Text: 1 Samuel 21:4
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 24:5-9
Subject: showbread given to David in emergency
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Leviticus 24:5-9 establishes the showbread (לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים) regulation in detail: twelve loaves baked from fine flour, set in two rows on the pure table, replaced every Sabbath, and reserved for Aaron and his sons to eat "in a holy place, for it is most holy (קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים)." In 1 Samuel 21:4-6, Ahimelech the priest grants David access to this exclusively priestly food when no common bread is available, after confirming the men's ritual purity. The incident creates a notable boundary case: the Levitical text restricts the bread to priests alone, yet the priest himself authorizes an exception under urgent circumstances. The narrative was significant enough that Jesus later cited it as a precedent for human need superseding ceremonial regulation.