1Saul hearing that David was fled to Gath seeketh no more for him. 5David beggeth Ziklag of Achish. 8He invadeth some other countries, but persuadeth Achish that he warred against Judah.
1AND David said 1in his heart, I shall now perish 2one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for 3me than 4that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
1 That is, within himself. This is a demonstration of the weakness of David’s faith and confidence in the excellent promises of God.
2 That is, at one time or another.
3 This was the counsel of the weakness of the flesh. See 1 Sam. 22:5, where the prophet Gad reproved David in a similar matter.
4 Hebr. escaping escape.
2And David arose, and 5he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of 6Gath.
5 Likely having first desired and obtained leave of Achish to come and to tarry there; and that not for his own person only, as he did at first, 1 Sam. 21:10, but for all the men and women who were with him.
6 Situated in the land of the Philistines, from which city was Goliath, 1 Sam. 6:17.
3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s 7wife.
7 That is, who had been the wife of Nabal. She is likewise so called 1 Sam. 30:5.
4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
5¶And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, 8let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: 9for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
8 David sought to dwell somewhere apart by himself, with those who appertained to him, to escape the danger both of body and soul, which might have befallen him from the Philistines.
9 David knew full well how dangerous it was for strangers (especially who were of any power) to dwell with a king in his own city. Therefore he was desirous to prevent this jealousy. But he gives it another name, as if he had said. This honor belongs not to me, my lord, O king.
6Then Achish gave him 10Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
10 This city belonged first to the tribe of Judah, in as much as God had given them those cities of the land, as appears Joshua 15:31. But the Philistines had taken it from the Israelites, and had kept possession of it till now, and now Achish gives it unto David.
7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines 11was a full year and four months.
11 Hebr. was days and four months. The word days, in the plural number, is often taken by the Hebrews for a year. See Lev. 25:29. David abode at Ziklag until the death of Saul, and then he came to Hebron, 2 Sam. 2:1. Some take it thus: certain days and four months.
8¶And David and his men went up, and invaded the 12Geshurites, and the 13Gezrites, and the 14Amalekites: for 15those nations were of old the inhabitants 16of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
12 See Joshua 16:3 and the annotation on Joshua 12 on verse 5.
13 For Gerzites. These were Canaanites, who had dwelt previously at Gezer, or Gazer, in the land of Ephraim. These, being thence also expelled, went and dwelt on the south-side of the land of Canaan.
14 These were of Esau’s posterity, whom the Lord commanded Saul to exterminate and to destroy utterly, but he left some remaining, against whom David here makes war.
15 Namely, the Geshurites and the Gerzites; these have inhabited the land of Canaan in former times.
16 Namely, the Jewish land, both on this and on the other side of Jordan.
9And David smote the 17land, 18and 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.
17 That is, the inhabitants of the land. This is now to be understood of all the Amalekites, whom he found there, whom God had commanded to be destroyed, Exod. 17:14; Deut. 25:19; 1 Sam. 15:3.
18 This he did for this reason, that they might not complain of him to the Philistines, whom he would make believe, that he had fallen into the land of the Israelites.
10And Achish said, Whither have ye made a roada to day? And David said, 19Against the south of Judah, and against the south 20of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the 21Kenites.
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19 But not in the land of Judah, as Achish understood it, and also David seemed to say; but David fell into these lands that bordered thereon, namely, into the land of the Amalekites, and of their neighbor nations, and thus did David through human frailty deceive king Achish with ambiguous words.
20 These were inhabitants of the land of Judah, the posterity of Hezron, 1 Chron. 2:9, 25.
21 These were the posterity of Jethro, the father in law of Moses. See the annotation on Judges 1:16.
11And 22David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, 23saying, 24Lest 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.
22 This did David do for this reason, that no man would bring tidings to Achish, as it is mentioned later. Besides this, Ziklag was situated so far distant from Gath, that in this respect also tidings hereof could not hastily be brought to Achish. In the mean while David executed God’s vengeance against the banished nations.
23 That is, thinking within himself.
24 Understand in addition: it behooves me to look to it.
12And Achish believed David, 25saying, He hath made his people Israel 26utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant 27for ever.
25 Namely, with himself.
26 Hebr. making stinking made stinking; that is, he made himself so stinking, hateful, and contemptible, that his own nation cannot endure him. See the annotation on Gen. 34:30.
27 That is, always or his entire lifetime.