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he took them. Now, the narrative concerning Ahimelech contains these things; and next it is related how David arose and fled on that day; and departing from Ahimelech, he came to Achish king of Gath. Now, someone might say that since it is not stated in the history concerning Ahimelech that "David changed his countenance," the name of Abimelech is written by mistake instead of the name Achish; for it is clearly said concerning Achish, "he changed his countenance," when also his spittle ran down and he drummed on the doors. But I consider it a rash and presumptuous act to dare to declare that the divine Scripture is in error, and contains so great a mistake as to insert a priest of God instead of a foreign man; especially since both the Hebrew reading and all the other interpreters include Ahimelech. Therefore, it would be logical, if the inscription is true, to inquire how and when David changed his countenance before Abimelech, and he sent him away, and he departed. It seems to me, indeed, that solutions to the problem can be found from the comparison of the other interpreters. For Aquila and the fifth edition translated it in this manner: Of David, when he changed his taste before Abimelech, and he cast him out, and he went away. For perhaps because of the 23.292 loaves of the presence, which he took from Abimelech and ate, he and the young men with him, he is said to have changed his taste before Abimelech. For having tasted sanctified food, and the priestly loaves, which it was not lawful to use except for the priests alone, he changed his taste. But Symmachus, saying: Of David, when he changed his manner before Abimelech, has suggested another meaning, stating that David's manner was changed before Abimelech, because, when asked what the reason for his journey was, he lied and deceived the priest; for it was foreign to David's character to use deceit, which, having used at that time, he changed his manner, according to Symmachus. And from what has been said, you would also apply the interpretation of the Seventy to the history concerning Abimelech, which says that David changed his countenance before Abimelech, because he did not report to him the true account of his flight, but deceived him and said other things instead of others; so as also to receive from him the sword of Goliath, and to become a cause of destruction for him. For when Saul learned afterwards what had been done, he sent and killed both Abimelech himself and all the priests of the Lord, and he struck Nob, the city of the priests. And all these things were done because David changed his manner or his countenance before Abimelech. The book of Kingdoms contains Ahimelech; with the change of a letter having occurred, there is no need to be disturbed; for due to the similarity of the letter called *beth* among the Hebrews and the *chaph*, the name was published differently; for the two letters are almost one and the same, with only the smallest stroke being different. And the Savior also mentions in the Gospels the aforementioned history concerning David, saying: "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him; how he entered the house of God and ate the loaves of the presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests?" Now, this is said in the Gospel according to Matthew. But since in the Gospel according to Mark it is written that the Savior said: "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those with him? How he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the loaves of the presence?" who would not be perplexed how the Savior here mentions not Abimelech, but Abiathar? To which one might say that Abimelech had two names, so as to be the same as Abiathar. For example, then, also

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ἔλαβεν αὐτούς. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡ περὶ τοῦ Ἀχιμέλεχ διήγησις περιέχει· ἑξῆς δὲ συνῆπται ὡς ἀνέστη ∆αυῒδ καὶ ἔφυγεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ· τοῦ τε Ἀχιμέλεχ ἀναχωρήσας, ἦλθε πρὸς Ἀγχοῦς βασιλέα Γέθ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τις ἐρεῖ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐμφέρεται ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τῇ κατὰ τὸν Ἀχιμέλεχ «ἀλλοιώσας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὁ ∆αυῒδ,» κατὰ σφάλμα κεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Ἀβιμέλεχ ἀντὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἀγχούς· σαφῶς γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀγχοῦς εἴρηται· «ἀλλοιώσας τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ,» ὅτε καὶ τὰ σίελα αὐτοῦ κατέῤῥει καὶ ἐτυμπάνιζεν. Ἔργον δὲ θρασὺν, καὶ προπετὲς εἶναι ἡγοῦμαι τὸ ἀποφήνασθαι τολμᾷν τὴν θείαν Γραφὴν ἡμαρτῆσθαι, καὶ τοσοῦτον περιέχειν σφάλμα, ὡς ἀντὶ ἀλλοφύλου ἀνδρὸς ἱερέα Θεοῦ παρενθεῖναι· μάλιστα ὅτε καὶ ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ ἀνάγνωσις καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἑρμηνευταὶ πάντες τὸν Ἀχιμέλεχ περιέχουσιν. Οὐκοῦν ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη, ἀληθευούσης τῆς προγραφῆς, ἐπιζητεῖν πῶς καὶ πότε ἠλλοίωσε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἐναντίον Ἀβιμέλεχ, καὶ ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθε. ∆οκεῖ δή μοι ἐκ τῆς παραθέσεως τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν λύσεις εὑρίσκεσθαι τοῦ ζητουμένου. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἀκύλας καὶ ἡ πέμπτη ἔκδοσις τοῦτον ἡρμήνευσαν τὸν τρόπον· Τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὅτε ἠλλοίωσε τὸ γεῦμα αὐτοῦ εἰς πρόσωπον Ἀβιμέλεχ, καὶ ἐξέβαλεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθε. Μήποτε γὰρ διὰ τοὺς 23.292 ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως, οὓς λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ Ἀβιμέλεχ, ἔφαγεν αὐτὸς καὶ τὰ παιδάρια τὰ μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἠλλοιωκέναι λέγεται τὸ γεῦμα αὐτοῦ εἰς πρόσωπον Ἀβιμέλεχ. Ἡγιασμένης γὰρ τροφῆς γευσάμενος, καὶ τῶν ἄρτων τῶν ἱερατικῶν, οἷς οὐκ ἐξῆν χρήσασθαι εἰ μὴ μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν, ἠλλοίωσε τὸ γεῦμα αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ὁπότε μετεμόρφωσε τὸν τρόπον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμπροσθεν Ἀβιμέλεχ, ἑτέραν διάνοιαν ὑποβέβληκε, τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἠλλοιῶσθαι φήσας ἔμπροσθεν Ἀβιμέλεχ, διὰ τὸ, ἐρωτηθέντα τίς εἴη αὐτῷ ἡ αἰτία τῆς ὁδοῦ, ψεύσασθαι καὶ παραλογίσασθαι τὸν ἱερέα· ἀλλότριον γὰρ ἦν τοῦ τρόπου τοῦ ∆αυῒδ τὸ ἀπάτῃ κεχρῆσθαι, ᾗ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν χρησάμενος, ἠλλοίωσε τὸν τρόπον αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν Σύμμαχον. Ἐκ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ τὴν τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα ἑρμηνείαν ἐφαρμόσεις τῇ κατὰ τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ ἱστορίᾳ, φησάσῃ ἠλλοιωκέναι τὸν ∆αυῒδ τὸ πρόσωπον ἑαυτοῦ ἐνώπιον Ἀβιμέλεχ, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀπαγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φυγῆς, παραλογίσασθαι δὲ καὶ ἕτερα ἀνθ' ἑτέρων εἰπεῖν· ὡς καὶ τὴν ῥομφαίαν τοῦ Γολιὰθ παρ' αὐτοῦ δέξασθαι, γενέσθαι τε αὐτῷ αἴτιον ἀπωλείας. Μαθὼν γὰρ μετὰ ταῦτα Σαοὺλ τὰ πεπραγμένα, πέμψας ἀνεῖλεν αὐτόν τε τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἱερεῖς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τὴν Νοβὰν τὴν πόλιν τῶν ἱερέων ἐπάταξε. Καὶ ταῦτα πάντα πέπρακται, διότι ἠλλοίωσε ∆αυῒδ τὸν τρόπον αὐτοῦ ἢ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον Ἀβιμέλεχ. Ἡ τῶν Βασιλειῶν Γραφὴ Ἀχιμέλεχ περιέχει· ἐναλλαγῆς στοιχείου γενομένης, οὐδὲν δεῖ κινεῖσθαι· παρὰ γὰρ τὴν ὁμοιότητα τοῦ στοιχείου τοῦ βὴθ παρ' Ἑβραίοις καλουμένου καὶ τοῦ χὰφ διαφόρως ἐξεδόθη τοὔνομα· σχεδὸν γὰρ ἓν καὶ ταυτόν ἐστι τὰ δύο στοιχεῖα, βραχυτάτης κεραίας μόνης ἐναλλαττούσης. Μέμνηται δὲ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις τῆς προκειμένης κατὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἱστορίας λέγων· Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησε ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε ἐπείνασε καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ· ὡς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγεν, οὓς οὐκ ἐξὸν ἦν φαγεῖν οὐδὲ τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ, εἰ μὴ μόνοις τοῖς ἱερεῦσι; Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐν τῷ κατὰ Ματθαῖον Εὐαγγελίῳ εἴρηται. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν τῷ κατὰ Μάρκον Εὐαγγελίῳ ἀναγέγραπται ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰρηκώς· Οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησε ∆αυῒδ, ὅτε χρείαν ἔσχε, καὶ ἐπείνασεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ; πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἀβιάθαρ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως, καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ἔφαγε; τίς οὐκ ἂν ἀπορήσειε, πῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐνταῦθα οὐ τοῦ Ἀβιμέλεχ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Ἀβιάθαρ μέμνηται; Πρὸς ὃ εἴποι τις ἂν διώνυμον γεγενῆσθαι τὸν Ἀβιμέλεχ, ὥστ' εἶναι τὸν αὐτὸν τῷ Ἀβιάθαρ. Αὐτίκα γοῦν καὶ