New International Version
1 Samuel 22:18
18The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.
1 Samuel 22:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments.
Context of 1 Samuel 22:18
16But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.” 17Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. 20But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.
Read all of 1 Samuel 221 Samuel 22:18 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לְדוֹאֵ֔ג סֹ֣ב אַתָּ֔ה וּפְגַ֖ע בַּכֹּהֲנִ֑ים וַיִּסֹּ֞ב דּוֹאֵ֣ג הָאֲדֹמִ֗י וַיִּפְגַּע־הוּא֙ בַּכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים וַיָּ֣מֶת׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא שְׁמֹנִ֤ים וַחֲמִשָּׁה֙ אִ֔ישׁ נֹשֵׂ֖א אֵפ֥וֹד בָּֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to Doegדֹּאֵגdô'êg dô'êg · DoegH1673
- Turnסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
- thou, and fallפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
- upon the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- the Edomiteאֲדֹמִי'ĕdômîy · EdomiteH130
- and slewמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- on that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- fourscoreשְׁמֹנִיםshemônîym shemônîym · eightyH8084
- and fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
- personsאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- that did wearנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: bearH5375
- a linenבַּדbad · linenH906
- ephodאֵפוֹד'êphôd 'êphôd · ephodH646
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 22:18
- 1 Samuel 22:9But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob.
- 2 Chronicles 24:21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.
- Hosea 5:11Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols.
- Hosea 7:3“They delight the king with their wickedness, the princes with their lies.
- Micah 6:16You have observed the statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house; you have followed their traditions. Therefore I will give you over to ruin and your people to derision; you will bear the scorn of the nations.”
- Zephaniah 3:3Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning.
- Acts 26:10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
- 1 Samuel 2:30“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
- 1 Samuel 3:12At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.
- 1 Samuel 2:28I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites.
- Exodus 28:40Make tunics, sashes and caps for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 22:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18And Doeg - fell upon the priests - A ruthless Edomite, capable of any species of iniquity. Fourscore and five persons - The Septuagint read , three hundred and five men; and Josephus has three hundred and eighty-five men. Probably the eighty-five were priests; the three hundred, the families of the priests; three hundred and eighty-five being the whole population of Nob. That did wear a linen ephod - That is, persons who did actually administer, or had a…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18We are not to suppose that Doeg killed them all with his own hand. He had a band of men under his command, many or all of whom were perhaps foreigners like himself, and very likely of a Bedouin caste, to whom bloodshed would be quite natural, and the priests of the Lord of no more account than so Early sheep or oxen.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-19Verses 6-19 See the nature of jealous malice and its pitiful arts. Saul looks upon all about him as his enemies, because they do not just say as he says. In Ahimelech's answer to Saul we have the language of conscious innocence. But what wickedness will not the evil spirit hurry men to when he gets the dominion! Saul alleges that which was utterly false and unproved. But the most bloody tyrants have found instruments of their cruelty as barbarous as…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Doeg the Edomite … struck down the priests: Doeg was not an Israelite, so he did not respect the holiness of priests chosen by God. He knew the priests were innocent, yet he still killed them. In this way, Doeg partly fulfilled God’s earlier judgment against the priestly family of Eli (see 1 Samuel 2:27–34 and 1 Kings 2:27). men who wore the linen ephod: This incident shows how irrational Saul had become. Not even those in sacred office were safe.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-1817-18. the footmen that stood about him--his bodyguard, or his runners (1Sa 8:11; 2Sa 15:1; 1Ki 1:5; 1Ki 14:28), who held an important place at court (2Ch 12:10). But they chose rather to disobey the king than to offend God by imbruing their hands in the blood of his ministering servants. A foreigner alone (Psa 52:1-3) could be found willing to be the executioner of this bloody and sacrilegious sentence. Thus was the doom of the house of Eli fulfilled…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 22:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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