There are a number of reasons why the king’s officials would have been hesitant and unwilling to carry out Saul’s command. To start with, the priests were condemned to die on the basis of only one witness, and a false one at that. Old covenant law required at least two witnesses (see Deuteronomy 17:6) and thus the death sentence was unjust.1 Just like with Jonathan previously (see 1 Samuel 14:44–45),2 these priests were innocent and undeserving of death. Finally, since the priests were the servants of the Lord, there would have been a general understanding that raising your hand against a priest was equivalent to raising your hand against God. They held a sacred position in Israel.3
17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD.