1-Samuel 21
[1-Samuel 21:1] THEN CAME DAVID TO NOB TO AHIMELECH THE PRIEST: AND
AHIMELECH WAS   AFRAID AT THE MEETING OF DAVID, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHY
ART THOU ALONE, AND NO MAN WITH THEE?

[1-Samuel 21:2] AND DAVID SAID UNTO AHIMELECH THE PRIEST, THE KING HATH
COMMANDED   ME A BUSINESS, AND HATH SAID UNTO ME, LET NO MAN KNOW ANY
THING OF THE BUSINESS  WHEREABOUT I SEND THEE, AND WHAT I HAVE COMMANDED
THEE: AND I HAVE APPOINTED MY SERVANTS TO SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE.

[1-Samuel 21:3] NOW THEREFORE WHAT IS UNDER THINE HAND? GIVE ME FIVE
LOAVES OF BREAD IN   MINE HAND, OR WHAT THERE IS PRESENT.

[1-Samuel 21:4] AND THE PRIEST ANSWERED DAVID, AND SAID, THERE IS NO
COMMON BREAD  UNDER MINE HAND, BUT THERE IS HALLOWED BREAD; IF THE YOUNG MEN
HAVE KEPT THEMSELVES AT LEAST FROM WOMEN.

<<HALLOWED BREAD>>: Sanctified bread (Leviticus 24:5-9) usually eaten
only by the Priests in the Tabernacle while they were in a state of purity.

[1-Samuel 21:5] AND DAVID ANSWERED THE PRIEST, AND SAID UNTO HIM, OF A
TRUTH WOMEN HAVE BEEN KEPT FROM US ABOUT THESE THREE DAYS, SINCE I CAME
OUT, AND THE VESSELS OF THE YOUNG MEN ARE HOLY, AND THE BREAD IS IN A
MANNER COMMON, YEA, THOUGH IT WERE SANCTIFIED THIS DAY IN THE VESSEL.

[1-Samuel 21:6] SO THE PRIEST GAVE HIM HALLOWED BREAD: FOR THERE WAS NO
BREAD THERE BUT THE SHEWBREAD, THAT WAS TAKEN FROM BEFORE THE LORD, TO
PUT HOT BREAD IN THE DAY  WHEN IT WAS TAKEN AWAY.

It had just been heated. This was part of the Divine Plan, that David
and his men should arrive and partake of  the bread of the Almighty just
when it was ready. Things like this happen to each and every one of us all
the time. We usually take them for granted. We should learn to open our
eyes to the evidence of Divine Providence in our own lives.

[1-Samuel 21:7] NOW A CERTAIN MAN OF THE SERVANTS OF SAUL WAS THERE
THAT DAY, DETAINED BEFORE THE LORD; AND HIS NAME WAS DOEG, AN EDOMITE, THE
CHIEFEST OF THE HERDMEN   THAT BELONGED TO SAUL.

  <<HERDMEN>>: Hebrew "Ha-Royim" which can also connote administrators. 
He was apparently an "Edomite" from Edom and from the time of Saul (if not
well beforehand) onwards foreigners had begun to attach themselves to
Israel and to be accepted as part of the people. We will come several
examples of this phenomenon in our narrative about David, cf.

1-Chronicles 27:30-31.  The Sages say he was actually an Israelite but is called an
Edomite due to his actions and attributes.  Since others disagree and
the Sages only have to be followed concerning the practical application of
the Law we too will go our own way in this case in this commentary.  The
Sages had a deeper understanding of reality than we do as Abraham  Iben Ezra
pointed out but like Iben Ezra  said our task is to understand
according to our ability and not necessarily according to abilities greater than our
own.Doeg was to inform Saul that Ahimelech had helped David and
consequently Saul would order Doeg to wipe out the all the priests in the city. 

Doeg was to slaughter 85 of the Priests (Cohens, 1-Samuel 22:18). In Psalm
52 David describes Doeg as a mighty man but boastful with an evil tongue
that destroys others, as someone who preferred to lie than tell the truth,
as one who trusted in his riches and grew great though wickedness, and as
a creature who through his filth  casts the whole human race into a bad
and contemptible light.

[1-Samuel 21:8] AND DAVID SAID UNTO AHIMELECH, AND IS THERE NOT HERE
UNDER THINE HAND  SPEAR OR SWORD? FOR I HAVE NEITHER BROUGHT MY SWORD NOR MY
WEAPONS WITH ME, BECAUSE THE KING'S BUSINESS REQUIRED HASTE.

[1-Samuel 21:9] AND THE PRIEST SAID, THE SWORD OF GOLIATH THE
PHILISTINE, WHOM THOU SLEWEST IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH, BEHOLD, IT IS HERE WRAPPED IN
A CLOTH BEHIND THE EPHOD:  IF THOU WILT TAKE THAT, TAKE IT: FOR THERE IS
NO OTHER SAVE THAT HERE. AND DAVID SAID, THERE  IS NONE LIKE THAT; GIVE IT ME.

