1 Samuel 27 KJV
David Among the Philistines
1 Samuel Chapter 27: David Among the Philistines
David's refuge in Gath, Goliath's hometown, creates layered irony as the slayer of the Philistine champion now serves under Achish while secretly preserving Israelite interests through selective raids.
1nd David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
2 And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabalโs wife.
4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
5 And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
10 And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.
11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.
12 And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
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Did You Know?
David's refuge in Gath, Goliath's hometown, creates layered irony as the slayer of the Philistine champion now serves under Achish while secretly preserving Israelite interests through selective raids.
The specific targets of David's raids. The Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites. Foreshadow later conflicts, particularly the Amalekite threat that devastates Ziklag in the following chapter and ties into Saul's earlier disobedience.
Achish's grant of Ziklag to David transforms a Philistine border town into permanent Judean territory, a detail later invoked in 1 Samuel 30 and 2 Samuel to affirm David's emerging kingship over Judah.
By fabricating stories of attacking 'the south of Judah,' David exploits Achish's limited intelligence on tribal distinctions, revealing a calculated use of deception that contrasts with his earlier reliance on Urim and Thummim for guidance.
The chapter's note that Saul ceases pursuit once David 'flees' to the Philistines underscores the narrative's theme of refuge through apparent apostasy, positioning David's 16-month sojourn as a hidden period of divine preservation before his return to the throne narrative.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain David said in his heart,... there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines โ This resolution of David's was, in every respect, wโฆ
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on 1 Samuel 27 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Saul hearing that David was fled to gath, seeks no more for him; David begs ziklag of achish.
- 1
- David said in his heart,... there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines โ This resolution of David's was, in every respect, wrong: (1) It was removing him from the place where the divine oracle intimated him to remain (1Sa 22:5); (2) It was rushing into the idolatrous land, for driving him into which he had denounced an imprecation on his enemies (1Sa 26:19); (3) It was a withdrawal of his counsel and aid from God's people. It was a movement, however, overruled by Providence to detach him from his country and to let the disasters impending over Saul and his followers be brought on by the Philistines.
- 2,3
- Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath โ The popular description of this king's family creates a presumption that he was a different king from the reigning sovereign on David's first visit to Gath. Whether David had received a special invitation from him or a mere permission to enter his territories, cannot be determined. It is probable that the former was the case. From the universal notoriety given to the feud between Saul and David, which had now become irreconcilable, it might appear to Achish good policy to harbor him as a guest, and so the better pave the way for the hostile measures against Israel which the Philistines were at this time meditating.
Read all 6 notes on 1 Samuel 27 โ