Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? (1 Samuel 21:1)
This is the first reference in the Scriptures to this site. It is mentioned only six times in the entire OT, four of these occurring in chs. 21 and 22. In none of these is any definite relationship to other well-known sites given. However, in Neh. 11:32, Nob is mentioned immediately after Anathoth, a town about 2 1/2 mi. northeast of the Temple area in Jerusalem. In Isaiah’s vision of the Assyrian host approaching Jerusalem from the north, Nob is mentioned as being between Anathoth and Jerusalem (Isa. 10:30-32). But in that vision two other towns are mentioned between Anathoth and Nob. The Assyrian is seen to shake his hand against Mt. Zion when he reaches Nob. The main road to Shechem passes from Jerusalem north over Mt. Scopus, whence the last view of the city is to be had. To the right of this road near the top of Mt. Scopus is a plateau that some think could well be the site of Nob. This position would be not quite halfway from Jerusalem to Anathoth. Others think that Nob was on the Mt. of Olives. It was to Nob that the tabernacle had been removed from Shiloh after the ark had been taken by the Philistines. As yet the ark was still in the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim. David later removed the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:2, 3). Because the ark was not in the tabernacle at this time, the services were probably conducted in much the same way as in Christ’s day when the most holy place of the Temple was empty.
Was afraid.
Literally, “trembled.” Anxiety and fear were on David’s face. Ahimelech knew that something was radically wrong. David’s whole attitude was so different from what it had been previously that Ahimelech was perplexed to know what move to make.
The priest.
Evidently the high priest, in charge of the sanctuary. The presence of the shewbread (see v. 6) shows that the tabernacle was now at Nob (see PP 656).