<<BEHIND THE EPHOD>>: or "After the Ephod": The Sages said that
Ahimelech asked through the Ephod as to whether he should give the sword to David
and was answered that he should. Yigal Ariel points to the symbolism in
David taking the sword of Goliath and fleeing before Saul. Moses had also
fled before Pharaoh.

[1-Samuel 21:10] AND DAVID AROSE AND FLED THAT DAY FOR FEAR OF SAUL,
AND WENT TO ACHISH  THE KING OF GATH.

Gath was southeast of  Ashdod to the southwest of  Judah.
Why did David go to Gath? He had previously killed the men of Gath and
it seems not logical that he should even think of finding refuge in such a
place.  We shall further on that later the King of Gath was to employ
David in his service and it may be that despite their enmity David had
understood from previous contacts that such an opportunity was possible.  The
Philistines leadership had a Mycenean Greek type culture and contacts
with Cyprus, Crete, and Greece. They served as mercenaries for Egypt.

Egyptian records speak of Egyptian rulership over the land of Israel during a
portion of the Biblical Period yet we found no or little reference to
this in the Bible. The answer is that the Philistines paid tribute to Egypt
and were considered representatives of Egypt by the Egyptians. The
Philistines did rule over good portions of the Land of Israel  and at times exacted
tribute from most of it. In the eyes of Egypt the Philistines were
acting as agents of Egypt.  The Philistines were physically part of the
Egyptian family:

[Genesis 10:13] AND MIZRAIM [i.e. Egypt]  BEGAT LUDIM, AND ANAMIM, AND
LEHABIM, AND NAPHTUHIM,

[Genesis 10:14] AND PATHRUSIM, AND CASLUHIM, (OUT OF WHOM CAME
PHILISTIM,) AND CAPHTORIM.

 <<PHILISTIM>>: Meaning Philistines, that is Mitsraim (Egypt) gave
rise to the Philistines.

Not only did the Philistines  serve as mercenaries for others but
they also hired mercenaries from elsewhere. Mercenaries can change sides.

Another point is that David was not entirely "normal" in our terms.  
Saul was after him and at that stage Saul had the whole country behind him
and every official of the State along with most of the "better" citizens
may well have been prepared to hunt David in or at least turn him in. David
was alone and on the run and in touch only with the Almighty who directed
him to Gath.

[1-Samuel 21:11] AND THE SERVANTS OF ACHISH SAID UNTO HIM, IS NOT THIS
DAVID THE KING OF   THE LAND? DID THEY NOT SING ONE TO ANOTHER OF HIM
IN DANCES, SAYING, SAUL HATH SLAIN HIS  THOUSANDS, AND DAVID HIS TEN
THOUSANDS?

In those days they did not have newspapers and photographs.  David the
military leaders would certainly have been heard of but most people
would not know what he looked like. Yehudah Kiel ("Sefer Shmuel") suggests
that David went to Gath with the intention of not revealing his  identity.

When he realized that he had been recognized and he acted like a madman the
identification may have been doubted. David would then have been
considered the equivalent of a "look-alike" nutcase escapee from the equivalent of
an institution.  When I was younger I shared an apartment with a friend
who actually looked a lot like me (or I like him) and even long term
acquaintances sometimes confused us for each other.   The last I heard
he was a near-millionaire in Australia. Not everything is the same.

[1-Samuel 21:12] AND DAVID LAID UP THESE WORDS IN HIS HEART, AND WAS
SORE AFRAID OF  ACHISH THE KING OF GATH.

[1-Samuel 21:13] AND HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOUR BEFORE THEM, AND FEIGNED
HIMSELF MAD IN THEIR HANDS, AND SCRABBLED ON THE DOORS OF THE GATE, AND
LET HIS SPITTLE FALL DOWN UPON  HIS BEARD.

The Palestinian Arabs believe that someone who is mad has been stricken
by God and that it is bad luck to harm such a person. The Philistine were
the physical ancestors of some of the Palestinian Arabs and it may be that
they too along with the Canaanites held such a belief.

The Sages say that David was forced to undergo this trial in order to
teach him the value of madness. God was preparing David to become the king of
all Israel and an understanding of the human psyche in all its levels was needed.

[1-Samuel 21:14] THEN SAID ACHISH UNTO HIS SERVANTS, LO, YE SEE THE MAN
IS MAD: WHEREFORE THEN HAVE YE BROUGHT HIM TO ME?

David put on a good act or really did make himself insane. He really
was mad at the moment.  According to Yehudah Kiel, Achish would therefore
have decided that it was a case of mistaken identity and his servants had
mistaken some raving lunatic for the arch-enemy of his people.
Alternately  they knew it really was David but they thought he really
had gone completely crazy  and could not be touched because of the taboo
against harming  those afflicted with madness.

[1-Samuel 21:15] HAVE I NEED OF MAD MEN, THAT YE HAVE BROUGHT THIS
FELLOW TO PLAY THE  MAD MAN IN MY PRESENCE?  SHALL THIS FELLOW COME INTO MY HOUSE?

The sages had a tradition (related in a Midrash) that  the wife and
daughter of  Achish were also round the bend and Achish simply could
not take any more.  We all have such days.

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