1 Samuel 27:1-11

David Flees to the Philistines

1 Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. ¹There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."

2 So David arose and crossed over, he and ²the six hundred men who were with him, to ³Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, ⁴each with his household, even David with ⁵his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow.

4 Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer * searched for him.

5 Then David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore ⁶Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

7 The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was ⁷a year and four months.

8 Now David and his men went up and raided ⁸the Geshurites and the Girzites and ⁹the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to ¹⁰Shur even as far as the land of Egypt.

9 David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he ¹¹took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish.

10 Now Achish said, "Where have you ¹²made a raid today?" And David said, "Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of ¹³the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of ¹⁴the Kenites."

11 David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, "Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, 'So has David done and so has been his practice all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.' "

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1 Samuel 27:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 27

David, fearing he should perish by the hand of Saul at one time or another, went into the land of the Philistines, which Saul hearing of, sought no more after him, 1Sa 27:1-4; and finding favour in the eyes of the king of Gath, desired a place in his country might be given him to reside in; and accordingly Ziklag was given him, 1Sa 27:5-7; from whence he made excursions into the land of the Amalekites, and others, and utterly destroyed them; but imposed on the king of Gath, pretending he had made his road into the southern parts of Judah, 1Sa 27:8-12.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. 1 Samuel 26:19
2. 1 Samuel 25:13
3. 1 Samuel 21:10; 1 Kings 2:39
4. 1 Samuel 30:3; 2 Samuel 2:3
5. 1 Samuel 25:42, 43
6. Joshua 15:31; Joshua 19:5; Nehemiah 11:28
7. 1 Samuel 29:3
8. Joshua 13:2, 13
9. Exodus 17:8; 1 Samuel 15:7, 8
10. Exodus 15:22
11. 1 Samuel 15:3; Job 1:3
12. 1 Samuel 23:27
13. 1 Samuel 30:29; 1 Chronicles 2:9, 25
14. Judges 1:16; Judges 4:11

Footnotes 7

[a]. Lit "in his heart"
[b]. Lit "that I should surely escape"
[c]. Lit "wife"
[d]. Lit "smote"
[e]. I.e. South country
[f]. I.e. South country
[g]. I.e. South country