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.

1 SAMUEL 21:4KJV
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1 Samuel 21:4 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 21:4 mean?

1 Samuel 21:4 describes the priest telling David that he has no ordinary bread to give him, only special bread that has been set apart for holy use, and that David’s men can have it only if they have stayed away from women. The priest is making sure that the men are ritually clean before allowing them to eat this consecrated bread.

The priest, speaking to David, is responding to David’s request for food while he is on the run from Saul. The “hallowed bread” refers to the bread of the Presence, which was normally reserved for priests. The priest’s question about the men keeping themselves from women is about ritual purity, a requirement for eating this special bread according to the customs of the time.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 21:4

  • חֹל (chol, “common”): This word means ordinary or non-sacred. The priest is making a clear distinction between everyday bread and the set-apart bread, emphasizing the seriousness of giving David the latter.
  • קָדֹשׁ (qadosh, “hallowed”): This means holy or set apart for God. The bread in question was not just food but had a sacred purpose, which is why the priest is cautious.
  • נָעַר (na’ar, “young men”): This word refers to David’s companions, highlighting that the priest’s concern is not just for David but for his whole group.
  • שָׁמַר (shamar, “kept”): This verb means to keep, guard, or observe. The priest is asking if the men have observed the requirements for ritual purity, specifically abstaining from sexual relations, which was often necessary before participating in holy things.

Why 1 Samuel 21:4 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the bread David receives is not ordinary food, but bread normally reserved for sacred use, showing the seriousness of the situation and the priest’s carefulness.
  • It highlights the importance of ritual purity in ancient Israel, especially concerning things set apart for God, and shows that even in urgent situations, these rules were considered.
  • The verse sets up the story’s tension: David is in need, but the only available food is holy, raising questions about mercy, law, and necessity that echo in later biblical discussions, including when Jesus refers to this event in the Gospels.

Where else these words appear

“common” Hebrew H2455 · used in 7 verses

  • Leviticus 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
  • Ezekiel 22:26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
  • Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

“least” Hebrew H389 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
  • Exodus 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
  • Joshua 22:19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD'S tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the LORD our God.

“is” Hebrew H3426 · used in 129 verses

  • Genesis 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
  • 1 Samuel 23:23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
  • Psalms 135:17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.