1 Samuel 21:8-10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord;[a] his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.(A)
The Sword of Goliath. 9 David then asked Ahimelech: “Do you have a spear or a sword on hand? I brought along neither my sword nor my weapons, because the king’s business was urgent.” 10 The priest replied: “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a garment behind an ephod.[b] If you wish to take it, do so; there is no sword here except that one.” “There is none like it,” David cried, “give it to me!”(B)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 21:8 Detained before the Lord: perhaps to fulfill a ritual obligation. David’s arrival at Nob seems to coincide with a festival day, since the showbread has recently been replaced with fresh bread. Shepherds: i.e., Saul’s palace guard. Cf. 22:9–10, where Doeg has easy access to Saul.
- 21:10 Ephod: here an object or image large enough to conceal Goliath’s sword. Cf. Gideon’s ephod in Jgs 8:27.
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