Helpful Saints Corpus Reader
1 Samuel
Chapter 21
Reading display
Text size, spacing, and the sepia or night theme stay on this browser when storage is available.
Resume in the Library keeps only your last public work, edition and passage on this browser.
Saved Places
Saved only on this browser. Places do not synchronize between devices. Only work, edition and passage identifiers are kept; passage text is not stored.
Remove all Saved Places from this browser? Resume reading and display preferences will stay.
1 Samuel 21:1
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? + 21.1 Ahimelech: also called Ahiah
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:2
And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:3
Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:4
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:5
And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:6
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:7
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:8
And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:9
And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:10
And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:11
And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:12
And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:13
And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:14
Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
Study this passage
1 Samuel 21:15
Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
Study this passage
Chapter 21 · All reading sections
Choose an edition
About this edition
KJV with Apocrypha
Unverified edition
Reading language: English · Original language (catalog): Hebrew / Aramaic
Completeness: not verified. Available reading sections are listed below.
Available body coverage · English
31 chapter/reading unit(s) · 810 nonempty passage record(s).
Supported chapters & passages
- Chapter 1 · 28 passage record(s)
- Chapter 2 · 36 passage record(s)
- Chapter 3 · 21 passage record(s)
- Chapter 4 · 22 passage record(s)
- Chapter 5 · 12 passage record(s)
- Chapter 6 · 21 passage record(s)
- Chapter 7 · 17 passage record(s)
- Chapter 8 · 22 passage record(s)
- Chapter 9 · 27 passage record(s)
- Chapter 10 · 27 passage record(s)
- Chapter 11 · 15 passage record(s)
- Chapter 12 · 25 passage record(s)
- Chapter 13 · 23 passage record(s)
- Chapter 14 · 52 passage record(s)
- Chapter 15 · 35 passage record(s)
- Chapter 16 · 23 passage record(s)
- Chapter 17 · 58 passage record(s)
- Chapter 18 · 30 passage record(s)
- Chapter 19 · 24 passage record(s)
- Chapter 20 · 42 passage record(s)
- Chapter 21 · 15 passage record(s)
- Chapter 22 · 23 passage record(s)
- Chapter 23 · 29 passage record(s)
- Chapter 24 · 22 passage record(s)
- Chapter 25 · 44 passage record(s)
- Chapter 26 · 25 passage record(s)
- Chapter 27 · 12 passage record(s)
- Chapter 28 · 25 passage record(s)
- Chapter 29 · 11 passage record(s)
- Chapter 30 · 31 passage record(s)
- Chapter 31 · 13 passage record(s)
Body coverage is separate from textual verification. Counts do not establish complete chapters or textual completeness.
Evidence Intelligence
Know what kind of evidence you are looking at.
Helpful Saints keeps direct biblical text, language evidence, ancient witnesses, historical context, research models, and open questions visibly distinct.Direct Biblical Text
The explicit wording and literary context of canonical Scripture.
Original-Language Evidence
Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, morphology, lemmas, semantic range, and textual comparison.
Ancient Witness
Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Jewish literature, and early Christian writings—clearly classified.
Historical Context
Geography, material culture, chronology ranges, institutions, customs, and reception history.
Research Model
A configured chronology, theological synthesis, typological pattern, or proposed relationship.
Open Question
Evidence is incomplete, debated, or insufficient for a settled conclusion.