So the priest gave him hallowed [bread],.... Being satisfied with the account he gave of himself, and his young men, and of the lawfulness of it in case of necessity, acts of mercy being to be preferred to ritual services.
Whether he gave him five loaves, as he desired, is not said; but the reason of his giving him such sort of bread is observed,for there was no bread there; in the tabernacle, whatever might be in the house of the priest:but the shewbread that was taken from before the Lord; from off of the shewbread table; and it seems to have been just taken off, it being sabbath day, and not as yet carried to the house of the priest, and divided among the other priests as usual; and which was then removed, to put hot bread, in the day that it was taken away; that is, new bread, twelve fresh cakes; for when the twelve, that had stood a week on the shewbread table were removed, twelve more were immediately put in their room, and it seems by this they were put hot there; but here arises a difficulty, how they could be put hot there, when it was not lawful to bake on a sabbath day.
About this the Jews are divided; some say they were baked on the sabbath day, but the greater part say that baking did not drive away the sabbath, or it was lawful on the sabbath day; but others say that they were baked on the evening of the sabbath, and kept in the oven until the time of their being set upon the table ; and, as Abarbinel observes, the mouth of the oven might be stopped up till that time to keep in the heat; but others say this heat was miraculous, or that a miracle was wrought for the sake of it; which is not probable.
T. Bab. Menachot, fol. 95. 2. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 2l. 1. Menachot, fol. 96.