1 Samuel 22:16
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
Original Language Analysis
תָּמ֖וּת
Thou shalt surely
H4191
תָּמ֖וּת
Thou shalt surely
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
3 of 9
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
תָּמ֖וּת
Thou shalt surely
H4191
תָּמ֖וּת
Thou shalt surely
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
4 of 9
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
אֲחִימֶ֑לֶךְ
Ahimelech
H288
אֲחִימֶ֑לֶךְ
Ahimelech
Strong's:
H288
Word #:
5 of 9
achimelek, the name of an israelite and of a hittite
וְכָל
H3605
וְכָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
7 of 9
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Historical Context
Family execution for treason was practiced in the ancient Near East, based on collective responsibility concepts. However, destroying an entire priestly family represented unprecedented sacrilege in Israel, violating the sacred status of those who ministered before the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Saul's destruction of priests contrast with his earlier sparing of Agag the Amalekite?
- What does this perversion of justice teach about the trajectory of rejecting God's authority?
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Analysis & Commentary
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
Saul's death sentence employs the emphatic Hebrew construction 'mot tamut' (dying you shall die), the formula used for capital crimes in the Torah. The extension to 'all thy father's house' reveals the scope of Saul's murderous intent—collective punishment for imagined collective guilt. This verdict against God's priests inverts Saul's earlier disobedience, where he spared those God commanded destroyed (the Amalekites) but now destroys those God commanded protected (the priests). The sentence fulfilled Eli's prophecy that his priestly line would be cut off (2:31-33), though through human wickedness rather than divine command. Saul had become an instrument of judgment while himself under judgment.