1 Samuel 21:1-6
21:1 a Nob was just north of Jerusalem, in the southern part of the territory of Benjamin.• Ahimelech the priest was a descendant of the condemned family of Eli (14:3 b; 22:9 c).
• The elders of Bethlehem had also trembled when Samuel unexpectedly came to their city to anoint David as Saul’s replacement (16:4 d). On both occasions, a prominent individual who had strained relations with Saul showed up unannounced. Both Ahimelech and the Bethlehem elders were concerned about being suspected of supporting an enemy of the king, which could result in death. In this case, what was feared came about (see 22:9-19 e).
21:2 f The king has sent me: David lied to conceal his outlaw status and to dispel Ahimelech’s worries.
21:4 g Only priests were permitted to partake of holy bread (see Exod 25:22-30 h; Lev 24:5-9 i), and only within the sacred precincts.
• slept with any women: The consecrated bread was to be eaten only by the ritually pure, so the priest verified that David’s men were free from ritual impurity caused by sexual activity (see Lev 15:16-18 j). Typically, such bread would not be available for consumption by laity. The priest made an exception in this case probably because he sensed the men’s physical needs and he believed they were on a royal mission.
21:6 k gave him the holy bread: Jesus referred to this incident to teach that meeting people’s physical needs takes precedence over rigid adherence to sacred institutions (see Matt 12:1-8 l; Mark 2:23-28 m; Luke 6:1-5 n).
• The Bread of the Presence consisted of twelve loaves (possibly one representing each tribe) that were laid out on a table in the Holy Place. They were replaced every Sabbath (see Exod 25:30 o; Lev 24:5-9 p).
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