Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
4. common ] Lit. profane or unholy, i.e. unconsecrated. Vulg. “laicos panes.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Common – As opposed to holy. (See the marginal references, and compare the use of the word in Act 10:14-15, Act 10:28.) It gives an idea of the depressed and poor condition of the priesthood at that time, that Ahimelech should have had no bread at hand except the showbread.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Under mine hand, to wit, here in the tabernacle; though doubtless he had enough of that and of other provisions in his house; but David was in great haste, and in fear of Doeg, whom he saw and knew there, 1Sa 22:22, and therefore would not stay till any thing could be fetched thence.
Hallowed bread; the shew-bread, which was appropriated to the priests; of which see Exo 25:30; Lev 24:5.
At least from women; either from uncleanness by women, which might be divers ways contracted; or from conjugal converse with their wives; which though it did not defile them, yet he thought might debar them from the participation of such very sacred things; which he gathered by the analogy of that precept, Exo 19:15. There was a double impediment to the giving of this bread to them:
1. Its sacredness in itself; which the priest implies, and David answers, 1Sa 21:5, and the priest was satisfied therein by Davids extraordinary occasions and great necessities.
2. The purity and abstinence from all women, which he supposeth should be in those that use it; concerning which he now inquires. And though he mention this only concerning Davids young men, and out of modesty and reverence to David forbears to name him; yet he is also included in the number, as Davids answer shows.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. there is hallowed breadTherewould be plenty of bread in his house; but there was no time to waitfor it. “The hallowed bread” was the old shew-bread, whichhad been removed the previous day, and which was reserved for the useof the priests alone (Le 24:9).Before entertaining the idea that this bread could be lawfully givento David and his men, the high priest seems to have consulted theoracle (1Sa 22:10) as to thecourse to be followed in this emergency. A dispensation to use thehallowed bread was specially granted by God Himself.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the priest answered David, and said, [there is] no common bread under mine hand,…. In the tabernacle, though he might have such in his own house; which was common for any man to eat of, even such as were not priests; but he had none there, and David was in haste to be gone because of Doeg, and could not stay till such was fetched:
but there is hallowed bread; such as was devoted to sacred use. Kimchi’s father thinks this was the bread of the thank offering, to which Ben Gersom inclines; otherwise the Jewish writers in general understand it of the shewbread; and it is clear it was that from
1Sa 21:6 and from what our Lord says, Mt 12:4. Now this the priest had under his hand, being just taken off of the shewbread table, and was the perquisite of the priests; and which, though it was not lawful for any but priests to eat of, yet in this case of necessity he seemed willing to give it to David and his men, on this condition: if the young men have kept themselves at least from women; from their wives or others, and from any pollution by them, in any way or manner; but as this was also only of a ceremonial kind, it might as well have been dispensed with, had this been the case, as the other.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(4) There is no common bread.The condition of the priests in these days of Saul was evidently a pitiable one. The terrible massacre related in the next chapter seems not to have excited the wail of indignation and woe which such a wholesale murder of the priests of the living God should naturally have called out from the entire people. They were evidently held in little esteem, and their murder was regarded at the time, not as an awful act of sacrilege, but simply as an act of political vengeanceof punishment for what the king was pleased to style treason. Here the almost destitute condition of the ministers of the principal sanctuary of Israel appears from the quiet answer of the high priest to David, telling him they had positively no bread but the stale bread removed from before the Presence in the holy building.
This hallowed bread, or shewbread, five loaves of which David petitioned for, consisted of twelve loaves, one for each tribe, which were placed in the Tabernacle fresh every Sabbath Day. The law of Moses was that this bread, being most holy, could only be eaten by the priests in the holy place. It is probable that this regulation had been relaxed, and that the bread was now often being carried away and eaten in the homes of the ministering priests, and on urgent occasions, perhaps, was even given to the laity, as in this case, the proviso only being made that the consumers of the bread should be ceremonially pure. Our Saviour, in Mat. 12:3, especially uses this example, drawn from the Tabernacles honoured customs, to justify a violation of the letter of the law, when its strict observance would stand in the way of the fulfilment of mans sacred duty to his neighbour.
The natural inference from this incident would be that such a violation of the Mosaic Law was not an uncommon occurrence, as Ahimelech at once gave him the hallowed bread, only making a conditional inquiry about ceremonial puritya condition which came out so readily that we feel it had often been made before. The Talmud, however, is most anxious that this inference should not be drawn, and points out in the treatise Menachoth, Meat-offerings (Seder Kodashim), that this bread was not newly taken out of the sanctuary, but had been removed on some previous day, and that as, after a weeks exposure, it was stale and dry, the priests ate but little of it, and the rest was left. (See Treatise Yoma, 39.) It also points out that had such violation of the Levitical Law been common, so much importance would not have been attached to this incident.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. Common bread Bread not consecrated; such as might lawfully be eaten by ordinary persons.
Hallowed bread That is, the showbread, which it was unlawful for any but the priests to eat. Exo 29:32; Lev 24:9.
If the young men have kept themselves from women If they take of the hallowed bread, it is necessary that they should be at least ceremonially clean in the matter here specified. Sexual intercourse made a person unfit for contact with holy things. Exo 19:15; Lev 15:16. Thus the high priest judges that in a case of necessity, the requirements of the law regarding this bread might be set aside. Compare Mat 12:4, and Mar 2:26.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 21:4. The priest answeredThere is no common bread, &c. Cases of necessity, as the Jews themselves allow, often superseded the observation of the ritual laws; and this compliance of Ahimelech’s is urged with great force by our Saviour, in vindication of a similar case, Mar 2:25 to which place we shall refer for more upon the subject, and for a solution of the difficulties arising from the different names.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
(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. (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. (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.
The Reader, if he consults Lev 24:5-9 , will understand what this hallowed bread was. Being set apart to God’s service, it could not be used in common. Abstinence from even lawful things, at certain times, and upon certain occasions, was enjoined by the law. See Exo 19:15 . And this is what is meant here, by the young men being kept from women: namely their wives. As to the bread, the observation which our blessed Lord makes on this passage, in his discourse with the Pharisees, (see Mat 12:1-4 ,) throws the best light upon it. The show-bread was peculiarly for the priest’s use, having been sanctified. See Lev 24:5-9 . But David’s necessity pleaded for the dispensing with this law; and Ahimelech judged it right. But is there not much of gospel in it? Did it not mean to show, that in the dispensation by the Lord Jesus, the bodies of his people were the temples of the Holy Ghost, and were holy, being sanctified by the Spirit? And as Jesus himself, which this show-bread represented, is the bread of life to his people; so his people are made kings and priests to God, and the Father; and consequently, are privileged to eat that bread of life, and live forever. Lord, evermore give us this bread. Joh 6:32-34 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 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.
Ver. 4. There is no common bread under mine hand. ] He kept house at Anathoth, where doubtless he had common bread; but David’s haste called for present supply.
If the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
common: i.e. or unhallowed.
hallowed = holy. See note on Exo 3:5.
kept. And thus ceremonially clean, to eat such bread.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
hallowed bread: 1Sa 21:6, Exo 25:30, Lev 24:5-9, Mat 12:3, Mat 12:4
if the young: Exo 19:15, Zec 7:3, 1Co 7:5
Reciprocal: Lev 15:18 – unclean 1Sa 21:3 – under thine Ecc 3:5 – a time to embrace
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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 {c} women.
(c) If they have not accompanied with their wives.