1 Samuel 29:3

3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What [do] these Hebrews [here]? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or [rather] these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away [unto me] unto this day?

1 Samuel 29:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 29:3

Then said the princes of the Philistines
To Achish; not those of the court of Achish, who were his subjects, but the confederate princes with him in this war, the lords of the other principalities, as appears by the freedom they took with him, ( 1 Samuel 29:4 ) ;

what [do] these Hebrews [here]?
or Jews, as the Targum; what hast thou to do with them, or they to be with thee? men of another nation and religion, and known enemies to the Philistines:

and Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines;
in order to soften them, and reconcile them to these men, and their being with him:

[is] not this David the servant of Saul the king of Israel;
between whom there had been a quarrel, and the former had fled from the latter to him:

which hath been with me these days, or these years;
had been with him many days, and he might say years, as he had been with him one whole year, and part of another, see ( 1 Samuel 27:7 ) ; and he might have known him longer, if he was the same Achish David first fled to; Kimchi interprets it, that he knew him as well as if he had been with him as many years as days:

and I have found no fault in him since he fell [unto me] unto this day?
the affair of David's going against the Geshurites not being yet known by him, or, if it was, he approved of it, they being enemies of his; this shows that David behaved with a great deal of prudence to have such a character as this from a king of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 29:3 In-Context

1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.

2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.

3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What [do] these Hebrews [here]? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or [rather] these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away [unto me] unto this day?

4 But he princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this [fellow] reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?

5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?