defending the outcast against the king, we may be defending the king against the outcast. In the councils of heaven Saul the king is the outcast and David the outcast is the king. This striking reversal of the real and the apparent is one of the most ordinary of processes when heaven looks at earth. Things are not what they seem. However little the evidence of it, Righteousness is the one true monarch over men. (Edward Braislin, D. D.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 22:14. Ahimelech said, Who is so faithful, &c. — Or, rather, Who was so faithful, &c.; for it cannot be supposed, after Saul had just accused David of a conspiracy against him, that the high-priest would say he was then faithful. His apology, which sufficiently shows his innocence as to the things of which Saul accuses him, is, that since David had been held by all to be a most loyal subject, as well as a person of great honour, and in high favour with the king, having married his daughter, what could he think but that David was sent by the king, as he said he was, upon some business of public concern? Thus he does not take upon him to determine the difference between Saul and David, nor affirm what David now was; but only declares what David had formerly been, and what he was still, for any thing he knew to the contrary.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

22:14 your son-in-law: David had married Saul’s daughter (18:17-29).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. And who is so faithful] The word נאמן neeman, which we here translate faithful, is probably the name of an officer. See Clarke on Nu 12:7.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(14) Who is so faithful among all thy servants?—The words of the high priest were quiet and dignified, and no doubt spoke the general sentiments of the people respecting David. What he—the guardian of the sanctuary—had done, he had done as a matter of course for one so closely related to the king—for one, too, ever loyal and devoted as David had ever proved himself.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14. goeth at thy bidding] Probably, “has access to thy audience,” i.e. is a trusted privy-councillor. Cp. 2Sa_23:23, marg.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said,.... First with respect to David, and then with regard to himself; with respect to David as follows:

and who is so faithful amongst thy servants as David; I considered him, as if he should say, as a servant of thine, upon an errand of thine, and doing thy business; and as a faithful one, none more so, and as such I valued and regarded him, not as a rebel to thee, having no such thought of him:

which is the king's son in law; who has behaved himself so well, and thou hast entertained such an opinion of him, as to take him into thy family, and marry thy daughter to him; wherefore showing him favour, and doing him honour, was doing honour to thee and thy family, and surely there can be no blame in that:

and goeth at thy bidding; has always been ready to execute thy commands, and obey thine orders, let them be what they will; as to go out against an enemy, and fight Saul's battles for him:

and is honourable in thine house? behaved honourably there, and highly esteemed by all, as well as had the honour bestowed upon him to be the king's son-in-law, and made captain of a thousand; and therefore who could think that showing respect to such a man could be deemed treason and conspiracy, or he be thought to be a traitor to the king? and then with respect to himself he answers,

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Goeth at thy bidding - Better, “has access to thy (private) audience,” or council (compare 2Sa 23:23, margin).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Faithful....and honourable, are titles given to people of great distinction at court, chap. ix. 6., Numbers xii. 7., and Genesis xxxiv. 19.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He doth not determine the differences between Saul and David, nor affirm what David now was; but only declared what David had formerly been, both really, and in public fame and opinion.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. Goeth at thy bidding — Rather, approaches into thy privy council; that is, has access to thy private audience, and is one of thy confidential advisers.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 14-16. Ahimelech"s answers are those of an innocent man who had supposed that what he did was a matter of course. But his enumeration of David"s privileges of rank and station probably only embittered the king. In his eyes David was of all Saul s officers the most faithful, both trusty and trusted. (see on 1Sa_2:35) He was, moreover, the king"s son-in-law; but the next words, he goeth at thy bidding, more probably mean, "has admission to thy audience," i.e. is thy privy councillor, with the right of entering unbidden the royal presence. (comp. 2Sa_23:23, margin; 1Ch_11:25) Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? Though the meaning of these words is disputed, yet there seems no sufficient reason for taking them in any other than their natural sense. It was probably usual to consult God by the Urim and Thummim on all matters of importance, and David, as a high officer of Saul"s court, must often have done so before starting on such expeditions as are referred to in 1Sa_18:13. But the Bible is singularly reticent in such matters, and it is only incidentally that we learn how fully the Mosaic law entered into the daily life of the people. But for this frightful crime we should not even have known that Saul had brought the ark into his own neighbourhood, and restored the services of the sanctuary. But just as he took care to have Ahiah in attendance upon him in war, so we cannot doubt but that his main object in placing the priests at Nob was to have the benefit of the Divine counsel in his wars. It would be quite unreasonable to suppose that such consultations required the king"s personal attendance. Thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. Whatever Ahimelech had done had been in perfect good faith, and though David"s conduct must have seemed to him suspicious, yet there was nothing that would have justified him in acting differently. Nevertheless, in spite of his transparent innocence, Saul orders the slaughter not only of God"s high priest, but of the whole body of the priesthood whom he had placed at Nob, and now had summoned for this ferocious purpose into his presence.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And said - He doth not determine the difference between Saul and David; nor affirm what David now was: but only declared what David formerly had been, and what he was still, for anything he knew to the contrary.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Who among all your servants is so faithful as David ... house?

This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "None of your servants is as faithful as David ... house." (See: Rhetorical Question)

bodyguard

a person or group of people who protect someone

is honored in your house

The word "house" is a metonym for the family that lives in the house. This can be translated in active form. AT: "whom your family honors" (See: Metonymy and Active or Passive)

Is today the first time I have prayed to God to help him?

Ahimelech asks himself this question before Saul can ask it, then immediately answers it. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. AT: "This is not the first time I have prayed to God to help David." (See: Rhetorical Question)

Far be it from me!

This idiom means "Absolutely not!" (See: Idiom)

Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father. For your servant knows nothing

Ahimelech speaks of himself in the third person as the "servant." Ahimelech also refers to Saul in the third person as "the king." Ahimelech speaks this way to show respect to Saul. AT: "Please, King Saul, do not consider me, your servant, or anyone in the house of my father to be guilty. For I know nothing" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)

impute

to consider someone guilty

to all the house of my father

Here "house" represents "family." AT: "to all my father's family" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

king

servant

faithful

David

honor

God

know

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Who bows to your bidding. As in "And they turned [וַיָסֻרוּ] to him," meaning that he is near to service you and to obey your orders. How then was I to know that he was not going on your mission?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.