1 Samuel — Chapter 21

📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 21 (KJV)

Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.

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Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.

1 Samuel 21:1 Then came David to ^RNob ^Tto Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

1 Samuel 21:2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, ^RThe king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

1 Samuel 21:3 Now therefore what is ^Runder thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is ^Tpresent.

1 Samuel 21:4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is ^Rhallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

1 Samuel 21:5 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 ^Rthe vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, ^Tyea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest ^Rgave 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.

1 Samuel 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, ^Rdetained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

1 Samuel 21:8 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 21:9 And the priest said, ^RThe sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

1 Samuel 21:10 And David arose and ^Rfled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:11 And ^Rthe servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

1 Samuel 21:12 And David ^Rlaid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

1 Samuel 21:13 And he ^Rchanged his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and ^Tscrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

1 Samuel 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man ^RTis mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

1 Samuel 21:15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

📚 Study This Chapter

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Samuel 21:1–6 — Bread at Nob

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

David reaches Ahimelech and claims to be on secret royal business, concealing his flight. The priest supplies hallowed bread because no common bread is available. The account records David's need and his misleading explanation; it does not make the lie a command to imitate.

Key Truth: Provision in danger does not make every statement by the endangered person true.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Samuel 21:7–9 — A dangerous witness and a remembered sword

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

Doeg, Saul's Edomite servant, is present. David also asks for a weapon and receives Goliath's sword. The detail about Doeg prepares for consequences in the next chapter, while the sword recalls David's earlier victory.

Key Truth: A seemingly brief notice about a witness becomes important to the story's consequences.

Check What You Remember

📖 What We’re Reading

1 Samuel 21:10–15 — David fears Achish

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

David flees to Achish of Gath but is recognized through the victory song. Afraid, he feigns madness, and Achish rejects his presence. The chapter shows the insecurity of seeking refuge among former enemies rather than presenting an effortless escape.

Key Truth: David's flight is marked by fear and vulnerable decisions.

Check What You Remember

Related Scripture (KJV)

Matthew 12:4 — Jesus later refers to David receiving and eating the shewbread.

Matthew 12:4 (KJV) How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.

Reflect and Apply

Which details in this chapter make David vulnerable, and which will matter in the following chapter?

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