Who was Doeg the Edomite in the Bible?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Doeg the Edomite’s story is recorded in 1 Samuel 21—22. Doeg the Edomite, chief of King Saul's shepherds, betrayed David when there was conflict between Saul and David. David, fleeing from Saul, sought provisions from the priest Ahimelech in Nob, where Doeg witnessed the exchange. Doeg later informed Saul of this, leading to the massacre of Ahimelech and the priests of Nob. David, upon hearing of Doeg's betrayal, responded by composing Psalm 52, expressing trust in God's justice. Doeg's actions led to the slaughter of many innocent lives and the survival of only one witness, Abiathar, who sought refuge with David. David trusted in God to take care of Doeg, and God did just that because Doeg the Edomite is not mentioned again in Scripture.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The Edomites were descendants of Jacob's brother Esau and thereby related to the Israelites as cousins.
• Doeg is identified as the chief of King Saul's shepherds, so he had been a trusted and respected servant of Israel's king (1 Samuel 21:7). As such, when there arose a conflict between Saul and David, Doeg sided with Saul.
• When David fled from Saul, he stopped in Nob and asked the priest there for provisions of food and weapons. Ahimelech, the priest, gave David and his men the only food and weapon available, which was the consecrated showbread and Goliath's sword from when David slew the giant. Doeg had been present in Nob and witnessed the exchange (1 Samuel 21:1–9).
• King Saul received word that David had been located so he asked his servants what they knew about David and his whereabouts (1 Samuel 22:6–8). Doeg betrayed David by recounting what he had witnessed in Nob (1 Samuel 22:9–10). King Saul then summoned Ahimelech and the other priests. They did not deny helping David, and they reminded the king that David had always been faithful to Saul. Nonetheless, Saul commanded that all these priests be put to death. King Saul's guards, however, refused to execute these faithful priests, so Saul asked Doeg to kill them (1 Samuel 22:11–18).
• Doeg killed eighty-five priests that day and also massacred the entire town of Nob "both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword" (1 Samuel 22:19). The only person to survive was Ahimelech's son Abiathar who fled to David for protection and reported all that Doeg had done (1 Samuel 22:20–21).
• When David heard the report, he stated he knew that Doeg would betray them to King Saul (1 Samuel 22:22). David chose to respond in song by penning Psalm 52 where he contrasted Doeg's love of evil and destruction with God's faithfulness and justice. David vowed to rest in God's presence as he waited for God to take down Doeg. Doeg is not mentioned again in Scripture.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Doeg the Edomite is only mentioned in the Old Testament.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Instead of being loyal to the Lord and following His commands, Doeg chose to be loyal to King Saul and carry out commands everyone else refused to do because they knew those commands were despicable. Doeg sought approval from a wicked king instead of seeking to please the Lord. Doeg's actions provide a contrast to what believers are called to do: seek God's will and obey His commands (Acts 13:22). Those who love the Lord will obey Him (John 14:15)—that is where true life is found (John 10:10; 14:6). Following God is summed up by following these two laws: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).Following the Lord in this way will change our hearts, minds, and actions to those that honor Him. We will seek to please Him and not people, which often leads us to do things that we otherwise wouldn’t and that are not pleasing to God, like Doeg did. Doeg will be remembered as a man whose political allegiance led him to commit unthinkable atrocity while David is remembered for being a man after God's own heart who acted with integrity and righteousness and trusted in God’s justice to right the wrongs that Doeg committed.

UNDERSTAND

• Doeg was an Edomite who chose to keep his loyalties to Saul instead of doing the right thing.
• Doeg gave information to Saul about David’s whereabouts, and when Saul responded in anger and asked Doeg to kill the priests who helped David, Doeg obeyed and killed even more than asked.
• Doeg sought approval from Saul, who was not following the Lord, rather than following God.

REFLECT

• Has there been a time in your life when loyalty or allegiance influenced your actions or decisions, for better or worse? How did this experience shape your understanding of loyalty and its consequences?
• How do you navigate situations where authority figures issue commands that may conflict with your moral values or convictions? What principles guide your decision-making in such circumstances?
• Considering David's response to betrayal and his trust in God’s justice, how should you approach moments of injustice or betrayal? Do you find it challenging to maintain faith in justice, especially when it seems delayed or uncertain?

ENGAGE

• What do you do when loyalty clashes with morality?
• What kind of responsibility do individuals bear for their actions when following orders from authority figures, even if those actions are morally wrong?
• David's response to betrayal was to trust in divine justice. How does faith shape one's ability to endure injustice or betrayal?