1 Samuel 21 · Verse 5

1 Samuel 21:5

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.
1 Samuel 21:5, King James Version

1 Samuel 21:5 in other translations

BSBDavid 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.”
WEBDavid answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?”
ASVAnd David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy?
YLTAnd David answereth the priest, and saith to him, ‘Surely, if women have been restrained from us as heretofore in my going out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it is a common way: and also, surely to-day it is sanctified in the vessel.'
DARBYAnd David answered the priest and said to him, Yes indeed, 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, and the more so, because to-day new is hallowed in the vessels.
BBEAnd David in answer said to the priest, Certainly women have been kept from us; and as has been done before when I have gone out the arms of the young men were made holy, even though it was a common journey; how much more today will their arms be made holy.
WebsterAnd David answered the priest, and said to 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, yes, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

What does 1 Samuel 21:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. these three days--as required by law (Ex 19:15). David and his attendants seem to have been lurking in some of the adjoining caves, to elude pursuit, and to have been, consequently, reduced to great extremities of hunger. the bread is in a manner common--that is, now that it is no longer standing on the Lord's table. It is eaten by the priests, and may also, in our circumstances, be eaten by us. yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel--that is, though the hallowed bread had been but newly placed on the vessel, the ritual ordinance would have to yield to the great law of necessity and mercy (see on Mt 12:3; also see Mr 2:25; Lu 6:3).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 21:1-9

David, in distress, fled to the tabernacle of God. It is great comfort in a day of trouble, that we have a God to go to, to whom we may open our cases, and from whom we may ask and expect direction. David told Ahimelech a gross untruth. What shall we say to this? The Scripture does not conceal it, and we dare not justify it; it was ill done, and proved of bad consequence; for it occasioned the death of the priests…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 21:1-9 →

1 Samuel 21:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיַּעַן֩vai.ya.'Anand he answeredH6030
דָּוִ֨דda.VidDavidH1732
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַכֹּהֵ֜ןha.ko.Henthe priestH3548
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
ל֗וֹloto <the> him
כִּ֣יkithatH3588
אִם\־'im-exceptH518
אִשָּׁ֤ה'i.ShahwomanH802
עֲצֻֽרָה\־'a.tzu.rah-[is] withheldH6113
לָ֙נוּ֙la.nuto <the> us
כִּתְמ֣וֹלkit.Molas yesterdayH8543
שִׁלְשֹׁ֔םshil.Shomthree days agoH8032
בְּצֵאתִ֕יbe.tze.Tiwhen go out IH3318
וַיִּהְי֥וּvai.yih.Yuand they wereH1961
כְלֵֽי\־khe.lei-[the] vessels ofH3627
הַנְּעָרִ֖יםha.ne.'a.Rimthe young menH5288
קֹ֑דֶשׁKo.deshholinessH6944
וְהוּא֙ve.Hu'and itH1931
דֶּ֣רֶךְDe.rekh[is] a journey ofH1870
חֹ֔לCholprofanenessH2455
וְאַ֕ףve.'Afand indeed?H637
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
הַיּ֖וֹםhai.Yomthis dayH3117
יִקְדַּ֥שׁyik.Dashit is holyH6942
בַּכֶּֽלִי\׃ba.Ke.liin the vesselH3627

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 21:5

  • Leviticus 24:9

    And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the Lord made by fire by a perpetual statute.

  • Leviticus 8:26

    And out of the basket of unleavened bread, that was before the Lord, he took one unleavened cake, and a cake of oiled bread, and one wafer, and put them on the fat, and upon the right shoulder:

  • Acts 9:15

    But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

  • 2 Timothy 2:20-21

    But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

    For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

  • 1 Peter 3:17

    For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the vessels.
Ac 9:15; 1Th 4:3,4; 2Ti 2:20,21; 1Pe 3:17
in a manner.
Le 24:9
yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. or,especially when this day there is other sanctified in the vessel.
Le 8:26

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 21:4

    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.

  • 1 Samuel 21:5

    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.

  • 1 Samuel 21:6

    So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

Read all of 1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y David respondió al sacerdote, y díjole: Cierto las mujeres nos han sido reservadas desde anteayer cuando salí, y los vasos de los mozos fueron santos, aunque el camino es profano: cuanto más que hoy habrá otro pan santificado en los vasos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et le sacrificateur répondit à David, et dit: Je n’ai point sous la main de pain commun, il n’y a que du pain sacré; si seulement les jeunes hommes se sont gardés des femmes!
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und David antwortete dem Priester und sprach zu ihm: Ja, denn Weiber sind uns versagt seit gestern und vorgestern, als ich auszog, und die Gefäße der Knaben sind heilig. Und es ist einigermaßen gemeines Brot, und das um so mehr, als heute neues in den Gefäßen geheiligt wird.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et respondit David sacerdoti, et dixit ei: Equidem, si de mulieribus agitur: continuimus nos ab heri et nudiustertius quando egrediebamur, et fuerunt vasa puerorum sancta. Porro via hæc polluta est, sed et ipsa hodie sanctificabitur in vasis.