The story of David sourcing holy bread from Ahimelech the priest is found in the First Book of Samuel. It speaks to the need to make exceptions to religious rules in certain circumstances. The story was also later understood to relate to the Eucharist, the sacred meal that Christ introduced at the Last Supper.
In the story, David, the shepherd boy turned soldier, was on the run from King Saul – who wanted him dead. He went to the priestly city of Nob for help and entered the house of God. David approached Ahimelech the priest and asked for bread for himself and his men, for they were hungry.
However, the only bread available was the showbread (also known as ‘the bread of the presence’). Every sabbath, the priests put twelve of these sacred loaves on a table in the sanctuary. According to the Law of Moses, only they were allowed to eat this bread, and it was replaced once a week (Leviticus 24:5-9).
Ahimelech asked God what he should do – and got permission to make an exception for David. Once the priest had established that David and his men were ritually clean, he gave him the holy bread.
Christ referred to this episode in the context of his hungry disciples picking grain from the fields on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5). The Pharisees criticised them for breaking the Sabbath law, which forbade work. In defence of his disciples, Christ pointed out that even David had been exempted from the Law of Moses when he was in dire need of food.
Over time, the story also came to be interpreted as a symbol of the Eucharist. David taking and sharing the sacred loaves of bread with his men was compared with Christ sharing the consecrated bread at the Last Supper. This underlined the continuity between worship in both the Old and New Testaments.
This sculpture of Ahimelech providing David with the holy bread is found within the sanctuary of St Francis Xavier, in Liverpool. It’s part of an altarpiece that features various biblical scenes relating to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It was designed by the architect Samuel Nicholl and produced in white marble in the late 1840s / early 1850s.
The sculpture shows Ahimelech dressed in the vestments of a priest, wearing the sacred breastplate. He is standing next to the holy table in the sanctuary, on which the twelve sacred loaves are stacked in two piles of six. The priest is pictured handing over a loaf from the top of one of the stacks to David, who will then share it with his companions.
See the full image:
Where to find this work of art
St Francis Xavier, Liverpool
Read the relevant passage
1 Samuel 21:1-6
On a similar theme
- From the Old Testament: The manna, which was the heavenly bread that the Israelites ate in the wilderness, was another symbol of the Eucharist.
- From the New Testament: The altarpiece links this episode with the Last Supper, when Christ blessed and shared consecrated bread.
Lo & Behold 