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.

1 SAMUEL 22:18KJV
Know the Bible

1 Samuel 22:18 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 22:18 mean?

1 Samuel 22:18 describes how King Saul ordered Doeg the Edomite to attack and kill the priests, and Doeg obeyed by killing eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod, which marked them as priests. This verse shows a brutal moment where Saul’s anger leads to the death of innocent religious leaders.

In this scene, King Saul is speaking to Doeg, one of his officials, after his own guards refused to harm the priests. The priests were targeted because Saul believed they had helped David, whom Saul saw as a threat. The mention of the linen ephod highlights that these men were serving as priests, making the act especially shocking to the original audience.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 22:18

  • "ephod" (אֵפוֹד, ephod): This word refers to a special linen garment worn by priests during their service. Its mention emphasizes that those killed were not just any men, but dedicated servants in the sanctuary.
  • "Doeg" (דּוֹאֵג, Doeg) and "Edomite" (אֱדוֹמִי, Edomite): Naming Doeg as an Edomite, not an Israelite, underlines that Saul’s own people refused to carry out the order, and an outsider was willing to do it.
  • "slew" (מָת, mavet): The word used for killing here is direct and final, stressing the completeness and seriousness of the act.

Why 1 Samuel 22:18 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Saul’s command was so extreme that only an outsider, Doeg the Edomite, would carry it out, highlighting the moral limits even Saul’s own soldiers would not cross.
  • The detail about the linen ephod makes clear that the victims were priests, which would have shocked ancient readers and shown the depth of Saul’s paranoia and the tragedy of innocent bloodshed.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain the deep rift between Saul and David, as well as the consequences of Saul’s fear-driven decisions for the community of Israel.

Where else these words appear

“Doeg” Hebrew H1673 · used in 5 verses

  • 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.
  • 1 Samuel 22:9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
  • 1 Samuel 22:22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

“Edomite” Hebrew H130 · used in 12 verses

  • Deuteronomy 23:7 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.
  • 1 Samuel 22:22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.
  • 2 Kings 16:6 At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

“linen” Hebrew H906 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
  • 1 Samuel 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
  • Ezekiel 10:2 And he spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the cherubims, and scatter them over the city. And he went in in my sight.

“fourscore” Hebrew H8084 · used in 37 verses

  • Genesis 5:25 And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
  • 1 Kings 5:15 And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand hewers in the mountains;
  • 2 Chronicles 14:8 And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour.