1 Samuel 21:1-9 – Provision From the LORD’s House

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 11 July 2021


1 Samuel 21 - Side-by side comparison of versionsA

LXX

Brenton

DRB

KJV

NAW

MT

2 Καὶ ἔρχεται Δαυιδ εἰς Νομβα πρὸς ΑβιμελεχB τὸν ἱερέα. καὶ ἐξέστηC Αβιμελεχ τῇ ἀπαντήσει αὐτοῦD καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Τί ὅτι σὺ μόνος καὶ οὐθεὶς μετὰ σοῦ;

1 And David comes to Nomba to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and nobody with thee?

1 And David came to Nobe, to Achimelech, the priest and Achimelech was astonished at David's coming. And he said to him: Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraidE at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

1 So David went to Nob, to Achi­melek the priest, but Achimelek was skittish about welcoming {him}, and he said to him, “Why is it that you are by yourself, and there is not a man with you?”

2 וַיָּבֹא דָוִד נֹבֶהF אֶל-אֲחִימֶלֶךְ הַכֹּהֵן וַיֶּחֱרַד אֲחִימֶלֶךְ לִקְרַאת דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה לְבַדֶּךָ וְאִישׁ אֵין אִתָּךְG:

3 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ τῷ XH ἱερεῖ Ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐντέταλταί μοι ῥῆμα [σήμερον] καὶ εἶπέν μοι Μηδεὶς γνώτω X τὸ ῥῆμα, [περὶ] οὗ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω σε καὶ [ὑπὲρ] οὗ ἐντέταλμαί σοι· καὶ τοῖς παιδαρίοις διαμεμαρτύρημαιI ἐν τῷ τόπῳ [τῷ λεγομένῳ Θεοῦ πίστις,] Φελλανι ΑλεμωνιJ

2 And David said to X the priest, The king gave me a command [to-day], and said to me, Let no one know X the matter [on] which I send thee, and [concerning] which I have charged thee: and I have charged my servants to be in the place [that is called, The faithfulness of God,] phellani maemoni.

2 And David said to Achimelech, the priest: The king hath commanded me a business, and said X X: Let no man know X the thing [for] which thou art sent by me, and what [manner of] commands I have given thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commandedK me a businessL, 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 appointedM my servants to such and suchN a place.

2 And David said to {} the priest, “The king commanded a thing of me, and said to me, ‘No one should know anything about this thing for which I am sending you and which I have commanded you.’ Furthermore, I have {made an appointment} with my servants at such-and-such a place.

3 וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ הַכֹּהֵן הַמֶּלֶךְ צִוַּנִי דָבָר וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אִישׁ אַל-יֵדַע מְאוּמָה אֶת-הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר- אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחֲךָ וַאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ וְאֶת- הַנְּעָרִים יוֹדַעְתִּיO אֶל-מְקוֹם פְּלֹנִי אַלְמוֹנִיP:

4 καὶ νῦν εἰ εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου πέντε ἄρτοι, δὸς εἰς χεῖρά μου X τὸ εὑρεθένQ.

3 And now if there are under thy hand five loaves, give into my hand X what is ready.

3 Now therefore if thou have [any thing] at hand, [though it were but] five loaves, give X X me, or whatsoever thou canst find.

3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is presentR.

3 So now {if} there are 5 bread-loaves under your management, give them into my hand – or whatever can be found.”

4 וְעַתָּה מַה-יֵּשׁ תַּחַת-יָדְךָ חֲמִשָּׁה- לֶחֶם תְּנָה בְיָדִי אוֹ הַנִּמְצָא:

5 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἱερεὺς τῷ Δαυιδ καὶ εἶπεν Οὐκ εἰσὶν ἄρτοι βέβηλοι X ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά μου, ὅτι ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἄρτοι ἅγιοι εἰσίν· εἰ πεφυλαγ­μένα τὰ παιδάριά ἐστιν XS ἀπὸ γυναι­κός, [καὶ φάγεται].

