1 Samuel 21:5

David replied, “They have not been near women for many days. I do not allow my men to defile themselves by sleeping with women while they are preparing to fight in battles. They must continue to keep themselves acceptable to God when they are on ordinary trips, and today they have kept themselves acceptable to God because now we are doing something very special/important.”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

4The priest answered David, “There is no ordinary bread here, but I have some of the sacred bread that was placed before Yahweh. Your men may eat it if they have not slept with [EUP] women recently.”

6The only bread that the priest had was the sacred bread that had been placed in Yahweh’s presence in the Sacred tent. So the priest gave David some of that bread. On that day the priest had taken those loaves from the table and replaced them with ◄fresh/newly baked► loaves.

Read all of 1 Samuel 21

Cross References

Exodus 19:15Then Moses/I said to the people, “Be ready on the day after tomorrow. And you men must not have sex with [EUP] your wives until after then.”

Leviticus 8:26Then from the basket containing the bread that was made without yeast, the bread which had been dedicated to Yahweh, he/I picked up one loaf of bread made without olive oil, and one loaf that was made by mixing the flour with olive oil, and one wafer. He/I put those on top of the portions of fat, and put them into the hands of Aaron and his sons. Then they lifted them up in the presence of Yahweh to indicate that it was an offering that belonged to him.

Acts 9:15But the Lord Jesus told Ananias, “Go to Saul! Do what I say, because I have chosen him to serve me in order that he might speak about me [MTY] both to non-Jewish people and their kings and to the Israeli people.

2 Timothy 2:20In a wealthy person’s house there are not only utensils made of gold and of silver, but also utensils made of wood and of clay. The gold and silver utensils are used at special occasions/events, and the others are used at ordinary occasions. Similarly, in a congregation there are those who ◄ are ready/desire► to do great things for the Lord Jesus, and there are those like the teachers of false doctrines/teachings who are not.

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 21:2-10

David Obtains the Show-Bread; David Gets the Sword of Goliath. ( b. c. 1057.) 1 Then came David to Nob to 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? 2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The 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. 3 Now therefore… Read the whole commentary →

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Study 1 Samuel 21:5