1 Samuel 21:8 kjv
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 21:8 nkjv
And David said to Ahimelech, "Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."
1 Samuel 21:8 niv
David asked Ahimelek, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's mission was urgent."
1 Samuel 21:8 esv
Then David said to Ahimelech, "Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."
1 Samuel 21:8 nlt
David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword? The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon!"
1 Samuel 21 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 17:50-51 | So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone... David took the Philistine's sword... | David's original triumph with Goliath's sword. |
| 1 Sam 17:54 | David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. | Explains the presence of the sword in the sanctuary (implied by subsequent location). |
| 1 Sam 19:10 | Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear... | Illustrates Saul's violent pursuit, prompting David's urgent flight. |
| 1 Sam 20:42 | So Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn both of us... | Marks the final, desperate separation of David and Jonathan. |
| Matt 12:3-4 | He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry... he entered the house of God and ate the showbread..." | Jesus cites David's actions at Nob to justify necessity over strict law. |
| Mark 2:25-26 | He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need... ate the showbread..." | Parallel account, emphasizing David's urgent need. |
| Luke 6:3-4 | Jesus answered them, "Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry... ate the showbread..." | Parallel account, reiterating David's extreme hunger and the priority of life. |
| Lev 24:5-9 | You shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes from it... it shall be on the table before the LORD regularly... a holy portion... | Defines the sacredness of the showbread and the sanctuary provisions. |
| Ps 52:1-7 | (A Maskil of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech.") Why do you boast of evil...? | Direct connection; Psalm linked to Doeg's betrayal, leading to Ahimelech's death. |
| Ps 56:1-4 | (To the choirmaster: according to The Dove on Far-off Terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.) Be gracious to me, O God, for man treads on me... | Reflects David's distress immediately after leaving Nob (goes to Gath). |
| Ps 142:1-3 | (A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.) With my voice I cry out to the LORD... when my spirit is faint within me, you know my path. | Describes David's deep despair and prayer from a place of hiding and extreme need. |
| Prov 12:19 | The lip of truth is established forever, but a lying tongue lasts only for a moment. | Ethical consideration of David's deception in this passage. |
| Prov 14:15 | The simple believes everything, but the prudent man considers his steps. | Highlights Ahimelech's lack of caution compared to David's strategic (though deceptive) actions. |
| Ex 1:19-20 | The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women... they give birth before the midwife comes to them." So God dealt well with the midwives. | Example of deception in biblical narrative receiving divine approval due to circumstances. |
| Josh 2:4-6 | But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from..." | Rahab's deception to protect the spies, highlighting a complex moral issue in redemptive history. |
| Eph 6:17 | ...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. | The "sword" theme is transmuted into spiritual warfare and God's word. |
| Heb 4:12 | For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword... | Emphasizes the power of God's word as a divine "weapon". |
| Is 54:17 | No weapon that is formed against you will prosper... | Prophetic promise of protection from physical weaponry, relevant to God's anointed. |
| Phil 4:19 | And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | Principle of divine provision in times of need. |
| 2 Cor 12:9-10 | My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness... for when I am weak, then I am strong. | David's state of vulnerability and God's ability to act through it. |
| 1 Sam 16:13 | Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers... And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. | Reminder of David's divine anointing and God's presence, even in distress. |
| Ps 23:4 | Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me... | Reflects David's deep trust in God despite life-threatening situations. |
1 Samuel 21 verses
1 Samuel 21 8 Meaning
1 Samuel 21:8 depicts David, fleeing from King Saul, in a desperate state, asking the High Priest Ahimelech for a weapon, claiming urgency for "the king's business" and stating he left without his own sword. It reveals David's immediate need for self-defense and his reliance on subterfuge to secure necessary provisions from the sacred priestly community at Nob.
1 Samuel 21 8 Context
This verse occurs as David is fleeing for his life from King Saul, who is now consumed by jealous rage and seeking to kill him. After a farewell with Jonathan (1 Sam 20), David travels to Nob, the city of priests, a sanctuary where the tabernacle was located at this time. Here, he encounters Ahimelech, the High Priest. David is desperate, hungry, and most critically, unarmed. His statement about "the king's business" being urgent is a strategic deception to justify his presence alone, unarmed, and in dire need. He aims to secure provisions (food, earlier verses) and a weapon from the holy sanctuary, actions that would typically be highly irregular for a common individual but are justified by extreme necessity. The weapon in question, as Ahimelech reveals, is ironically the sword of Goliath, the Philistine champion David himself had defeated earlier (1 Sam 17), which was kept in the tabernacle as a trophy or memorial.