4 And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common loaves under my hand, for [I have none] but holy loaves: if the young men have been kept at least from women, [then they shall eat them].

4 And the priest answered David, saying: I have no common bread at X hand, but only holy bread X, if the young men be clean, especially from women?

4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no commonT bread under mine hand, but there is hallowedU bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread under my management, but there is holy bread. If your serv­ants have kept themselves at least from a woman, {then let them eat of it}.”

5 וַיַּעַן הַכֹּהֵן אֶת- דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר אֵין-לֶחֶם חֹל אֶלV-תַּחַת יָדִי כִּי-אִם-לֶחֶם קֹדֶשׁ יֵשׁ אִם-נִשְׁמְרוּ הַנְּעָרִים אַךְ מֵאִשָּׁהW: פ

6 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Δαυιδ τῷ ἱερεῖ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἀλλὰ [ἀπὸ] γυναικὸς ἀπεσχήμεθαX X X X ἐχθὲς [καὶ] τρίτην [ἡμέραν]· ἐν τῷ ἐξελθεῖν με [εἰς ὁδὸν] X γέγονε πάνταY τὰ παιδάρια ἡγνισμένα, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ὁδὸς βέβηλος, X διότι ἁγιασθήσεται σήμερον διὰ τὰ σκεύη μου.

5 And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yea, we have been kept from women for X three X day[s]: when I came forth [for the journey] X all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean, X wherefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons.

5 And David answered the priest, and said to him: Truly, as to what concerneth wom­en, we have refrained ourselves from yesterday [and] the day before, when we came out, and the vessels of the young men were holy. Now this way is defiled, but it shall also be sanctified this day in the vessels.

5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truthZ women have been kept from us about these three daysAA, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the breadAB is in a manner common, yea, though it wereAC sanctified this day in the vessel.

5 Then David re­plied to the priest and said to him, “Indeed {we have restrained oursel­ves} from a wo­m­an {since} 3 days ago when I went out, and the persons of my serv­ants have continued to be holy although it is an ordinary journey - now all the more so today in the person there will be holiness!”

6 וַיַּעַן דָּוִד אֶת-הַכֹּהֵן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ כִּי אִם-אִשָּׁה עֲצֻרָהAD-לָנוּ כִּתְמוֹלAE שִׁלְשֹׁם בְּצֵאתִי וַיִּהְיוּ כְלֵי- הַנְּעָרִים קֹדֶשׁ וְהוּא דֶּרֶךְ חֹל וְאַף כִּי הַיּוֹם יִקְדַּשׁ בַּכֶּלִי:

7 καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ [ΑβιμελεχAF] ὁ ἱερεὺς [τοὺς ἄρτους] τῆς προθέσεωςAG, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἄρτος ὅτι ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ἄρτοι τοῦ προσώπου οἱ ἀφῃρημένοι ἐκ προσώπου κυρίου παρατεθῆναι ἄρτον θερμὸν ἡμέρᾳ ἔλαβεν αὐτούς.

6 So[Abimelech] the priest gave him the shewbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should be set on, on the day [on which] he took them.

6 The priest therefore gave him hallowed [bread]: for there was no bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, that hot loaves might be set up X X X X.

6 So the priest gave him hallowedAH bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbreadAI, that was takenAJ from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

6 So the priest gave what was holy to him, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the face of Yahweh to set out hot bread on the day it was to be taken.

7 וַיִּתֶּן-לוֹ הַכֹּהֵן קֹדֶשׁ כִּי לֹא-הָיָה שָׁם לֶחֶם כִּי-אִם-לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים הַמּוּסָרִיםAK מִלִּפְנֵי יְהוָה לָשׂוּם לֶחֶם חֹם בְּיוֹם הִלָּקְחוֹ:

8 καὶ ἐκεῖ ἦν ἓν τῶν παιδαρίων τοῦ Σαουλ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ συνεχ­όμεν­οςAL [νεεσ­σαρανAM] ἐνώπιον κυρίου, καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Δωηκ ὁ ΣύροςAN νέμων τὰς ἡμιόνουςAO X Σαουλ.

7 And there was there on that day one of Saul's servants detained before the Lord, and his name was Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there X that day, within the tabernacle of the Lord: and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul's herdsmen.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there X that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edom­ite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

7 Now on that day, there was a man there from the servants of Saul who was restrained before the face of Yahweh, and his name was Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds which [worked] for Saul.

8 וְשָׁם אִישׁ מֵעַבְדֵי שָׁאוּל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נֶעְצָר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה וּשְׁמוֹ דֹּאֵג הָאֲדֹמִי אַבִּיר הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל:

9 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Αβιμελεχ Ἰδὲ εἰ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου δόρυ ἢ ῥομφαία, ὅτι τὴν ῥομφαίαν μου καὶ τὰ σκεύη οὐκ εἴληφα ἐν τῇ χειρί μου, ὅτι ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως [κατὰ] σπουδήν.

8 And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under thy hand spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand X my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent.

8 And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou X here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not X my [own] sword, nor my [own] weapons with X me, for the king's business required haste.

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 X me, because the king's business requiredAP hasteAQ.

8 Anyway, David said to Achi­melek, “Now, isn’t there a spear or a sword under your management here? For I did not take in my hand either my sword or my weapons, since the word of the king was urgent.”

9 וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ וְאִין יֶשׁ-פֹּה תַחַת-יָדְךָ חֲנִית אוֹ-חָרֶב כִּי גַם-חַרְבִּי וְגַם-כֵּלַי לֹא-לָקַחְתִּי בְיָדִי כִּי-הָיָה דְבַר-הַמֶּלֶךְ נָחוּץAR: ס

10 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεύς [Ἰδοὺ] ἡ ῥομφαία Γολιαθ τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου, ὃν ἐπάταξας ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι ΗλαAS, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνειλημένη ἐν X ἱματίῳ·X X XAT εἰ ταύτην λήμψῃ σεαυτῷ, λαβέ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἑτέρα πάρεξ ταύτης ἐνταῦθα. καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ [Ἰδοὺ] οὐκ ἔστιν ὥσπερ αὐτή, δός μοι αὐτήν.

9 And the priest said, [Behold] the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou smotest in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth X X X: if thou wilt take it, take it for thyself, for there is no other except it here. And David said, [Behold], there is none like it; give it me.

9 And the priest said: [Lo], here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Terebinth, X X wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it X, for here there is no other but this X X. And David said: There is none like that, give it me.

9 And the priest said, The 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: X X for there is no other save that X here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine which you struck down in the valley of Elah, see, it is covered in the cloak behind the ephod. If it is for you to take for yourself, take it, for there is no other in here except it.” And David said, “There is none like it; Give it to me!”

10 וַיֹּאמֶר הַכֹּהֵן חֶרֶב גָּלְיָת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אֲשֶׁר-הִכִּיתָ בְּעֵמֶק הָאֵלָה הִנֵּהAU-הִיא לוּטָהAV בַשִּׂמְלָה אַחֲרֵי הָאֵפוֹדAW אִם-אֹתָהּ תִּקַּח-לְךָ קָח כִּי אֵין אַחֶרֶת זוּלָתָהּ בָּזֶה וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֵין כָּמוֹהָ תְּנֶנָּה לִּי:

11 [καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ]· καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυιδ καὶ ἔφυγεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐκ προσώπου Σαουλ. Καὶ ἦλθεν [Δαυιδ] πρὸς Αγχους βασιλέα Γεθ.

10 [And he gave it him;] and David arose, and fled in that day from the presence of Saul: and [David] came to Anchus king of Geth.

10 And David arose and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis, the king of Geth:

10 And David arose, and fled that day for fearAX of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

10 Then David got up and fled on that day from the presence of Saul, so he went to Acish, king of Gath.

11 וַיָּקָם דָּוִד וַיִּבְרַחAY בַּיּוֹם- הַהוּא מִפְּנֵי שָׁאוּל וַיָּבֹא אֶל-אָכִישׁ מֶלֶךְ גַּת:


1Commentators agree that the tabernacle was at Nob, but they don’t agree on whether the ark was there. Most of the commentators I read seemed to think that the ark was not present at Nob but rather was at Kiriath Jearim, where 1 Samuel 7 says it “stayed for a long time” – but, D. Tsumura (NICOT) noted Jewish traditions (B. Zeb. 118-19) that it was at Nob and argued that without the ark there would be no point in shewbread, so maybe it was there after all.

2The name that appears in Mark 2:26 is Abiathar (“Father of abundance”), but the Gospel account doesn’t actually say that was this priest’s name, only that the place David entered was “the house of God upon/before (epi) Abiathar the high priest.” Abiathar was the son of Achimelek, so he was presumably around too. “During/when/in” (the way most English versions translate the Greek word epi here, is not mentioned in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as a meaning for epi, but “before” is mentioned in the lexicon, and that makes more sense. On the other hand, Willett and Gill observed that the names seem to be interchangeable in scripture, with both names being applied to both the father and son.

3Kimchi and Ben Gershom tried to get around this by saying that it was thanks-offering leftovers which laymen could eat, not shewbread, but Jesus’ commentary in the Gospels makes it clear that it was not something laymen were permitted to eat.

4That calculation comes from the BibleWorks Map software. It would, of course be more than 2 miles on the ground in that hill country. Gill quoted Bunting at 12 miles, which seems a bit much, but that is still less than one day’s journey for soldiers. Jamieson’s commentary computed it at 5 miles.

5Willett, following Junius recommended interpreting “vessels” as the containers they had for carrying the bread. Along those lines, Goldman recommended Driver’s translation “gear,” but I’m not convinced, and neither was M. Henry or D. Tsumura.

6See my paper at http://www.natewilsonfamily.net/natespdf/all_the_earth.pdf cf. Zec. 14:16ff

AMy original chart includes the NASB and NIV, but their copyright restrictions have forced me to remove them from the publicly-available edition of this chart. I have included the ESV in footnotes when it employs a word not already used by the KJV, NASB, or NIV. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scroll containing any part of 1 Samuel 21 is 4Q52 Samuela, which contains fragments of vs. 1-10, and which has been dated around 250 B.C. Where the DSS and MT agree, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.

BLater Greek translators like Aquila and Symmachus corrected to the MT with Acimelek. Although this name occurs many times in 1 Samuel, every time it occurs in the Dead Sea Scrolls of 1 Samuel, it is in an obliterated section, so we don’t know how his name was spelled in the DSS. From a philological perspective, Abimelek (“my father was king”) doesn’t make sense as a title for a Levite priest, but Achimelek (“my brother was king”) is only slightly less-problematic.

Ccf. synonym from Aquila exeplagh (“struck out [of his senses]”)

DAlthough the text is illegible in the DSS, the spacing between legible portions of this verse does not support the extra word “David” which is in the MT, thus supporting the LXX. The NIV “his” is presumably based on this.

ENAS, NIV, ESV = “trembling” KJV translated this word as “trembl-” every other time in 1 Samuel that this verb occurs (13:7; 14:15; 16:4; 28:5).

FKeil & Delitzsch suggested that the final letter could be a “ה local” – i.e. “in the direction of Nob,” which doesn’t necessarily change the story at all.

GDSS imu. No significant difference in meaning from the MT, but perhaps more emphasis on accompaniment rather than mere association. I don’t think we can tell from the LXX which word its translators was looking at. Of the 36 times in 1 Samuel that the LXX uses meta as a translation for the Hebrew MT word ‘im or et, ‘im is favored 83%. For further perspective, about half of the 40 times that et is in the MT of 1 Samuel, the LXX translates it meta. (Im is translated meta in 2:8, 2:26, 4:4, 9:24, 10:7, 13:2a, 13:2b, 14:7, 14:21b, 14:21c, 15:6 & 26, 16:12, 17:32, 17:37, 17:42, 18:28, 20:5, 20:8b, 20:13a, 20:13b, 22:8, 22:17, 26:6, 27:3, 27:5, 28:19a, 28:19b, 29:2, and 30:22. et is translated meta in 2:19, 9:3, 13:22a, 13:22b, 29:10, and 30:23. meta is also used to translate achray, min, ‘al, b-, etc.)

