1 Samuel 27:3

3 David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel,^[a] Nabal's widow.

1 Samuel 27:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 27:3

And David dwelt with Achish at Gath
The metropolis of his kingdom, called, ( 1 Samuel 27:5 ) , the royal city:

he and his men, every man with his household;
or family; which they brought with them, to secure them from the malice of Saul; who in their absence might have destroyed them, as being the families of traitors and fugitives, and might be the more readily received by Achish, as he might hope for some advantage front them; and besides were pledges of their fidelity to him, and of their design to continue with him:

[even] David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail
the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife;
who had been the wife of Nabal; of these (See Gill on 1 Samuel 25:43).

1 Samuel 27:3 In-Context

1 David said to himself, "One of these days I'll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I'll escape from him."

2 So David set out with his 600 men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

3 David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.

4 When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

5 Now David said to Achish, "If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Sm 25:42-44