1 Samuel 22:19He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
The setting
Nob, Israel, ~1020 BC. Complete genocide of a priestly city. Men, women, children, babies, even livestock — all killed because they helped David eat consecrated bread. This is near modern Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: devastated grief at having to record such complete evil
The original word
chereb (חֶרֶב) — sword; mentioned twice for emphasis of the brutal weapon used
Why it matters
Nob was called 'the city of the priests' — an entire religious community wiped out
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 22:19
Even the animals were killed — this wasn't war, it was total extermination
Common misconceptionSome think this was God's judgment. But this was Saul's evil — the text presents it as horror, not divine justice. God grieves with the victims.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Samuel 22:19
Bible Genome reading
1 Samuel 22:19 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Samuel 22:19 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 5% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include genocide, innocence. Notable phrases: men and women, children and nursing babies.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does 1 Samuel 22:19 mean to you, today?
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