1st Samuel Chapter 22 verse 19 Holy Bible

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) Nob, the city of the priests, smote he.--The vengeful king, not content with striking the men, the heads of the priestly houses, in his insane fury proceeded to treat the innocent city where they resided as a city under the ban "cherem," as though it had been polluted with idolatry and wickedness, and therefore devoted to utter destruction. The only crime of Nob had been that its venerable chief citizen, Ahimelech the priest, had shown kindness to David, whom Saul hated with a fierce mad hate. In 2Samuel 21:1 we read of a scourge in the form of a famine afflicting Israel during three years. The cause of this God-sent calamity is told us in the Lord's words: "It was for Saul and his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites." Now, this slaughter of the Gibeonites--evidently a dark crime--is nowhere specially related in the Old Testament books. Was it not this awful sequel to the crime of Gibeah, where the hapless Ahimelech and his eighty-five priests were murdered, that was referred to in the above mentioned passage--the awful sequel when Saul smote Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword? In that terrible catastrophe, were not the Gibeonites, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the Tabernacle (see Joshua 9:21-27), slain? for we read how in the destruction of the ill fated city men, women and children, and all cattle perished. "Only once before had so terrible a calamity befallen the sons of Aaron, and that was when the Philistines destroyed Shiloh. But they were enemies, and had been provoked by the people bringing the Ark to battle; and even then the women and children seem to have escaped. It was left to the anointed king of Israel, who had himself settled the priests at Nob and restored Jehovah's worship there, to perpetrate an act unparalleled in Jewish history for its barbarity."--Dean Payne Smith.Parallel Commentaries ...HebrewHe also putהִכָּ֣ה (hik·kāh)Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singularStrong's 5221: To striketo the swordחֶ֔רֶב (ḥe·reḇ)Noun - feminine singularStrong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, swordNob,נֹ֤ב (nōḇ)Noun - proper - feminine singularStrong's 5011: Nob -- a priestly city, perhaps also a place North of Jerusalemthe cityעִיר־ (‘îr-)Noun - feminine singular constructStrong's 5892: Excitementof the priests,הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ (hak·kō·hă·nîm)Article | Noun - masculine pluralStrong's 3548: Priestwith its menמֵאִישׁ֙ (mê·’îš)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 376: A man as an individual, a male personandוְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)Conjunctive waw | PrepositionStrong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, whilewomen,אִשָּׁ֔ה (’iš·šāh)Noun - feminine singularStrong's 802: Woman, wife, femalechildrenמֵעוֹלֵ֖ל (mê·‘ō·w·lêl)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 5768: A sucklingandוְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)Conjunctive waw | PrepositionStrong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, whileinfants,יוֹנֵ֑ק (yō·w·nêq)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singularStrong's 3243: To suck, to give milkoxen,וְשׁ֧וֹר (wə·šō·wr)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)donkeys,וַחֲמ֛וֹר (wa·ḥă·mō·wr)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 2543: A male assand sheep.וָשֶׂ֖ה (wā·śeh)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 7716: A member of a, flock, a sheep, goatJump to PreviousAss Asses Babies Breast Cattle Children City Donkeys Edge Infant Infants Mouth Nob Nursing Ox Oxen Priests Sheep Smitten Smote Struck Suckling Sucklings Sword Women