Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: don't let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more.
Ahimelech appealed to Saul on David’s behalf much as Jonathan had done earlier (1 Samuel 22:14-15; cf. 1 Samuel 17:4-5). Nevertheless this time Saul did not respond to reasonable persuasion (1 Samuel 22:16). Saul’s disregard for Yahweh’s will is obvious in his command to kill the priests-whom God had appointed to serve Him. This punishment was entirely too severe, since the crime Saul charged them with was simply failing to tell Saul where David was.