1 Samuel 21:13

Translation
King James Version
And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And he changed H8138 his behaviour H2940 before H5869 them, and feigned himself mad H1984 in their hands H3027, and scrabbled H8427 on the doors H1817 of the gate H8179, and let his spittle H7388 fall down H3381 upon his beard H2206.
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Complete Jewish Bible
So, as they were watching, he changed his behavior and acted like a madman when they had hold of him, scratching marks on the doors of the city gate and drooling down his beard.
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Berean Standard Bible
So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
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American Standard Version
And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
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World English Bible Messianic
He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And hee changed his behauiour before them, and fayned him selfe mad in their handes, and scrabled on the doores of the gate, and let his spettel fall downe vpon his beard.
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Young's Literal Translation
and changeth his behaviour before their eyes, and feigneth himself mad in their hand, and scribbleth on the doors of the gate, and letteth down his spittle unto his beard.
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See also
Proverbs 29:25Ecclesiastes 7:7Psalms 34:1Psalms 34:22
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David on the Run (Part 2)
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SUMMARY

1 Samuel 21:13 vividly portrays a desperate moment in David's life, as he flees from King Saul's relentless pursuit and seeks refuge in the Philistine city of Gath. Upon being recognized by King Achish's servants, the future king of Israel employs a radical act of self-preservation, feigning madness by displaying bizarre and repulsive behaviors—scribbling on the city gate doors and allowing spittle to run down his beard. This pivotal event underscores David's extreme vulnerability and remarkable ingenuity, highlighting the immense pressures he faced before his ascent to the throne, and ultimately, God's providential care in preserving His anointed.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within a dramatic and perilous narrative detailing David's flight from King Saul. Immediately preceding this event, David had a desperate and deceptive encounter with Ahimelech the priest in Nob, where he obtained the holy showbread and, significantly, Goliath's sword. This act of deception foreshadows David's subsequent ruse in Gath. David's decision to seek refuge in Gath, a formidable Philistine stronghold and the very hometown of Goliath, represents an act of profound desperation and paradox for the celebrated slayer of the Philistine giant. His recognition by Achish's servants, as detailed in 1 Samuel 21:11, directly precipitates the bizarre act described in verse 13. This episode sets the stage for his subsequent escape and the formation of his band of followers in the cave of Adullam, as recounted in 1 Samuel 22:1-2. The entire sequence of events powerfully illustrates the intense danger David faced and God's providential, though often unseen, hand in preserving him.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Gath was one of the five primary Philistine city-states, a powerful and persistent enemy of Israel. For David, the national hero who had famously defeated their champion, Goliath, seeking asylum there was an act of extreme desperation and considerable risk. His recognition by King Achish's servants was not surprising, given his widespread fame. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, madness was viewed with a complex mixture of fear, reverence, and often, disgust. While some cultures might consider mad individuals touched by the divine, more commonly, they were perceived as harmless, pitiable, or unclean, and were typically expelled from cities or left unmolested due to their perceived lack of threat and potential for defilement. David's specific actions—scribbling nonsensically on doors and drooling uncontrollably—were universally understood signs of severe mental derangement. These behaviors were designed to elicit disgust and convince observers that he posed no threat, making him unworthy of capture or execution. This cultural understanding made his bizarre performance a viable, albeit deeply humiliating, survival strategy.
  • Key Themes: The narrative of 1 Samuel 21:13 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the book of Samuel and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates the theme of desperation and survival under extreme duress. David, despite being God's anointed and a man of faith, is depicted in a moment of profound human vulnerability and fear, resorting to a humiliating ruse to save his life. Secondly, it highlights the complex interplay of faith and human agency. While David is a man of profound faith, his actions here are driven by fear and cunning, not an explicit, direct reliance on divine intervention. This tension is later reflected in psalms attributed to this period, such as Psalm 34 and Psalm 56, which speak of seeking the Lord and being delivered from fears, suggesting a retrospective theological reflection on this very experience. Finally, the episode subtly reinforces the theme of God's providential care, even through imperfect human choices. Despite David's unheroic actions, God's ultimate purpose for him as king remains secure, demonstrating that divine plans can unfold even amidst human weakness and fear.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Feigned (Hebrew, hâlal', H1984): From the primitive root H1984, this word means "to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify." In this context, it specifically means "to feign self mad" or "to rave." It implies not merely a subtle pretense but a convincing, wild, and uncontrolled display of mental derangement. David's performance was not understated; it was an overt, exaggerated exhibition of insanity, designed to be unmistakable and repulsive, demonstrating the depth of his desperation.
  • Scrabbled (Hebrew, tâvâh', H8427): From the primitive root H8427, meaning "to mark out, i.e. (primitive) scratch or (definite) imprint." This word describes David's nonsensical scribbling on the gate doors. This act was a recognized symptom of madness in ancient cultures, signifying a loss of rational thought and control. The "doors of the gate" (H1817 deleth, H8179 shaʻar) were a public and prominent location, making his performance visible to all who passed, further cementing the impression of his derangement.
  • Spittle (Hebrew, rîyr', H7388): Meaning "saliva; by resemblance, broth." The act of letting spittle fall upon one's beard (H2206 zâqân) was a universally understood and highly repulsive sign of extreme mental instability or severe illness in the ancient world. It indicated a complete lack of self-control and personal dignity, making the individual seem utterly harmless, unclean, and unworthy of serious attention or capture. This detail emphasizes the extent of David's humiliation and the effectiveness of his ruse.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And he changed his behaviour before them": This opening clause immediately establishes David's deliberate and conscious decision to alter his demeanor. The phrase "before them" highlights the public nature of his performance, specifically directed at the Philistine servants and King Achish who had recognized him. It marks the calculated initiation of his desperate survival strategy.
  • "and feigned himself mad in their hands": This phrase directly states David's core tactic: pretending to be insane. The phrase "in their hands" (H3027 yâd) powerfully emphasizes his vulnerability and the immediate threat he faced from his captors. He was literally at their mercy, and his only recourse was to appear utterly harmless and undesirable.
  • "and scrabbled on the doors of the gate": This describes one of the specific, bizarre actions David employed to convey his madness. Scribbling aimlessly on the city gate, a place of public gathering and official business, was a visual manifestation of his supposed mental breakdown, signaling a complete loss of rational thought and social decorum.
  • "and let his spittle fall down upon his beard": This final, vivid, and repulsive detail provides the most convincing element of David's act. Allowing saliva (H7388 rîyr) to run freely onto his beard (H2206 zâqân), a symbol of dignity and masculinity in ancient Israelite culture, was a profoundly humiliating and disgusting display. It served as an unmistakable sign of severe mental derangement, designed to repel his captors and ensure his release.

Literary Devices

The passage employs several potent Literary Devices to convey the intensity of David's predicament and his desperate response. Irony is profoundly prominent, as David, the celebrated hero who defeated Goliath and the anointed future king of Israel, is reduced to feigning madness in the very city of his greatest enemy. This stark contrast between his past glory and present humiliation underscores the precariousness of his situation and the depths to which he was driven. The vivid, almost grotesque, descriptions of his actions—Imagery such as "scrabbled on the doors of the gate" and "let his spittle fall down upon his beard"—serve to create a powerful and repulsive mental picture, effectively communicating the severity of his feigned derangement and the depth of his desperation. These actions also function as Symbolism, representing David's complete surrender of dignity for the sake of survival, a moment of profound vulnerability that contrasts sharply with his usual portrayal as a courageous warrior and man of faith. The entire episode serves as a form of Characterization, revealing David's resourcefulness, his raw human fear, and his ingenuity, reminding the reader that even heroes of faith are subject to intense pressure and imperfect responses.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

