Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Samuel 22:17
(17) The footmen.—“Footmen,” literally runners. These “guards,” or “lictors,” were men who ran by the royal chariot as an escort. They are still the usual attendants of any great man in the East. From long habit they were able to maintain a great speed for a long time. (See 1 Samuel 8:11, where Samuel tells the children of Israel how the king of the future, whom they asked for, would take some of them to “run before his chariot.” See, too, for an example of the power of running in old times, 1... read more
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 22:1-23
David in the Cave of Adullam. Saul’s Slaughter of the Priests at Nob1. Adullam] probably in the valley of Elah between Philistia and Hebron. 2. Four hundred] They soon increased to six hundred (1 Samuel 23:13). Cp. the description given of Jephthah’s band in Judges 11:3.5. Gad] is here mentioned for the first time. After David’s accession he became the king’s seer (2 Samuel 24:11). He was sent to rebuke David for his sin in numbering the people, and after his death wrote a history of his reign... read more