HThe DSS also drops A_himelek’s name out. (Curiously, however, the LXX adds his name later in v.7 where it is not in any other source document.)

ISymmachus translated sunetaxamhn (“made arrangements”).

JThe LXX transliterates rather than translates the Hebrew words here. Later Greek versions translated: Aq. proV ton topon ton deina toude tinoV (“to this certain place thus-and-so”), S. eiV ton deina topon (“into the such-and-such place”), Q. (eiV ton topon) tonde tina elmwni (“into the place even the certain Elmoni”).

KNASB = “commissioned,” NIV, ESV = “charged”

LMT & LXX lit. “word,” NASB, NIV, ESV = “matter”

MNASB = “directed,” NIV = “told to meet,” ESV = “made appointment”

NNASB, NIV = “a certain”

OIt appears that the MT copyists accidentally switched the order of the letters ayin and the daleth in this word. The DSS reads ytduy “made an appointment” rather than the MT “caused to know,” and the Septuagint, Vaticanus, and even Symmachus support the DSS. Goldman (in the Soncino Books of the Bible) recommended Eitan’s translation “dismissed,” as did Tsumura (in the NICOT).

PThis phrase occurs only two other times in the Hebrew OT: Ruth 4:1 (Where it is translated “such a one” by the KJV and “friend” by all the other English versions, and κρύφιε/secretly by the LXX.); and 2 Ki. 6:8 (where all the English versions render it “such and such” and the LXX rendered τόνδε τινὰ ελμωνι “this certain elmoni”)

QLater Greek versions (A.S.Q.) = laikoilaypersons”

RNASB & NIV = “found,” which is closer to the literal meaning of the Hebrew than the KJV.

SAlthough Ralph’s compilation of the LXX does not render the Hebrew word ak, it is rendered as plhn in the Vaticanus and carried into Brenton’s English version as “at least.”

TNASB, NIV = “ordinary”

UNASB, NIV = “consecrated,” ESV = “holy”

VThis preposition is not in the DSS, Septuagint, Old Latin, Vulgate, or Syriac. It doesn’t make a difference in meaning, though. The DSS has space for way more wording than the MT has, but this part of the verse is obliterated in the DSS, and there are no extra words in the LXX or Vulgate, so maybe it is just blank space indicating the end of a periscope, signified in the MT by a פ.

W DSS adds the same tag found in the LXX: wnmm <tlkaw (“then they may eat from it”).

XAq. & Q. = sunesceqh - practically the same as the LXX, being from the same Greek root (“have”) and passive, but more consistent with the MT which makes the singular “woman” the subject of “denied” rather than the LXX 1st pl. “us.”

YThe Hebrew word for “all” (Greek = panta) is כל, whereas the Hebrew word for “vessels/equipment” is כלי. The MT, DSS, and Vulgate all read the latter, so this appears to be a mistake in translation by the LXX, but not one that changes the story. (It was corrected later by Aquila & Theodotion’s Greek versions to skeuh/vessels.)

ZKJV (and other English versions) translated this phrase “but” in the previous verse, but here, NASB = “Surely,” NIV = “Indeed,” ESV = “truly,” K&D advocated for “nay, but” as in, “no, we’re not a holy bunch, but at least we haven’t seen a woman in three days.”