This episode in David's life offers profound theological insights into the nature of human weakness, divine providence, and the often-unconventional path of God's chosen. It reminds us that even those divinely appointed for great purposes are not exempt from fear, desperation, or resorting to morally ambiguous means for survival. David's feigned madness highlights the tension between trusting God and employing human cunning. While his actions were not a direct demonstration of unwavering faith, the larger narrative arc of 1 Samuel consistently shows God's unseen hand preserving David through every trial, ensuring his survival and ultimate ascent to the throne. This passage thus becomes a testament to God's faithfulness to His promises, working through and even despite the imperfections of His servants, to accomplish His sovereign will. It underscores that God's plan for His people is often realized not through flawless human performance, but through His steadfast grace and protection in the midst of human frailty.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

The story of David feigning madness in Gath serves as a powerful, if uncomfortable, mirror to our own human experience. It reminds us that even the most celebrated figures of faith are not immune to profound fear, vulnerability, and the temptation to resort to desperate, even undignified, measures for self-preservation. In moments of extreme pressure, when our lives or livelihoods seem threatened, our natural instinct for survival can override our spiritual ideals. This passage challenges us to consider where our ultimate trust lies when faced with overwhelming circumstances. While David's actions were born of fear, God's providential hand was still evidently at work, preserving him for his divine destiny. This offers immense comfort: God works through imperfect people and circumstances, and His overarching plan can prevail even in our moments of fear, flawed choices, and perceived humiliation. It is a call to cultivate deeper trust in God's sovereignty, even when our circumstances demand a "mad" kind of faith, where we surrender control and rely on His unseen hand, knowing that our dignity is ultimately found in Him, not in our performance.

Questions for Reflection

  • What does David's desperate act reveal about the human condition, even for a "man after God's own heart"?
  • How do we balance the natural instinct for self-preservation with the call to trust God completely in moments of fear?
  • Can God's purposes still be accomplished through our imperfect choices and moments of weakness? How does this passage illustrate that?
  • What "Gaths" or desperate situations do I face where I am tempted to rely on my own cunning rather than God's deliverance?

FAQ

Was David's action morally justifiable?

Answer: From a purely ethical standpoint, David's act of feigning madness involved deception, which is generally not condoned in biblical ethics. However, the Bible often presents events descriptively rather than prescriptively, showing what happened rather than explicitly endorsing it as a model for behavior. David was in an extreme life-or-death situation, fleeing from a king who sought to kill him, and his actions were a desperate measure for survival. While not an exemplary act of faith, it demonstrates human ingenuity and the raw instinct for self-preservation. The narrative does not condemn David for this act, nor does it explicitly praise it. Instead, it highlights God's continued preservation of David despite his human weaknesses and imperfect choices, reinforcing the theme of divine providence overriding human fallibility. This event is often contrasted with David's later expressions of trust in God, such as those found in Psalm 34 and Psalm 56, which are believed to have been written during or immediately after this harrowing experience, suggesting a retrospective reliance on God's deliverance.

How does this event relate to the Psalms attributed to David from this period?

Answer: Many scholars believe that Psalm 34 and Psalm 56 were composed by David either during or immediately after his experience in Gath. The superscription of Psalm 34 explicitly states, "A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed." (Note: "Abimelech" is likely a royal title for the Philistine king, Achish, in this context). The psalm speaks of seeking the Lord and being delivered from all fears (Psalm 34:4), and of the angel of the Lord encamping around those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7). Similarly, Psalm 56, with the superscription "A Michtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath," expresses profound trust in God despite being surrounded by enemies (Psalm 56:3-4). These psalms offer a powerful theological reflection on the Gath incident, transforming a moment of human fear and cunning into a testimony of God's faithfulness and David's ultimate reliance on divine deliverance, even if that reliance was not perfectly evident in the moment itself.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

