Continuing a chronological Bible study:
David had returned to the land of Judah, his own tribe, upon the counsel of the prophet Gad.
(6) When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men with him (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him),
Saul's residence was in Ramah. He was there, with a spear forever in his hand, it seems, and all his servants were around him. He heard that David's whereabouts had been discovered.
(7) Then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjamites, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? (8) That all of you have conspired against me and none who shows me that my son has made a league with the son of Jesse, and none of you is sorry for me, or shows to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"
Upon hearing the whereabouts of David, Saul asked his servants if David would give them fields and vineyards and make them captains so that they would betray Saul and conspire against him. He suspected that his son Jonathan was in league with David, yet none of his servants would tell him what they knew. Were they at all concerned for him that they wouldn't tell him what they knew about Jonathan stirring up David against him, as he assumed was the case.
(9) Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. (10) And he enquired of the Lord for him and gave him victuals and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
Doeg, Saul's chief herdsman (1 Samuel 21:7), had seen David when he was with Ahimelech. He now spoke up and told Saul about it. He told him that the priest had given David food and the sword of Goliath, but he also added that Ahimelech had inquired of the Lord for David, but we were not told that that had happened.
(11) Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests in Nob, and they came all of them to the king.
Saul then sent for Ahimelech the priest and all his family who were also priests in Nob, and they all came to him. It is important to note that these priests were the descendants of Eli, the priest to whom Hannah had dedicated her son Samuel so that he might minister to the Lord all his life.
(12) And Saul said, "Hear now, you son of Ahitub." And he answered, "Here I am, my lord." (13) And Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"
Saul asked Ahimelech why he had conspired against him to help David to give him bread, a sword, and had inquired of the Lord for him, so that he could rise up in rebellion against him, and to lie in wait, waiting for an opportunity to seize his crown and kingdom, as Saul supposed were David's intentions.
(14) Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, "And who is so faithful among all the servants as David who is the king's son-in-law and goes at your bidding and is honorable in your house? (15) Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? Be it far from me; let not the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for your servant knew nothing of all this, less or more."
Ahimelech answered the king, first telling him that he knew David to be the honorable son-in-law of the king, faithful to do whatever the king asked of him. However, he said that it was far from him to have inquired of the Lord for him, which I suppose must have been a duty which he owed to Saul alone as king of Israel. He then asked Saul not to charge him or his family with any treason against the king, as he knew nothing about ill feelings between Saul and his son-in-law.
(16) And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house." (17) And the king said to the footmen who stood about him, "Turn and slay the priests of the Lord because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not show it to me." But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
Saul told Ahimelech that he and his family would die because of what he considered treason against the king. He told his footmen who were standing around him to kill all the priests of the Lord who were before him because he considered them conspirators with David against him. He accused them of knowing where David had fled and not telling him where. However, the footmen would not kill the priests of the Lord.
(18) And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and fall upon the priests!" And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod.
Saul then told Doeg to kill the priests, which he did, eighty-five of them. This fulfilled a promise of God that He would end Eli's descendants' reign as priests because of the iniquity of his sons, and Eli had done nothing to restrain them (1 Samuel 3:12-14). The Biblical commentators I study pointed out that Doeg was again called the Edomite to separate him from the nation of Israel. The Edomites were a brutal and violent people who hated Israel. They descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, who traded his birthright for red stew. He was called Edom after that which meant "red." Doeg had no problem killing any Israelites even if they were priests.
(19) And Nob, the city of priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants, and oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
So ruthless was Doeg that he killed all the inhabitants of Nob, even women, children, and even babies, and all animals. However, the order surely came from Saul which made this the most wicked and cruel act of his, showing he was totally under the influence of the evil spirit that plagued him.
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