New King James Version
1 Samuel 22:18
18And 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.
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.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- 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 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
16And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” 17Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. 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. 19Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword. 20Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after 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 22:9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
- 2 Chronicles 24:21So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
- Hosea 5:11Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, Because he willingly walked by human precept.
- Hosea 7:3They make a king glad with their wickedness, And princes with their lies.
- Micah 6:16For the statutes of Omri are kept; All the works of Ahab’s house are done; And you walk in their counsels, That I may make you a desolation, And your inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.”
- Zephaniah 3:3Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.
- Acts 26:10This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.
- 1 Samuel 2:30Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
- 1 Samuel 3:12In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
- 1 Samuel 2:28Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
- Exodus 28:40“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make hats for them, for glory and beauty.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries