1 Samuel 22 11

1 Samuel 22:11 kjv

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

1 Samuel 22:11 nkjv

So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king.

1 Samuel 22:11 niv

Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.

1 Samuel 22:11 esv

Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.

1 Samuel 22:11 nlt

King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob.

1 Samuel 22 verses

1 Samuel 22 11 Meaning

This verse describes King Saul's immediate and decisive action in response to Doeg's accusation, summoning Ahimelech the high priest and his entire extended priestly family from the city of Nob to appear before him. It marks a critical turning point where Saul's spiraling paranoia and disregard for divine institutions directly confront God's appointed servants, setting the stage for the tragic massacre of the priests and showcasing the extreme depth of his hostility towards anyone perceived as disloyal to his collapsing reign.

1 Samuel 22 11 Context

Chapter 22 of 1 Samuel finds King Saul at the peak of his paranoid decline. Following David's flight from Saul and his encounter with Ahimelech the priest at Nob (1 Sam 21), where David feigned madness and received the consecrated bread and Goliath's sword, Saul receives a report from Doeg the Edomite, a chief of Saul's herdsmen. Doeg, who had been "detained before the LORD" (likely fulfilling a vow or purification), witnessed David's interaction with Ahimelech. Instead of accurately reporting the facts, Doeg maliciously twisted them to implicate Ahimelech in a conspiracy against Saul, framing David's actions as a rebellious alliance with the priest. Saul, consumed by a spirit of madness and suspicious of everyone, immediately seizes upon this accusation, believing it validates his fears that his own household and officials are secretly supporting David. Verse 11 details Saul's vengeful summons, demonstrating his royal authority to command all priests from Nob to face his judgment, setting the stage for one of the darkest events of his reign.

1 Samuel 22 11 Word analysis

• Then (וַיִּשְׁלַח - wa-yishlach): The "Then" connects this verse directly and immediately to Doeg's accusation in the preceding verses. The Hebrew verb is shalach, meaning "he sent," emphasizing Saul's direct and authoritative command. It highlights the swiftness of Saul's rage and the execution of his will.
• the king (הַמֶּלֶךְ - ha-melekh): Refers to Saul. The definite article "the" underscores his current office and authority, even as his actions reveal his unworthiness. This is an abuse of the divinely ordained position of kingship, which was meant to uphold justice and righteousness (cf. Deut 17:18-20; 1 Sam 8:5).
• sent (וַיִּשְׁלַח - wa-yishlach): Already covered with "Then." The active voice signifies Saul's initiative.
• to call (לִקְרֹא - lik-ro): From qara, meaning "to call, to summon." This isn't an invitation but a royal command, carrying the weight of legal obligation and implying the threat of dire consequences for non-compliance.
• Ahimelech the priest (אֲחִימֶלֶךְ הַכֹּהֵן - Achimelekh ha-Kohen): Ahimelech was the High Priest at Nob, the spiritual leader responsible for the sanctuary and the people's interaction with God. He was a descendant of Eli, of the line of Ithamar, one of Aaron's sons. His title "the priest" emphasizes his sacred office and his status as God's representative (Exod 28:1; Lev 21:10). This highlights the severity of Saul's attack – targeting not just any citizen, but the consecrated priesthood.
• the son of Ahitub (בֶּן־אֲחִיטוּב - ben Achituv): This provides Ahimelech's lineage, connecting him to the established priestly line (1 Sam 14:3). It adds credibility to his identity and underscores that he represents a recognized priestly family.
• and all his father’s house (וְאֵת כָּל־בֵּית אָבִיו - ve-et kol-beit aviv): "His father's house" refers to his extended family, including other priests who served under him at Nob. Saul’s order extends beyond Ahimelech himself, indicating his intention for a wholesale judgment and perhaps seeking to utterly destroy anyone perceived as aiding David. This collective summons is a characteristic of tyrannical justice, where an entire family or community is punished for the alleged offense of one member (Deut 24:16, a law against this for ordinary Israelites, but abused by kings).
• the priests who were in Nob (הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בְּנֹב - ha-Kohanim asher bi-Nov): "Nob" was a city designated for priests, where the Tabernacle and its sacred vessels were located after Shiloh's destruction (1 Sam 21:1-6). It served as a spiritual center, the site for seeking God's counsel (through Urim and Thummim), and a place of refuge and sustenance. The priests there collectively represented God's presence and religious authority. Their summons signifies Saul's affront to the very institution of priesthood and God's holy habitation.
• and they all came (וַיָּבֹאוּ כֻלָּם - va-yavo’u khullam): This indicates complete obedience to the king's summons. Despite the gravity of the accusation, the priests evidently held out hope of clearing their names or respecting the king's authority, even if misled. Their compliance makes their subsequent fate all the more tragic and highlights Saul’s brutal perversion of justice.

1 Samuel 22 11 Bonus section

The act of summoning "all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob" reveals Saul's paranoia reaching a peak. He is not merely investigating Ahimelech, but seeing the entire priestly institution at Nob as a source of potential opposition due to David's brief interaction there. This preemptive judgment against an entire group, before any proper inquiry, underscores the lawlessness that gripped Saul's reign, particularly given the Deuteronomic law which explicitly forbids putting to death parents for children or children for parents (Deut 24:16). Saul completely disregards this foundational legal principle, extending his wrath beyond any individual responsibility. Furthermore, this incident represents Saul's systematic dismantling of spiritual authority within Israel. He previously usurped priestly functions (1 Sam 13), consulted a medium (1 Sam 28), and now massacres the very custodians of the Law and the Tabernacle. This cumulative pattern highlights how far Saul strayed from being a king "after God's own heart." The destruction of Nob essentially removed the central place of worship and inquiry for Israel under Saul, further illustrating his spiritual bankruptcy and the deep rift between him and the divine will.

1 Samuel 22 11 Commentary

1 Samuel 22:11 serves as the chilling prelude to one of the most tragic episodes in the early monarchy of Israel. King Saul's command to summon Ahimelech and the entire priestly community of Nob reflects his profound moral and spiritual deterioration. Stripped of divine favor, tormented by an evil spirit, and consumed by an irrational jealousy of David, Saul interprets every independent action or interaction with David as a conspiratorial act against his throne. The comprehensive nature of his summons—not just Ahimelech, but "all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob"—reveals a deeply corrupted sense of justice and an intention for collective punishment without due process.

This verse starkly contrasts God's righteous kingship, where justice and protection of the innocent are paramount (Psa 72:12-14), with Saul's escalating tyranny. By targeting the High Priest and the sanctuary city of Nob, Saul directly assaults the very institutions God had established to mediate His presence among His people. The priests, despite holding their sacred office, obey the king's command, reflecting the societal structure where the king wielded immense power, and perhaps a naive belief that their innocence would be easily established. Instead, their appearance seals their doom, making them innocent victims of a deranged monarch's paranoia and Doeg's malicious false witness, echoing later biblical condemnations of shedding innocent blood and persecuting God's servants.