1 Samuel 22:16
New International Version
But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.”

New Living Translation
“You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted.

English Standard Version
And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”

Berean Standard Bible
But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”

Berean Literal Bible
And the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.”

King James Bible
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

New King James Version
And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”

New American Standard Bible
But the king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”

NASB 1995
But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”

NASB 1977
But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”

Legacy Standard Bible
But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”

Amplified Bible
But Saul said, “Be assured that you shall die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household (extended family).”

Berean Annotated Bible
But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech (my brother is king), you and all your father’s house!”

Christian Standard Bible
But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family!”

American Standard Version
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

Contemporary English Version
"Ahimelech," Saul said, "you and your whole family are going to die."

English Revised Version
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Saul said, "Ahimelech, you and your entire family are going to die."

Good News Translation
The king said, "Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die."

International Standard Version
The king said, "Ahimelech, you will surely die, you and all your father's family!"

NET Bible
But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house!

New Heart English Bible
The king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father's house."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”

World English Bible
The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the king says, “You surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.”

Berean Literal Bible
And the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith, 'Thou dost surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all the house of thy father.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And the king will say, Dying, thou shalt die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said: Dying thou shalt die, Achimelech, thou and all thy father's house.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the king said, “You shall die a death, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!”

New American Bible
But the king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, with all your family.”

New Revised Standard Version
The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimeleck, you and all your father's house.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the King said: “You shall certainly die Akhimelek, you and all the household of your father!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the king said: 'Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And king Saul said, Thou shalt surely die, Abimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul Slays the Priests of Nob
15Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of my father’s household, for your servant knew nothing of this whole affair—not in part or in whole.” 16But the king replied, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” 17Then the king ordered the guards at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.…

Cross References
But the king replied,

1 Kings 2:23-25
Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life. / And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!” / So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

1 Samuel 14:44
And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”

1 Kings 12:13
And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
“You will surely die,

2 Kings 1:4
Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’” So Elijah departed.

Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

1 Kings 2:37
On the day you go out and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”
Ahimelech,

1 Samuel 21:1-2
Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” / “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.

1 Samuel 21:4-6
“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.” / David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!” / So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

1 Samuel 23:6
(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
you and all your father’s house!”

2 Samuel 3:29
May it whirl over the head of Joab and over the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”

1 Samuel 2:31-33
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age. / You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. / And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.

1 Kings 21:21-22
This is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring calamity on you and consume your descendants; I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both slave and free. / I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked My anger and caused Israel to sin.’
1 Kings 2:26-27
Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.” / So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

1 Kings 2:31-34
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed. / The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. / Their blood will come back upon the heads of Joab and his descendants forever; but for David, his descendants, his house, and his throne, there shall be peace from the LORD forever.” …

2 Samuel 1:14-16
So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” / Then David summoned one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him!” So the young man struck him down, and he died. / For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”

2 Samuel 4:9-12
But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, / when someone told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was a bearer of good news, I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was his reward for his news! / How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!” …


Treasury of Scripture

And the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father's house.

Thou shalt

1 Samuel 14:44
And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.

1 Samuel 20:31
For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

1 Kings 18:4
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

thou, and

Deuteronomy 24:16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Esther 3:6
And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai.

Matthew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

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1 Samuel 22
1. Companies resort unto David at Adullam
3. At Mizpeh he commends his parents unto the king of Moab
5. Admonished by Gad, he comes to Hareth,
6. Saul going to pursue him, complains of his servants' unfaithfulness
9. Doeg accuses Ahimelech
11. Saul commands to kill the priests
17. The footmen refusing, Doeg executes it
20. Abiathar escaping, brings David the news












But the king replied
This phrase indicates a direct response from King Saul, highlighting his authority and decision-making power. Saul's kingship is marked by increasing paranoia and disobedience to God, contrasting with his earlier anointing by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1). His reply here is a reaction to perceived betrayal, showcasing his deteriorating mental state and departure from God's guidance.

“You will surely die,
The phrase reflects a pronouncement of judgment, reminiscent of divine judgments in the Old Testament. Saul's declaration is absolute, echoing the certainty of God's judgments, yet it is driven by human anger and fear rather than divine justice. This moment foreshadows the eventual downfall of Saul's own house, as his actions lead to further alienation from God.

Ahimelech,
Ahimelech is the high priest at Nob, a descendant of Eli, whose house was previously cursed due to the sins of his sons (1 Samuel 2:31-36). His involvement with David, albeit unknowingly, places him in Saul's crosshairs. This highlights the tension between Saul and David, as well as the tragic consequences for those caught in their conflict.

you and all your father’s house!”
The inclusion of Ahimelech's entire family in the death sentence underscores the severity of Saul's wrath and the collective punishment often seen in ancient Near Eastern cultures. This act of retribution fulfills part of the prophecy against Eli's house, as seen in 1 Samuel 3:12-14. It also contrasts with the New Testament's emphasis on individual accountability before God (Ezekiel 18:20). Saul's actions here are a stark departure from the justice and mercy that characterize God's own dealings with humanity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. King Saul
The first king of Israel, who has become increasingly paranoid and disobedient to God. His jealousy and fear of David lead him to make rash and unjust decisions.

