1 Samuel — Chapter 29
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1Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.
2As the Philistine leaders marched out with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.
3Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”
4But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?
5Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
6So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and it seems right in my sight that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you are not good in the sight of the leaders.
7Therefore turn back now and go in peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”
8“But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’
10Now then, get up early in the morning, along with your master’s servants who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”
11So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.
3Then 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, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
4And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
5Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
6Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
7Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
8And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
9And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master’s servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
11So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.
2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.
3Then 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?
4But 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?
5Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?
6Then Achish called David, and said unto him, As Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favor thee not.
7Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
8And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
9And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
11So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1The Philistines assembled all their troops at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel.
2When the leaders of the Philistines were passing in review at the head of their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were passing in review in the rear with Achish.
3The leaders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish said to the leaders of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me for quite some time? I have found no fault with him from the day of his defection until the present time!”
4But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men?
5Isn’t this David, of whom they sang as they danced, “‘Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his tens of thousands’?”
6So Achish summoned David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you are an honest man, and I am glad to have you serving with me in the army. I have found no fault with you from the day that you first came to me until the present time. But in the opinion of the leaders, you are not reliable.
7So turn and leave in peace. You must not do anything that the leaders of the Philistines consider improper!”
8But David said to Achish, “What have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day that I first came into your presence until the present time, that I shouldn’t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?”
9Achish replied to David, “I am convinced that you are as reliable as the angel of God! However, the leaders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us in the battle.’
10So get up early in the morning along with the servants of your lord who have come with you. When you get up early in the morning, as soon as it is light enough to see, leave.”
11So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and the Israelites encamped by the spring which is in Jezreel.
2The lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.
3Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away to today?”
4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For with what should this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Should it not be with the heads of these men?
5Isn’t this David, of whom people sang to one another in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”
6Then Achish called David, and said to him, “As Yahweh lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords don’t favor you.
7Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
8David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9Achish answered David, “I know that you are good in my sight, as an angel of God. Notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
10Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you; and as soon as you are up early in the morning, and have light, depart.”
11So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Summary
As the Philistine armies gather at Aphek for war against Israel, David marches with Achish's forces in the rear guard (vv. 1-2). The Philistine commanders object loudly, refusing to let a Hebrew, especially David, celebrated in song for killing his ten thousands, fight alongside them for fear he might turn against them in battle (vv. 3-5). Achish reluctantly agrees, telling David he personally trusts him but must send him back to avoid alienating the other commanders (vv. 6-7). David protests but is sent back to Ziklag while the Philistines continue on to Jezreel (vv. 8-11) — God providentially sparing David from choosing between his Philistine hosts and his own people.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Aphek: Where the Philistine armies gather to march north against Israel — in the coastal plain or Jezreel entrance
- David marches with the Philistines from Ziklag to Aphek in the rear of Achish's army
- The Philistine lords dismiss David — he must return the 2-3 day march south to Ziklag
Places on this map
- AphekTel Afek, IsraelAt the springs of the Yarkon, where the coastal road is squeezed between the river and the hills. The Philistines mustered here before the battle in which the ark was captured. Wikipedia
- Philistiasouthern coastal Israel and GazaThe coastal plain south of Joppa, held by a league of five cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. Flat, fertile and on the trade road, it gave the Philistines chariots and iron while Israel held the hills above them. Wikipedia
- JezreelTel Yizre'el, IsraelAhab's second residence, at the eastern end of the valley that carries its name. Naboth's vineyard was here, and Jezebel died here. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that God rescued David from an impossible situation of his own making. David's deception in chapter 27 created a trap that only God could resolve. He notes that David's protest (v.8) is likely continued deception — maintaining his cover — rather than genuine desire to fight Israel.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Samuel -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Questions Asked by People You Didn't Expect (v.3) — The Philistine commanders spot David's men marching with them and demand to know why Hebrews are in their ranks at all. Has someone else's scrutiny ever exposed a compromise you'd been quietly living with?
- Suspicion That Turns Out to Be Right (v.4) — The commanders fear David could turn on them mid-battle to win back Saul's favor, and their read of the situation proves sounder than Achish's trust in him. Have you ever been rightly distrusted because of a compromise others sensed even without knowing the full story?
- A Reputation That Outlives the Moment (v.5) — The women's victory song sung years earlier still shapes how the Philistine commanders see David today. What reputation are you building right now that will still be following you years from now?
- A Closed Door That Was Actually a Rescue (vv.6-7) — Achish swears by the Lord that David has been upright and sends him away with reluctance, not realizing he's protecting David from having to fight his own people. Can you look back on a door that closed in your life, one that felt like rejection at the time, and now see it as God's protection?
- Removed Just Before Disaster (v.11) — David leaves for Ziklag the morning before the battle that will kill Saul and Jonathan, spared from being anywhere near it. Where has God's timing moved you out of a situation just before it became something you couldn't have come through unscathed?