1 Kings 21:8
And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not my own sword, nor my own weapons with me, for the king's business required haste.
Open 1 Kings 21:8 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Dixit autem David ad Achimelech : Si habes hic ad manum hastam aut gladium ? quia gladium meum et arma mea non tuli mecum : sermo enim regis urgebat.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ εἶπεν Δαυεὶδ πρὸς Ἀβειμέλεχ Ἴδε εἰ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου δόρυ ἢ ῥομφαία, ὅτι τὴν ῥομφαίαν μου καὶ τὰ σκεύη οὐκ εἴληφα ἐν τῇ χειρί μου, ὅτι ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ σπουδήν.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from 1 Kings 21:9
- וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ לַאֲחִימֶ֔לֶךְ וְאִ֛ין יֶשׁ פֹּ֥ה תַֽחַת יָדְךָ֖ חֲנִ֣ית אוֹ חָ֑רֶב כִּ֣י גַם חַרְבִּ֤י וְגַם כֵּלַי֙ לֹֽא לָקַ֣חְתִּי בְיָדִ֔י כִּֽי הָיָ֥ה דְבַר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ נָחֽוּץ
The Fathers on this verse
St John Cassian The Conferences of John Cassian. Part II. Containing Conferences XI-XVII, Chapter XVIII. An objection that only those men employed lies with impunity, who lived under the law
Germanus : It is no wonder that these schemes were properly employed in the Old Testament, and that some holy men laudably or at any rate venially told lies, as we see that many worse things were permitted to them owing to the rude character of the times. For why should we wonder that when the blessed David was fleeing from Saul, in answer to the inquiry of Abimelech the priest who said: “Why art thou alone, and is no man with thee?” he replied as follows: “The king hath commanded me a business, and said, Let no man know the thing for which thou art sent by me, for I have appointed my servants to such and such a place;” and again: “Hast thou here at hand a spear or a sword, for I brought not my own sword nor my own weapon with me, for the king’s business required haste;” or this, when he was brought to Achish king of Gath, and feigned himself mad and frantic, “and changed his countenance …