One
of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.
1 Samuel 22:20
1 Samuel 22 [16.] The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father’s house.” The king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn, and kill the priests of Yahweh; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and didn’t disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king wouldn’t put out their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh.
1 Samuel 22 [18.] The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod. He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword. One of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh’s priests.
1 Samuel 22 [22.] David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. For you will be safe with me.”
Meaning:
In the middle of one of the darkest scenes in the books of Samuel, one man survives. Abiathar, son of Ahimelech the priest, escapes the slaughter at Nob and flees to David. This single verse explains how Abiathar entered David’s story, and it helps us understand why Jesus mentioned Abiathar when He spoke about David eating the holy bread (Mark 2:25-26).
- The Massacre at Nob:
When David came to Nob, Ahimelech the priest gave him the holy bread and Goliath’s sword, not knowing that David was fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, saw it all and reported it. Saul, consumed by jealousy and suspicion, accused the priests of conspiracy and ordered their execution.
Saul’s own guards refused to lift a hand against the priests of Yahweh. It took a foreigner, Doeg, a descendant of Esau, to carry out the order. Eighty-five priests who wore the linen ephod were killed, and the whole town was struck down. The scene shows how far Saul had fallen: the king who once fought the enemies of Israel now turned the sword against God’s own servants. It also echoes the solemn warning that had been spoken over the house of Eli, from which Ahimelech descended (1 Samuel 2:30).
- Abiathar Escapes to David:
“One of the sons of Ahimelech … named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David”: Of all the priestly family, only Abiathar got away. He ran to the one person who had both reason and power to protect him, the hunted future king. Abiathar brought with him the priestly ephod, and through his ministry David would seek the guidance of God in the years that followed.
David’s reply is remarkably honest. He admits that he knew Doeg would report him and accepts responsibility for the deaths of Abiathar’s family. Then he offers protection: “he who seeks my life seeks your life. For you will be safe with me.” Confession and care go together. Scripture says, “He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
- Abiathar in the Story of David and of Jesus:
Abiathar remained with David throughout his wilderness years and later served as one of the leading priests of his kingdom, alongside Zadok. He became so closely linked with David that his name was attached to the whole period. This helps explain Mark 2:26, where Jesus speaks of David entering God’s house “when Abiathar was high priest.” The bread was handed over by Ahimelech, but the episode belongs to the story of Abiathar, the son who was there at the time and who became David’s well-known high priest. Many scholars also note that the Greek phrase can mean “in the passage about Abiathar”.
The Significance of 1 Samuel 22:20 for Believers
- God Preserves a Remnant:
Even in a massacre meant to wipe out a family, God kept one man alive and joined him to His chosen king. God’s purposes cannot be destroyed by human cruelty. “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28).
- Refuge with the True King:
Abiathar found safety with David. In a greater way, believers find safety in Jesus, the Son of David, who says of His sheep, “no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Like David, we are called to own our failures honestly and to offer shelter to those who are hurting.
Cross-References:
1 Samuel 21:6: "So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away." The act of kindness that led to the tragedy at Nob.
Mark 2:26: "How he entered into God’s house when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?" Jesus links the event of the holy bread with Abiathar.
1 Samuel 2:30: "for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be lightly esteemed." God’s word to the house of Eli, the priestly family of Ahimelech and Abiathar.
Psalm 18:2: "Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower." David’s own testimony of the refuge he found in God through these years of danger.
Conclusion: 1 Samuel 22:20 records the escape of Abiathar, the only survivor of Saul’s massacre of the priests at Nob. His flight to David preserved the priestly line, gave David a faithful priest, and explains why Jesus connected Abiathar’s name with the event of the holy bread. The verse reminds us that God protects His purposes in the darkest times, that honest confession brings healing, and that true safety is found with God’s anointed King.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible