What does David ask Achimelech for at Nobe, and how does he act before Achis afterward?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

He asks for bread and then a spear or sword, saying the king’s business required haste. Achimelech gives hallowed bread and offers Goliath’s sword. At Geth David fears Achis after hearing the servants’ words, changes his countenance, slips down, stumbles at the gate doors and lets spittle run on his beard; Achis questions why they brought a madman.

Chapter breakdown

David comes to Nobe to the priest Achimelech, who is astonished and asks why David is alone with no man accompanying him. Challoner separately identifies Nobe as a city of Benjamin to which the Lord’s tabernacle was moved from Silo. David tells the priest that the king commanded a business, requiring that no man know why he was sent or what commands he received, and that he appointed his servants to such and such a place. This is David’s account to Achimelech. He asks for whatever is at hand, even five loaves or whatever the priest can find. Achimelech has no common bread, only holy bread, and asks whether the young men are clean, especially from women.

Challoner separately reflects that if cleanness was required to eat bread that figured the bread of life received in the blessed sacrament, Christians should be clean when approaching the tremendous mysteries. He gives this as reason for the Church admitting as ministers to consecrate and daily receive the most pure sacrament only those devoted to perpetual purity. David answers that regarding women they have refrained from yesterday and the day before, when they came out, and the young men’s vessels were holy. He says the way is defiled but will also be sanctified that day in the vessels. Challoner separately explains vessels as bodies kept from impurity, the defiled way as exposure to dangers of uncleanness, and sanctification as taking care despite those dangers to keep the bodies from everything that might defile them. Achimelech gives David hallowed bread because only the loaves of proposition are there, taken from before the Lord’s face so hot loaves can be set up.

That day Doeg, an Edomite among Saul’s servants and chief of his herdsmen, is within the Lord’s tabernacle. David asks Achimelech whether a spear or sword is available, saying he brought neither his own sword nor weapons because the king’s business required haste. The priest offers the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom David killed in Terebinth’s valley. It is wrapped in cloth behind the ephod; David may take it if he wants, because no other is there. David says there is none like it and asks for it.

David rises and flees from Saul’s face that day to Achis, king of Geth. Achis’s servants see David and ask whether he is David, king of the land, recalling the dance song that Saul killed his thousands and David his ten thousands. David lays these words in his heart and is exceedingly afraid before Achis. He changes his countenance, slips down between their hands, stumbles against the gate doors and lets spittle run on his beard. Achis tells his servants they saw the man was mad and asks why they brought him. He asks whether they need madmen that they brought this fellow to play the madman before him, and whether this fellow shall come into his house. The chapter ends with those questions.

The story inside

Achimelech’s question about David’s solitary arrival leads to David’s confidential-business account and bread request. The holy-bread question is followed by David’s cleanness answer and the bread gift. The notes explain the place, purity reflection and vessels separately. Doeg’s presence is recorded before David’s weapon request and the priest’s offer of the wrapped sword. David’s same-day flight reaches Achis, where the servants’ recognition and song lead to David’s stated fear and changed behaviour. Achis answers that display with questions about the madman and his house; no further outcome is narrated here.

Lessons worth keeping

1
David’s explanations remain his words. He tells Achimelech of secret royal business, appointed servants and haste; the chapter supplies no separate statement that he says this to protect the priest.
2
The holy-bread exchange has conditions and timing. The priest asks about cleanness, David names yesterday and the day before and speaks of sanctification that day. Challoner’s reflection and three-part vessels explanation are kept as commentary.
3
The Geth episode stops at Achis’s questions. Fear follows the servants’ words, and the account gives David’s concrete acts. It does not report a sentence of immediate execution, a formal expulsion or his next successful escape.

Test your recall

How does Achimelech’s question lead to the bread and weapon requests, what conditions and replies surround the bread, and how do the servants’ words at Geth lead to David’s changed behaviour and Achis’s questions?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 30564–30586
1 Kings Chapter 21 David receiveth holy bread of Achimelech, the priest: and feigneth himself mad before Achis, king of Geth. 21:1. 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? Nobe.... A city in the tribe of Benjamin, to which the tabernacle of the Lord had been translated from Silo. 21:2. And David said to Achimelech, the priest: The king hath commanded me a business, and said: Let no man know 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. 21:3. Now therefore if thou have any thing at hand, though it were but five loaves, give me, or whatsoever thou canst find. 21:4. And the priest answered David, saying: I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread, if the young men be clean, especially from women?
Lines 30588–30611
If the young men be clean, etc.... If this cleanness was required of them that were to eat that bread, which was a figure of the bread of life which we receive in the blessed sacrament; how clean ought Christians to be when they approach to our tremendous mysteries. And what reason hath the church of God to admit none to be her ministers to consecrate and daily receive this most pure sacrament, but such as devote themselves to a life of perpetual purity. 21:5. 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. The vessels.... i. e., the bodies, have been holy, that is, have been kept from impurity.—Ibid. Is defiled.... Is liable to expose us to dangers of uncleanness.—Ibid. Be sanctified, etc.... That is, we shall take care, notwithstanding these dangerous circumstances, to keep our vessels holy, that is, to keep our bodies from every thing that may defile us. 21:6. 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.
Lines 30613–30625
21:7. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, within the tabernacle of the Lord: and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul’s herdsmen. 21:8. And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not my own sword, nor my own weapons with me, for the king’s business required haste. 21:9. And the priest said: Lo, here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Terebinth, wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it, for here there is no other but this. And David said: There is none like that, give it me.
Lines 30627–30649
21:10. And David arose and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis, the king of Geth: 21:11. And the servants of Achis, when they saw David, said to him: Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in their dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 21:12. But David laid up these words in his heart, and was exceedingly afraid at the face of Achis, the king of Geth. 21:13. And he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard. 21:14. And Achis said to his servants: You saw the man was mad: why have you brought him to me? 21:15. Have we need of mad men, that you have brought in this fellow, to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?