Bible Strands
1 Samuel 22:11
Then the king sent messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests at Nob. And all of them came to the king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Saul the king dispatches royal messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and the entire priestly household at Nob. This summons occurs immediately after Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for David and provided him with provisions and Goliath’s sword.
The words — הַ/מֶּ֡לֶךְ (ha./Me.lekh) identifies the royal authority initiating the action, while לִ/קְרֹא֩ (li/k.Ro') literally means to call or summon, indicating a formal royal decree rather than a casual request.
The thread — The motif of royal agents executing violent judgments appears in Romans 3:15, which describes feet swift to shed blood.
Why it lands — The text records the mechanical execution of a king’s order against a sanctuary community, requiring the reader to observe how institutional power moves from inquiry to accusation. It demands attention to the procedural shift that turns priestly service into a capital charge.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.
Cross-references
- Romans 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;