Year of the Bible
1 Samuel 22
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Commentary on the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 22:
As David continues to travel to avoid Saul’s threats, he gains support around him. In a way that prefigures David’s descendant Jesus, the poor and distressed come to David for help. Meanwhile, King Saul seeks David and expects his own tribe, the Benjaminites, to help him. When they do not, a foreigner, Doeg, relates he has seen David at Nob (chapter 21). King Saul unleashes his anger on the shrine city, ordering Doeg to kill the priests, their families, and their flocks, a shocking reversal from when he would not destroy true enemies even though God commanded it (chapter 15). The son of one priest, Abiathar, escapes the slaughter, reaches David, and becomes a long-time supporter of the future King. David shows his humbleness when he takes responsibility for the events of Nob rather than blame Saul.
The First Book of Samuel, Chapter 22:
David and His Followers at Adullam
1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed, and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul Slaughters the Priests at Nob
6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse, none of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 and he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 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. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain overt your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father; for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and fall upon the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both men and women, children and sucklings, oxen, donkeys and sheep, he put to the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me, fear not; for he that seeks my life seeks your life; with me you shall be in safekeeping.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
David becomes an agent for the disenfranchised in the land, while Saul orders the priests to be put to death, along with their wives, children, and livestock. What, if any, are the areas on my life where I am, like David, being an agent to those who have no agency. Is God calling me to increase that effort? Are there areas in my life where I am, like Saul, actively hindering the work of God in my own life or in someone else's life? What steps can I take to reverse that?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
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1 David se fue de allí y huyó a la cueva
de Adulam. Cuando se enteraron
sus hermanos y toda la casa de su padre,
bajaron allí, junto a él. 2 Se le unieron todos
los que se encontraban en apuros, los oprimidos
y los atormentados. Fue constituido
jefe de todos ellos, que eran unos cuatrocientos
hombres. 3 De allí David se fue a
Mispá, que está en Moab, y rogó al rey de
Moab:
–Permite que mi padre y mi madre
se queden con vosotros hasta que sepa
qué va a hacer Dios conmigo.
4 Los dejó allí con el rey de Moab y
permanecieron junto a él durante todo
el tiempo que David estuvo refugiado.
5 El profeta Gad dijo a David:
–No permanezcas en el refugio. Vete
y dirígete a la tierra de Judá.
David se fue y llegó a Yaar-Jéret.
6 Oyó Saúl que David y sus hombres
habían sido descubiertos. Estaba Saúl
en Guibeá, bajo el terebinto que está en
lo más alto, con su lanza en la mano. Todos
sus servidores estaban a su alrededor.
7 Saúl dijo a los servidores que estaban
a su alrededor:
–Oídme, benjaminitas. ¿También a
vosotros os va a dar el hijo de Jesé campos
y viñas, y os va a hacer jefes de mil
o jefes de cien? 8 Porque todos os habéis
conjurado contra mí y nadie me ha
anunciado el pacto que ha establecido
mi hijo con el hijo de Jesé; nadie ha estado
preocupado por mí y nadie me ha
comunicado que mi hijo ha conseguido
que un siervo mío atentase contra mí,
como sucede hoy.
9 Doeg, el edomita, que estaba entre
los servidores de Saúl le dijo:
–He visto al hijo de Jesé en Nob, junto
a Ajimélec, hijo de Ajitub. 10 Éste consultó
al Señor por David, le dio pan y
hasta la espada de Goliat, el filisteo.
11 El rey mandó llamar al sacerdote
Ajimélec, hijo de Ajitub, y a toda la casa
de su padre, a los sacerdotes de Nob. Y
todos vinieron hasta el rey. 12 Entonces
le dijo Saúl:
–Escucha, hijo de Ajitub.
Éste le respondió:
–Aquí estoy, señor.
13 Y le dijo Saúl:
–¿Por qué tú y el hijo de Jesé conspiráis
contra mí? Le has dado alimento
y espada, y has consultado al Señor
por él para conspirar contra mí, como
sucede hoy.
14 Respondió Ajimélec a su rey:
–¿Quién hay entre tus servidores
tan fiel como David, yerno del rey, jefe
de tu guardia especial y honrado entre
los de tu casa? 15 ¿Es hoy la primera
vez que he consultado a Dios por él? De
ninguna manera. No culpe el rey de ese
asunto ni a este siervo suyo ni a su familia
porque de eso tu siervo no sabe nada,
ni poco ni mucho.
16 Le dijo el rey:
–Has de morir, Ajimélec, tú y toda
tu familia.
17 Y dijo el rey a los guardianes que
estaban a su alrededor:
–Volveos y matad a los sacerdotes
del Señor, porque su mano está también
con David; se enteraron de que huía y
no me lo comunicaron.
Pero los servidores del rey no quisieron
extender su mano para herir a los
sacerdotes del Señor. 18 Entonces el rey
se dirigió a Doeg:
–Vuélvete y mata tú a los sacerdotes.
Se volvió, pues, Doeg, el edomita, y
atacó a los sacerdotes matando aquel día
a ochenta y cinco hombres vestidos de
efod de lino. 19 Pasaron a filo de espada
a Nob, ciudad de sacerdotes, hombres y
mujeres, jóvenes y niños, bueyes, asnos y
ovejas; todos fueron pasados a cuchillo.
20 Sólo escapó un hijo de Ajimélec, hijo
de Ajitub, llamado Abiatar, que huyó
hasta David 21 y le comunicó que Saúl había
dado muerte a los sacerdotes del Señor.
22 Y dijo David a Abiatar:
–Sabía yo desde aquel día que estando
allí Doeg, el edomita, con toda seguridad
se lo comunicaría a Saúl. Yo soy
el responsable de las personas de la casa
de tu padre. 23 Quédate conmigo y no temas,
pues quien atente contra tu vida,
atenta contra la mía; junto a mí estarás
seguro.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).