1 Samuel 21:2

2. The king hath commanded me a business The statements of David in this verse, and the addition, in 1 Samuel 21:8, that the king’s business required such haste that he thought not to bring his weapons, are to be regarded as utter falsehood, pure fabrications, framed for the purpose of deceiving Ahimelech, allaying suspicion, and aiding himself in his escape. Perhaps the presence of Doeg, the Edomite, (1 Samuel 21:7,) led to his uttering this fictitious plea. This is one of the occasions on which the noble David sinned. We shall meet with other instances in the subsequent history. It should be remembered, however, that according to the morals of that age falsehood, like polygamy and other sins which the ethics of our Gospel system utterly condemn, was not looked upon as criminal. Prevarication and falsehood that did not amount to perjury seem not to have been regarded as violations of the ninth commandment. Accordingly, Otto von Gerlach well observes, in his comment on the ninth commandment, that “although it enjoins, when properly understood, full, entire, and unequivocal truthfulness towards our neighbour in every relation, yet the practical understanding of this meaning was very imperfectly attained to in the Old Testament times, since we find so many servants of God allowing themselves, in their perplexities, to have recourse to lying.” David subsequently deplored the fact that he had occasioned the death of all the priests of Nob, (1 Samuel 22:22,) but he showed not the least compunction over the falsehood by which he deceived the high priest, not even in the psalm (Psalms 52:0) which he composed on the occasion, and in which he accuses his enemy of lying.

My servants David probably had a few followers with him, and had left them in the distance while he personally went to the high priest for bread. These were the young men referred to in 1 Samuel 21:4-5, and mentioned in Mark 2:25-26.