1 Samuel 27:5-12

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.

1 Samuel 27:5-12 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. the time: Heb. the number of days
• [b]. Gezrites: or, Gerzites
• [c]. Whither...: or, Did you not make a road, etc
• [d]. utterly...: Heb. to stink