AALit. “as/from yesterday three,” NASB = “as previously,” NIV = “as usual,” ESV = “as always”

ABThe Hebrew and Greek grammar indicate that “way/journey” is what is “ordinary/unclean” not the “bread.” cf. NASB/ESV = “it was/is an ordinary journey,” and NIV = “even [on] mission[s] that are not holy”
Willett argued against the Genevan Bible of his day (“though the way were prophane”), and his argument may have influenced the KJV “it is in a manner common” (published 4 years after his commentary on 1 Sam.). I didn’t find his arguments convincing, though.

ACNASB/NIV = “how much more then/so today…?”

ADThis is a feminine singular participle, but the Greek and Latin versions read as a 1st plural preterite. The practical upshot is the same whether they withheld themselves from their wives or whether their wives were withheld from them: they have not been sexually active and therefore are not ceremonially unclean on that account.

AESeveral other Hebrew manuscripts and commentaries suggest that this word start with a mem (“from”) instead of a coph (“as/about”), and the LXX, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate side with them.

AFThe DSS is obliterated here, but there is not enough room between legible portions for this extra word “A_imelech.”

AGThe word in the MT (and Vulgate) is “holy/sacred,” so later Greek versions corrected the LXX to that (agia), but it’s the same bread, just a different label for it imported by the LXX from Exodus 40:23. It is interesting that Jesus later quoted this phrase from the Septuagint rather than from the MT in Matt. 12:4; Mk. 2:26; and Lk. 6:4.

AHNASB, NIV = “consecrated,” ESV = “holy”

AI NASB, NIV, ESV = “bread of the Presence”

AJ The Hebrew word for “take” comes later in the verse; the Hebrew word used here is used synonymously, but has more of the connotation of removal than of receiving, thus the NASB, NIV, and ESV = “removed.”

AKDSS reads singular rswmh, agreeing with the singular lechem/bread, and Masoretic margin notes also recommend the singular, but both “bread” and “removed” are plural in Greek. Tsumura attempted to resolve the grammar problem by suggesting that the MT hammusarim is “a s[ingular] noun with an enclitic mem,” which I don’t find convincing because the next word starts with another mem. At any rate, both singular and plural work, because the word “bread” in Hebrew, as in English, can refer to a singular particular loaf or generally to food of any quantity. In this case there were 12 loaves used for the bread of the presence (Lev. 24), but they could still be referred to in the singular as “bread.”

ALAq. sunesceqh (“were kept together”), S. egkekleismenoV (“having been called out”).

AM The LXX added a transliteration of the Hebrew word in addition to its translation of this word.

AN Later Greek versions corrected to the MT IdoumaioV.

AO S. corrects the LXX to the MT with arcwn ruler.” Perhaps the LXX mistook the MT word אַבִּיר (“chief”) for‎ אֲתֹנֹת (“donkey”)?

AP The verb in the MT is the verb of being, and an understood verb of being is in the LXX. NASB & NIV translated more literally “was.”

AQcf. NASB, NIV = “urgent”

ARHapex Legomenon “urgent

ASLike Jerome did in the Vulgate, Aquila translated thV terebinqou “terebinth tree” rather than transliterating this word.

ATLater Greek translators added back in the phrase “behind the ephod” (Q. opisw thV epwmidoV S. efoud. A. ependumatoV.) which is also in the DSS but missing in the LXX.

AUThe LXX and Vulgate read as though this word were at the beginning of the sentence and as though there is nothing (V) or a copula (LXX) here. The DSS is too obliterated to tell for sure, and the extra space due to the paragraph ending in the previous verse makes any guesses based on word spacing tenuous.

AVThis verb only appears in two other places in the Hebrew Bible: 1 Ki. 19:13 (covering one’s face) and Isa. 25:7 (shrouding the nations).

AWDSS reads dpa rja - basically the same as the MT except no definite article “the.” Willett (following the Targum) tried to make the case that the priest was saying to consult God through the ephod first before taking the sword, but the context indicates that the priest is merely describing the location.

AX The Greek and Hebrew read “from the presence/face of Saul” - and so do other English versions, although many omit the “presence/face.”

AY This is the 4th and final repetition of this verb in the narrative of David fleeing (1 Sam. 19:12, 18; 20:1; 21:11).

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