The desperate scene of David feigning madness in Gath, a moment of profound humiliation and vulnerability for the anointed king, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. David, though chosen by God, was a flawed human king, often resorting to human means for survival and exhibiting moments of fear. His moment of abasement foreshadows the far greater humiliation and self-emptying of the true King, Jesus, who did not merely feign weakness but truly became weak for our sake. The Son of God, who was "in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus willingly embraced vulnerability, not to escape death, but to conquer it. He allowed Himself to be seized by His enemies, enduring far greater indignity and suffering than David ever did, including false accusations, mockery, and the ultimate humiliation of the cross (Matthew 27:27-31). Unlike David, who sought to preserve his earthly life through deception, Christ laid down His life in perfect obedience and truth, becoming the ultimate sacrifice for sin (John 10:17-18). David's escape from Gath was a temporary reprieve, but Christ's death and resurrection secured eternal deliverance for all who believe, demonstrating that true victory comes not through human cunning, but through divine self-sacrifice and perfect trust in the Father's will (Hebrews 5:8-9). Thus, David's desperate act, while a testament to human survival, ultimately points to the perfect, redemptive humility and triumph of the Lamb of God, who truly overcame the world.

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Commentary on 1 Samuel 21 verses 10–15

David, though king elect, is here an exile - designed to be master of vast treasures, yet just now begging his bread - anointed to the crown, and yet here forced to flee from his country. Thus do God's providences sometimes seem to run counter to his promises, for the trial of his people's faith, and the glorifying of his name, in the accomplishment of his counsels, notwithstanding the difficulties that lay in the way. Here is, 1. David's flight into the land of the Philistines, where he hoped to be hid, and to remain undiscovered in the court or camp of Achish king of Gath, Sa1 21:10. Israel's darling is necessitated to quit the land of Israel, and he that was the Philistine's great enemy (upon I know not what inducements) goes to seek for shelter among them. It should seem that as, though the Israelites loved him, yet the king of Israel had a personal enmity to him, which obliged him to leave his own country, so, though the Philistines hated him, yet the king of Gath had a personal kindness for him, valuing his merit, and perhaps the more for his killing Goliath of Gath, who, it may be, had been no friend to Achish. To him David now went directly, as to one he could confide in, as afterwards (Sa1 27:2, Sa1 27:3), and Achish would not have protected him but that he was afraid of disobliging his own people. God's persecuted people have often found better usage from Philistines than from Israelites, in the Gentile theatres than in the Jewish synagogues. The king of Judah imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon set him at liberty. 2. The disgust which the servants of Achish took at his being there, and their complaint of it to Achish (Sa1 21:11): "Is not this David? Is not this he that has triumphed over the Philistines? witness that burden of the song which was so much talked of, Saul has slain his thousands, but David, this very man, his ten thousands. Nay, Is not this he that (if our intelligence from the land of Israel be true) is, or is to be, king of the land?" As such, "he must be an enemy to our country; and is it safe or honourable for us to protect or entertain such a man?" Achish perhaps had intimated to them that it would be policy to entertain David, because he was now an enemy to Saul, and he might be hereafter a friend to them. It is common for the outlaws of a nation to be sheltered by the enemies of that nation. But the servants of Achish objected to his politics, and thought it not at all fit that he should stay among them. 3. The fright which this put David into. Though he had some reason