1 Samuel 21:4
2 “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission or charge. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.
3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5 David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the equipment of the young men is holy, as it is even on common missions, and all the more at this time.”
6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
- KJV
- And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
- WEB
- The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
- ASV
- And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
- DARBY
- And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
- BLB
- And the priest answered David, and said, “[There is] no common bread to under my hand, but there is holy bread, if indeed the young men have kept themselves from women.”
- ÅB
- Presten svarte David og sa: Jeg har intet almindelig brød ved hånden, men hellig brød er her - bare mennene har holdt seg fra kvinner.
- OTB
- Presten svarte David og sa: "Det er ikke vanlig brød for hånden, men det er hellig brød—forutsatt at mennene har holdt seg borte fra kvinner."
- B1930
- Presten svarte David og sa: Jeg har intet almindelig brød ved hånden, men hellig brød er her - bare mennene har holdt sig fra kvinner.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Matthew 12:3–4
Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
Read in contextExodus 19:15
“Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
Read in contextExodus 25:30
And place the Bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.
Read in context1 Samuel 21:6
So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
Read in contextZechariah 7:3
by asking the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts, as well as the prophets, “Should I weep and fast in the fifth month, as I have done these many years?”
Read in contextLeviticus 24:5–9
You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf,
Read in context1 Corinthians 7:5
Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time, so you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again, so that Satan will not tempt you through your lack of self-control.
Read in context