Reference: Doeg
American
An Edomite, overseer of Saul's flocks. At Nob he witnessed the relief kindly furnished to David when fleeing from Saul, by Ahimelech the high priest, and carried a malicious and distorted report of it to his master. The king gladly seized the opportunity to wreak his passion on a helpless victim; and when the Jews around him refused to slay the priests of God, infamously used the willing services of this alien and heathen. Doeg not only slew Ahimelech and eighty-four other priests, but put the town in which they dwelt to the sword, 1Sa 21:15. David forebodes his wretched fate, Ps 52; 120; 140.
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Easton
fearful, an Edomite, the chief overseer of Saul's flocks (1Sa 21:7). At the command of Saul he slew the high priest Ahimelech (q.v.) at Nob, together with all the priests to the number of eighty-five persons. (Comp. Ps 52, title.)
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Fausets
An Idumean, chief of Saul's herdsmen. At Nob (1Sa 21:7) "detained before the Lord" by some act of purification or vow, which as a proselyte he was performing, when Ahimelech gave David Goliath's sword and the shewbread. With officious eagerness and talebearing exaggeration (marked in the title of Psalm 52 by the tautology "came and told and said") he gave information which he knew well his master Saul would keenly listen to. Doeg told substantially the fact; it was Saul who put on it the "lying" construction of treason on the part of the priests (compare Ps 52:3-4 with 1Sa 22:13).
The Edomite in the title reminds us that herein Doeg represented Edom's and the world's undying enmity to Israel and the godly. He was but the accomplice and ready tool; Saul, the "mighty man" (Ps 52:1) who "trusted in the abundance of his riches" (Ps 52:7) as means of destroying David, was the real" boaster in mischief," for this was the very appeal that Saul made, and that induced Doeg to inform (1Sa 22:7): "Hear now, ye Benjamites, will the son of Jesse (as I can) give every one of you fields and vineyards?" (compare 1Sa 8:14.)
On Doeg's information, and by Doeg's own sacrilegious hand, at Saul's command, when the king's "footmen" declined in reverential awe to kill Jehovah's priests, eighty-five of them fell, and Saul "boasted" (Ps 52:1) of it as a sample of the fate of all who should help David. The undesigned coincidences here noted, between the psalm and independent history, confirm the authenticity of both. The cruel sycophancy of Doeg was so well known to David that he said unto Abiathar, the only survivor of the slaughter, "I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul;" therefore with characteristic sensitiveness of conscience David adds, "I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house."
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Hastings
An Edomite, and chief of the herdmen [or better, 'runners,' reading h
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Morish
Do'eg
Chief of Saul's herdsmen, an Edomite, who informed Saul of David's being aided by Ahimelech, and who afterwards slew the latter and his house
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Smith
Do'eg
(fearful), an Idumean, chief of Saul's herdmen. (B.C. 1062.) He was at Nob when Ahimelech gave David the sword of Goliath, and not only gave information to Saul, but when others declined the office, himself executed the king's order to destroy the priests of Nob, with their families, to the number of 85 persons, together with all their property.