Bible Strands
1 Samuel 22:16
But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Saul pronounces a death sentence on Ahimelech and his entire household immediately after the priest’s defense in 1 Samuel 22:15. The king speaks directly to Ahimelech in a judicial context following an inquiry about David’s whereabouts.
The words — The Hebrew מוֹת תָּמוּת (mot tamut) pairs a verbal infinitive absolute with a finite verb to emphasize certainty, translating literally as “you will surely die.” The phrase וְכָל־בֵּית אָבִיךָ (ve-khol-beit avi-kha) specifies “and all the house of your father,” extending the judgment beyond Ahimelech alone.
The thread — This collective punishment echoes Saul’s earlier oath against Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:44 and contrasts with the legal principle in Deuteronomy 24:16 that each person dies for their own sin. The tension between royal decree and covenant law resurfaces when Saul’s guards refuse to execute the priests in 1 Samuel 22:17.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that political fear can override legal and covenantal boundaries, as Saul prioritizes self-preservation over divine justice. Readers must weigh the text’s plain declaration of royal authority against the subsequent refusal of the guards to carry out the order.
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
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 28:15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
- Deuteronomy 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
- 1 Samuel 14:44 And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
- 1 Samuel 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”
- 1 Kings 18:4 for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
- 1 Kings 19:2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!”
- Esther 3:6 And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.
- Daniel 2:5 The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble.
- Daniel 2:12 This response made the king so angry and furious that he gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
- Daniel 3:19 At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual,