DOEG dō’ ĭg (Heb. דֹּאֵ֣ג, traditionally thought to mean anxious), the name of one of Saul’s herdsmen (1 Sam 21:7; 22:9, et al., and in the title of Ps 52). He is said to have been an Edomite (q.v.) and the chief of Saul’s shepherds. The rabbinical commentators point out that Doeg must have been a proselyte or a Jew who once came from Edom to the SE of Israel, otherwise he could not have entered the sanctuary. His name is spelled with two different vowel letters. In 1 Samuel 21:7-22:22 the name appears as, דֹּאֵ֣ג, with an aleph; however, in the title of Ps 52 it is spelled דּﯴאֵ֣ג, with the addition of the waw which may indicate that this was a foreign non-Sem. name and thus difficult for the Massoretes to transcribe. This conversation between Doeg and Saul about the support rendered by the priests about Ahimelech, leading finally to their slaughter, must have been a celebrated incident as it was recorded in the Psalm and Talmudic tradition. The LXX mentions Doeg as “caring for the mules” while a fair portion of the Talmudic Neziḳin is taken up with discussions concerning the learning of Doeg, “-The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Doeg, ‘Art thou not a mighty man in Torah? Why then boastest thou thyself in mischief’?” (Soncino Talmud, Neziḳin, Vol III, 726). The rabbis also interpreted the variant spelling as an inclusion of an implied curse. The basis for so much supposition and legend is found in Psalm 52 which decries the misuse of gifts of wisdom, which, it is assumed, was applied to Doeg. The narrative about this rather obscure personage lends much to the outline of the history of David’s reign. It is most evident that the atrocities of Saul’s dominion made the people of Israel more than ready for a chan ge in dynasty and fulfilled the words of Samuel’s warning about the harsh and selfish treatment a king would bring to Israel (1 Sam 8:10, et al.).