6 And Saul heareth that David hath become known, and the men who 'are' with him, and Saul is abiding in Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear 'is' in his hand, and all his servants standing by him. 7 And Saul saith to his servants who are standing by him, 'Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites; also to all of you doth the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards! all of you he doth appoint heads of thousands and heads of hundreds! 8 for ye have conspired all of you against me, and there is none uncovering mine ear about my son's covenanting with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me, and uncovering mine ear, that my son hath raised up my servant against me, to lie in wait as 'at' this day.' 9 And answer doth Doeg the Edomite, who is set over the servants of Saul, and saith, 'I have seen the son of Jesse coming in to Nob, unto Ahimelech son of Ahitub, 10 and he asketh for him at Jehovah, and provision hath given to him, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine hath given to him. 11 And the king sendeth to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests, who 'are' in Nob, and they come all of them unto the king; 12 and Saul saith, 'Hear, I pray thee, son of Ahitub;' and he saith, 'Here 'am' I, my lord.' 13 And Saul saith unto him, 'Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, by thy giving to him bread and a sword, and to ask for him at God, to rise against me, to lie in wait, as 'at' this day?' 14 And Ahimelech answereth the king and saith, 'And who among all thy servants 'is' as David—faithful, and son-in-law of the king, and hath turned aside unto thy council, and is honoured in thy house? 15 To-day have I begun to ask for him at God? far be it from me! let not the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for thy servant hath known nothing of all this, less or more.' 16 And the king saith, 'Thou dost surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all the house of thy father.' 17 And the king saith to runners, those standing by him, 'Turn round, and put to death the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also 'is' with David, and because they have known that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered mine ear;' and the servants of the king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests of Jehovah. 18 And the king saith to Doeg, 'Turn round thou, and come against the priests;' and Doeg the Edomite turneth round, and cometh himself against the priests, and putteth to death in that day eighty and five men bearing a linen ephod, 19 and Nob, the city of the priests, he hath smitten by the mouth of the sword, from man even unto woman, from infant even unto suckling, and ox, and ass, and sheep, by the mouth of the sword.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 22:6-19
Commentary on 1 Samuel 22:6-19
(Read 1 Samuel 22:6-19)
See the nature of jealous malice and its pitiful arts. Saul looks upon all about him as his enemies, because they do not just say as he says. In Ahimelech's answer to Saul we have the language of conscious innocence. But what wickedness will not the evil spirit hurry men to when he gets the dominion! Saul alleges that which was utterly false and unproved. But the most bloody tyrants have found instruments of their cruelty as barbarous as themselves. Doeg, having murdered the priests, went to the city, Nob, and put all to the sword there. Nothing so vile but those may do it, who have provoked God to give them up to their hearts' lusts. Yet this was the accomplishment of the threatenings against the house of Eli. Though Saul was unrighteous in doing this, yet God was righteous in permitting it. No word of God shall fall to the ground.