Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Samuel 21:5

"And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy?" — 1 Samuel 21:5 (ASV)

The vessels of the young men... This refers to their clothes (Deuteronomy 22:5), wallets, or other articles that could be Levitically unclean and require cleansing (Leviticus 13:58; Exodus 19:10; Mark 7:4), in addition to the person themselves.

And the bread... The meaning is that although giving the bread to David and his men would treat it like common bread, fresh showbread had already been baked and put on the table to replace it. This indicates that the day was Friday, as the following verse suggests.