1 Samuel 29:1-7

The Philistines Mistrust David

1 Now ¹the Philistines gathered together all their armies to ²Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring which is in ³Jezreel.

2 And the lords of the Philistines were proceeding on by hundreds and by thousands, and ⁴David and his men were proceeding on in the rear with Achish.

3 Then the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, ⁵who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and ⁶I have found no fault in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?"

4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man go back, that he may return ⁷to his place where * you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, ⁸or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men?

5 "Is this not David, ⁹of whom they sing in the dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands '?"

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and ¹⁰your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; ¹¹for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords.

7 "Now therefore return and go in peace, that you may not displease * the lords of the Philistines."

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1 Samuel 29:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 29

This chapter gives an account of David's going forth with the armies of the Philistines, 1Sa 29:1,2; of his being objected to by the princes of the Philistines, who insisted upon his being sent back, 1Sa 29:3-5; of the report Achish made of it to David, and the discourse that passed between them upon it, 1Sa 29:6-10; whereby David had a way unexpectedly opened for him to be freed from this service, which he gladly embraced, 1Sa 29:11.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. 1 Samuel 28:1
2. Joshua 12:18; Joshua 19:30; 1 Samuel 4:1; 1 Kings 20:30
3. 1 Kings 21:1; 2 Kings 9:30
4. 1 Samuel 28:1, 2
5. 1 Samuel 27:7
6. 1 Samuel 27:1-6; 1 Chronicles 12:19, 20; Daniel 6:5
7. 1 Samuel 27:6
8. 1 Samuel 14:21
9. 1 Samuel 18:7; 1 Samuel 21:11
10. 2 Samuel 3:25; 2 Kings 19:27; Isaiah 37:28
11. 1 Samuel 27:8-12; 1 Samuel 29:3

Footnotes 2

[a]. Lit "fell"
[b]. Lit "those"