to put confidence in Achish, yet, when he perceived the servants of Achish jealous of him, he began to be afraid that Achish would be obliged to deliver him up to them, and he was sorely afraid (Sa1 21:12), and perhaps he was the more apprehensive of his own danger, when he was thus discovered, because he wore Goliath's sword, which, we may suppose, was well known in Gath, and with which he had reason to expect they would cut off his head, as he had cut off Goliath's with it. David now learned by experience what he has taught us (Psa 118:9), that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Men of high degree are a lie, and, if we make them our hope, they may prove our fear. It was at this time that David penned Psalm 55 (Michtam, a golden psalm), when the Philistines took him in Gath, where having shown before God his distresses, he resolves (Psa 55:3), "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee; and therefore (Psa 55:11) will not be afraid what man can do unto me, no, not the sons of giants." 4. The course he took to get out of their hands: He feigned himself mad, Sa1 21:13. He used the gestures and fashions of a natural fool, or one that had gone out of his wits, supposing they would be ready enough to believe that the disgrace he had fallen into, and the troubles he was now in, had driven him distracted. This dissimulation of his cannot be justified (it was a mean thing thus to disparage himself, and inconsistent with truth thus to misrepresent himself, and therefore not becoming the honour and sincerity of such a man as David); yet it may in some degree be excused, for it was not a downright lie and it was like a stratagem in war, by which he imposed upon his enemies for the preservation of his own life. What David did here in pretence and for his own safety, which made it partly excusable, drunkards do really, and only to gratify a base lust: they made fools of themselves and change their behaviour; their words and actions commonly are either as silly and ridiculous as an idiot's or as furious and outrageous as a madman's, which has often made me wonder that ever men of sense and honour should allow themselves in it. 5. His escape by this means, Sa1 21:14, Sa1 21:15. I am apt to think Achish was aware that the delirium was but counterfeit, but, being desirous to protect David (as we find afterwards he was very kind to him, even when the lord of the Philistines favoured him not, Sa1 28:1, Sa1 28:2; Sa1 29:6), he pretended to his servants that he really thought he was mad, and therefore had reason to question whether it was David or no; or, if it were, they need not fear him, what harm could he do them now that his reason had departed from him? They suspected that Achish was inclined to entertain him: "Not I," says he. "He is a madman. I'll have nothing to do with him. You need not fear that I should employ him, or give him any countenance." He humours the thing well enough when he asks, "Have I need of madmen? Shall this fool come into my house? I will show him no kindness, but then you shall do him no hurt, for, if he be a madmen, he is to be pitied." He therefore drove him away, as it is in the title of Ps. 34, which David penned upon this occasion, and an excellent psalm it is, and shows that he did not change his spirit when he changed his behaviour, but even in the greatest difficulties and hurries his heart was fixed, trusting in the Lord; and he concludes that psalm with this assurance, that none of those that trust in God shall be desolate, though they may be, as he now was, solitary and distressed, persecuted, but not forsaken.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–15. Public domain.
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Clement of RomeAD 99
Clement's First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapters 3-4
Every kind of honour and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, "My beloved ate and drank, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked." [Deuteronomy 32:15] Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and has become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world. [Wisdom 2:24]

For thus it is written: "And it came to pass after certain days, that Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice unto God; and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his sheep, and of the fat thereof. And God had respect to Abel and to his offerings, but Cain and his sacrifices He did not regard. And Cain was deeply grieved, and his countenance fell. And God said to Cain, Why are you grieved, and why is your countenance fallen? If you offer rightly, but do not divide rightly, have you not sinned? Be at peace: your offering returns to yourself, and you shall again possess it. And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go into the field. And it came to pass, while they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." [Genesis 4:3-8] You see, brethren, how envy and jealousy led to the murder of a brother. Through envy, also, our father Jacob fled from the face of Esau his brother [Genesis 27:41-45]. Envy made Joseph be persecuted unto death, and to come into bondage. [Genesis 37:18-28] Envy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh king of Egypt, when he heard these words from his fellow-countryman, "Who made you a judge or a ruler over us? Will you kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" [Exodus 2:14] On account of envy, Aaron and Miriam had to make their abode without the camp. [Numbers 12:14-15] Envy brought down Dathan and Abiram alive to Hades, through the sedition which they excited against God's servant Moses. [Numbers 16:33] Through envy, David not only underwent the hatred of foreigners, but was also persecuted by Saul king of Israel. [1 Samuel 21:10-15]
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Against Lying 10.24
All these modes of expression will be thought lies, if a figurative expression or action is to be considered a lie. But, if it is not a lie when signs signifying one thing are put for another to serve the understanding of a truth, certainly that should not be judged a lie either which Jacob did or said to his father in order to be blessed, or what Joseph said in sporting with his brothers, or David’s pretense of insanity, or other signs of the same kind. They should be judged as prophetic expressions and actions set forth for the understanding of those things which are true. Those things are veiled in figures, in garments as it were, in order that they may exercise the mind of the pious inquirer and not become cheap for being bare and obvious. Although we have learned their meaning stated openly and plainly in other places, still, when they are dug out of obscurity, they are somehow recreated in our knowledge and thus become sweet. A student is not hindered because they are shrouded in this way. On the contrary, they are rendered more acceptable: for being remote they are more ardently desired, and for being desired they are more joyfully discovered.
CassiodorusAD 585
EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 33 (34).1
When Saul was pursuing David, David fled to king Achish, and since through the motive of jealousy he was suspected there, he carefully changed his countenance, covering his face with spittle so that he would be thought to be diabolically possessed and thus released unharmed as an object of pity. But these and other deeds were accomplished by David as evidence of a great mystery, for he showed that the spittle, which represented the holy Scriptures, was running down his beard, that is, had great strength. The significance of these things led to the substitution of the name of Abimelech, meaning “kingdom of my father,” for Achish, to whom David had fled. Clearly this incident aptly refers to the Lord Christ, through whom the glorious Father with most holy devotion undertook service to the world. The expression “who dismissed him” refers to king Abimelech; “and he went his way” means that David departed to another region because, as we have said, he had begun to be suspected.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
And he collapsed in their hands, etc. The hands of the Gethites, the works of the Jews; the doors of the gate reveal the beginnings of heavenly grace; saliva signifies infirmity; the beard signifies virtue. David collapsed in the hands of the Gethites; the Lord seemed to the blind to fall into sin, compared to the works of the Jews, who not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was their Father, making Himself equal to God (John V). David struck against the doors of the gate; the Lord found the fall of death among the beginnings of the proclaimed new salvation, which prefers to now open the doors to the worthy, now to close them to the unworthy; indeed, He had the doors of life through the occasion of death, either because the Jews, persecuting Him, managed to kill the grace of the evangelical preaching, or because He Himself, that He might open the gates of paradise for us, deigned to extinguish the flaming and turning sword with His blood and water, which He would bring forth from His side. Hence, it is fitting that the Psalmist, seeing Him, so that He might lead us to announce His praise at the gates of the daughter of Zion, first spoke of striking against the doors of the gate when He had warned about our hope of salvation, saying, "Our God, our saving God, will make a prosperous journey for us, our God, the God of salvation, and the exits of death belong to the Lord God" (Psalm 68). The saliva flowed down David's beard, and the Lord on the cross, despised and blasphemed among thieves by the wicked, enduring all things patiently, temporarily covered the strength of His divinity with the show of human frailty. Hence, the prophet Habakkuk, commending the trophy of the glorious cross, said: "His splendor will be like the light, horns in His hands, where His strength was hidden" (Habakkuk 3). For it is not for nothing that in the Song of Songs, where so much skill, such diligent repetition of the mystical Christ, just as all the limbs of the Church, are described, we find nothing said about the beard alone, which especially befits a man, because undoubtedly the perpetual virtue of the word clothed the beard as if with saliva, the weakness of the flesh hiding it in time. Therefore, He changed His mouth, hiding the mysteries of the kingdom of God from those who preferred to be outside. He collapsed in their hands, appearing as a sinner to those who boasted of the works and righteousness of the law. He struck against the doors of the gate, among the beginnings of the revealed heavenly entrance, undergoing the inflicted passion, casting saliva on His beard, temporarily hiding the divine power and majesty, among the vices and mockeries of enemies, at that time ignominious, that is, dying the shameful death of the cross.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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