2. Ahimelech
The high priest at Nob, who unknowingly aids David by providing him with bread and Goliath's sword. He is accused of conspiracy against King Saul.

3. Nob
A city of priests, where Ahimelech serves. It becomes the site of a tragic massacre ordered by Saul.

4. David
The anointed future king of Israel, who is on the run from Saul. His visit to Ahimelech sets off a chain of events leading to the priest's death.

5. Doeg the Edomite
Saul's servant who witnesses David's interaction with Ahimelech and reports it to Saul, leading to the priest's execution.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
Saul's failure to obey God leads to a series of tragic events, illustrating the importance of obedience to God's commands.

The Dangers of Jealousy and Paranoia
Saul's jealousy of David blinds him to justice and righteousness, serving as a warning against allowing such emotions to take root in our hearts.

God's Sovereignty and Justice
Despite the apparent triumph of evil in the short term, God’s justice prevails. This encourages believers to trust in God's ultimate plan and justice.

The Cost of Following God
Ahimelech's fate reminds us that serving God can come with earthly costs, but eternal rewards await those who remain faithful.

The Role of Conscience and Courage
Ahimelech's actions, though leading to his death, demonstrate the importance of acting according to one's conscience and standing for what is right.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 22:16?

2. Why did King Saul order the death of Ahimelech in 1 Samuel 22:16?

3. How does Saul's command reflect his spiritual state and leadership failures?

4. Compare Saul's actions in 1 Samuel 22:16 with David's reliance on God.

5. What lessons can we learn about obedience to God versus human authority?

6. How can we ensure our decisions align with God's will, not personal vendettas?

7. Why did King Saul order the death of Ahimelech and the priests in 1 Samuel 22:16?

8. How does 1 Samuel 22:16 reflect on Saul's leadership and mental state?

9. What does 1 Samuel 22:16 reveal about the consequences of opposing God's anointed?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 22?

11. Why did Doeg betray David to King Saul?

12. Who was Abiathar in the Bible?

13. Who was high priest when David went into the House of GOD and ate the consecrated bread? Abiathar (Mark 2:26) Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar (I Samuel 1:1; 22:20)

14. Is it okay to lie? (Exodus 20:16 vs. 1 Kings 22:21-22)
What Does 1 Samuel 22:16 Mean
But the king replied

• Saul’s immediate response shows a hardened heart that rejects any defense Ahimelech offers (see 1 Samuel 22:14–15).

• Earlier warnings that Saul would drift from God’s commands are now visible (1 Samuel 13:13–14; 15:23, 26).

• The contrast between Saul’s rash speech and David’s earlier restraint toward Saul (1 Samuel 24:6) underscores the king’s spiritual decline.


You will surely die

• Saul pronounces an irrevocable sentence, echoing legal formulas for capital punishment (Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:12).

• Yet the verdict is unjust; Ahimelech’s aid to David was innocent and priestly (1 Samuel 21:6; cf. Mark 2:25–26).

• Saul misuses God-given authority, foreshadowing his own death under divine judgment (1 Samuel 31:4; 2 Samuel 1:16).


Ahimelech

• High priest at Nob, descendant of Eli (1 Samuel 14:3).

• Represents faithful service: he inquired of the LORD for David and provided consecrated bread and Goliath’s sword (1 Samuel 21:1–9).

• His calm answer (1 Samuel 22:14–15) spotlights Saul’s paranoia versus priestly integrity.


you and all your father’s house

• Saul extends guilt to the entire priestly family, a collective punishment reminiscent of earlier judgments (Joshua 7:24; Exodus 12:29).

• God had foretold Eli’s line would suffer loss (1 Samuel 2:31–33), and Saul becomes the unwitting instrument—even while acting in sin.

• Doeg’s slaughter of eighty-five priests and the town of Nob (1 Samuel 22:18–19) exposes the tragic reach of Saul’s rebellion.

• Yet God preserves one priest, Abiathar, who flees to David, keeping the priestly line alive (1 Samuel 22:20-23), showing the LORD’s sovereign mercy amid human cruelty.


summary

1 Samuel 22:16 captures a king who has departed from obedience, pronouncing a death sentence on God’s innocent servants. Each phrase reveals Saul’s escalating defiance, the priest’s integrity, and the far-reaching consequences of misuse of authority. While Saul’s words fulfill a prior prophecy against Eli’s house, they also highlight the LORD’s justice and mercy: judgment falls, yet a remnant remains, and God’s purposes move forward through David and Abiathar despite Saul’s tyranny.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the king
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

replied,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“You will surely die,
מ֥וֹת (mō·wṯ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

Ahimelech,
אֲחִימֶ֑לֶךְ (’ă·ḥî·me·leḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 288: Ahimelech -- 'brother of a king', an Israelite name, also a Hittite name

you
אַתָּ֖ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

and all
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

your father's
אָבִֽיךָ׃ (’ā·ḇî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

house!”
בֵּ֥ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house


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OT History: 1 Samuel 22:16 The king said You shall surely die (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 22:15
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