Word Analysis
- David (דָּוִד - David): The anointed future king of Israel, now a fugitive, highlighting his desperate state and God's unconventional path for His chosen one.
- said (וַיֹּאמֶר - vai'yo'mer): Signifies direct speech, a formal inquiry, but imbued with urgency and underlying fear.
- to Ahimelech (לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ - la'Aḥimeleḵ): Addressed to the High Priest, implying authority, access to sacred objects, and trust, though the trust is misplaced on Ahimelech's part due to David's deception. Ahimelech means "my brother is king."
- Is there not here in your hand (הֲאֵין יֶשׁ-כֹּה תַחַת יָדְךָ - ha'ein yesh-koh taḥat yadkha): A rhetorical or leading question, probing for the availability of a weapon. "Under your hand" or "in your possession/authority" indicates ownership or stewardship.
- a spear or sword (חֲנִית א וְחֶרֶב - ḥaniṯ ʾô ḥerev): David's immediate concern is any available weapon.
- spear (חֲנִית - ḥaniṯ): A common military weapon.
- sword (וְחֶרֶב - ve'ḥerev): A personal weapon of choice. The fact he asks for either, or no spear nor sword available indicates his dire state. ḥerev later specifically refers to Goliath's sword.
- for I have brought (כִּי גַם-חַרְבִּי - ki gam-ḥarbi): Introduces the reason for his urgent request.
- neither my sword nor my weapons (לֹא הֵבֵאתִי... אֶת כֵּלַי - lo heve'ti... et khelay): A comprehensive statement of David's unpreparedness, emphasizing his haste and the lack of time to gather his usual armaments. "Weapons" refers to military gear in general.
- with me (עִמִּי - ʿimmi): Emphasizes personal lack of equipment.
- because the king's business required haste (כִּי-דְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ נִדְחַק - ki devar hammeleḵ niḏḥaq): The core of David's deceit. This statement implies an official, urgent mission from Saul, justifying David's alone travel, unarmed status, and quick need for supplies, covering for his actual fugitive status. nidḥaq (נִדְחַק) conveys being "forced, urgent, pressed." This line puts the priest in a difficult position and gives a credible, though false, reason for David's plight.
Words-group Analysis
- "Is there not here in your hand a spear or sword?": David's direct, almost presumptuous inquiry to the High Priest, hinting at the desperate nature of his flight and his immediate need for self-preservation. It is a calculated question designed to elicit a positive response, knowing the sacred context where such an item might be stored.
- "for I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste": This forms a complete, if deceptive, explanation for David's current state. It skillfully uses the "king's business" as a plausible excuse for his hurried departure and lack of personal arms, playing on the duty a priest would feel toward royal matters, thereby enabling the priest to grant aid without suspicion of harboring a fugitive.
1 Samuel 21 8 Commentary
1 Samuel 21:8 showcases David at one of his lowest and most vulnerable points, desperately seeking the bare essentials for survival: food and a weapon. His interaction with Ahimelech reveals a cunning and pragmatic side of David, employing deception to achieve his aims. This deception, claiming "the king's business required haste," is a moral compromise driven by immediate necessity for survival. The specific request for "a spear or sword" underscores David's perilous situation as a disarmed fugitive. The unexpected provision of Goliath's sword, an ironic twist of divine providence, symbolizes God's faithfulness to David even in his weakness, using the very instrument of his past victory to sustain him in his present distress. This moment, though morally ambiguous due to the lie, is crucial in David's journey, setting the stage for future events including Doeg's betrayal and the subsequent massacre of the priests. The New Testament's later use of this episode (Matt 12, etc.) emphasizes that human need can sometimes take precedence over ritual law, aligning David's actions with God's ultimate mercy.
Bonus Section
The retrieval of Goliath's sword is highly symbolic. This isn't just any weapon; it's the very sword by which David defeated Israel's greatest foe, a tangible reminder of God's power working through him (1 Sam 17). Its presence in the tabernacle, potentially as an offering of victory or a war trophy, marks it as a sacred item. David's taking of it again at this crucial juncture, even if by deceit, signifies his reliance on divine strength to continue fighting for survival and for God's purposes. The urgency of "the king's business" hints at the spiritual kingship God has ordained for David, making his flight, paradoxically, part of God's greater plan, requiring desperate measures and unique divine provision. The subsequent actions against Ahimelech by Saul (1 Sam 22) reveal the high cost and profound risk of aiding God's anointed one, particularly in times of intense political and spiritual conflict. This episode poses an ethical challenge regarding the justifiability of deception under duress, prompting theological discussions on practical morality versus adherence to truth, especially when life is at stake.