Text: 1 Samuel 21:4
OT Text Referred to: Leviticus 24:5
Subject: showbread provision
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): None
Significance: Leviticus 24:5-9 prescribes the preparation of twelve loaves of לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים (lechem hapanim, "bread of the Presence/showbread"), arranged in two rows on the pure gold table, replaced every Sabbath and eaten exclusively by Aaron and his sons "in a holy place." In 1 Samuel 21:4, Ahimelech the priest gives this consecrated bread (לֶחֶם קֹדֶשׁ) to David when no ordinary bread is available, stipulating only that his men have maintained ritual purity. The narrative creates a tension with the Levitical regulation: bread restricted to priests is given to a layman under emergency conditions, demonstrating that human need can create pastoral exceptions within the holiness framework.