1 Samuel 27:1–28:2

27:2 David translates thought into action by going over with his men not just to the Philistines but to Gath! By doing so he accepts the lordship of Achish, in all probability the same person as in chapter 21. The different reception accorded to him in comparison to the earlier occasion is probably accounted for by the fact that he is now the leader of an effective fighting force of six hundred men. Presumably it is also the case that he does not arrive unannounced but appears only after negotiating for political asylum and/or recognition as mercenaries.

27:3 When David and his men are recorded as “living” (or “dwelling,” a key term in the chapter) not simply “at Gath” but “with Achish,” it is the politics of the affair that is being emphasized, not the domestic arrangements. David’s sizable entourage, including not just his men but also their wives and children, stays not in the palace but in the same town. They are all welcomed on the basis that whoever is an enemy of Saul is thereby an ally of the Philistines.

27:4 When Saul is informed that David has fled (cf. 19:18), he gives up his pursuit. At one level David’s policy has achieved success: he is no longer hounded by Saul—but at what cost?

27:5 Before long the practical difficulties arising from such an influx of population into Gath, the awkwardness of living in an alien culture, and the desire for freedom from surveillance lead David to politely petition Achish for alternative accommodations for himself and his men. Diplomatically he gives as his reason the inconvenience to Achish of having them dwell in his “royal city.”

27:6 Achish immediately grants his request and uses the situation to secure a border zone in his territory. Ziklag is in the south of Judah’s territory, perhaps between Gaza and Beersheba, but it has fallen under Philistine control and is perhaps in ruins when Achish allocates it to David.¹

The annotation “Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day” (cf. 5:5) probably indicates that it will remain the private possession of the monarch. Cf. Introduction: Date and Occasion.

27:7 David resides in Gath and Ziklag for a “year and four months.” During this period many more men come to join David’s band from various tribes, including Benjamin and Manasseh (1 Chron. 12:1–7, 20–22).

27:8 David’s period in Ziklag is a spiritual lowpoint characterized by deception and unnecessary slaughter. He undertakes a series of lightning raids on groups located to the south of Judah. The Geshurites are a nomadic people living near the Philistines and the Amalekites. The Girzites are not mentioned elsewhere but are presumably from the same area, south toward Egypt. The Amalekites are the survivors of Saul’s campaign against them (14:48). “The inhabitants of the land from of old” indicates that they are part of the Canaanite population that was in the area prior to Israel’s arrival. Perhaps David acts against them by considering them as subject to the ban (Deut. 20:16–17) or as tribes threatening Judah from the south. His policy certainly supplies resources to sustain his men and booty to keep Achish content.

27:9 The verbs “would strike,” “would take away,” and “would come back” indicate that repeatedly David leaves no one alive (further explained in v. 11) and loots their possessions, mainly livestock. “Come back to Achish” implies that as David’s overlord he demands his share of the plunder.

27:10 When Achish asks where David has raided, David deceives him by mentioning areas of the Negeb, the large wilderness stretching southwest from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean coast and south toward Egypt. Restricted rainfall limits farming there, but there is sufficient grazing to support rearing of sheep and goats. The “Negeb of Judah” is probably in the vicinity of Beersheba,² while that of the Jerahmeelites lies farther south. The Kenites (15:6) had settled near Hebron. From this Achish concludes that David is acting against Judah and its allies and must no longer feel any loyalty toward Judah or look for acceptance there.

27:11 David leaves none alive in order to avoid word being brought to Gath about what he is doing and so expose his duplicity. “Such was his custom” is evidently a remark of the narrator, not of David nor part of what he fears might be said by survivors. While the pragmatic wisdom of this policy is evident, his behavior is ethically indefensible.

27:12 “Achish trusted David” uses the same expression as “[Abraham] believed the Lord” (Gen. 15:6). This reveals how flawed Achish’s understanding is when he accepts David as a loyal henchman. “He has made himself an utter stench” (cf. 13:4; 2 Sam. 10:6; 16:21) assesses David’s reputation among his own people as utterly ruined. Achish entertains no doubts that David is indissolubly committed to serving him, especially as regards providing military support.

In all this Achish acts simplistically while David demonstrates political acumen in that he is conquering neighboring peoples and bolstering the security of the land before being publicly acknowledged as king. But his wisdom is worldly, not godly.

28:2 David is in no position to refuse Achish, and so he buys time with enigmatic words: “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” Twice in this verse “very well” renders a word usually translated as “therefore,” but here its force seems to be “assuredly.” There is also emphasis on “you,” which ESV brings out by rendering the future verb as “you shall know.” Achish gullibly hears these words as a declaration of loyalty, but they do not in fact specify how David will behave or against whom he will act.

Achish envisages David’s being in his service for the rest of his days, appointing him (“you” is singular) as his bodyguard “for life” (lit., “all the days”). “My bodyguard” is literally “keeper of my head,” but the expression does not provide sufficient grounds for arguing that the Philistines were particularly afraid of decapitation. Nevertheless, there is a certain irony in the king of Goliath’s hometown naming David as the keeper of his head!

David has gone to great lengths not to attack Judah, but now he is confronted by a dilemma. To fight against Israel would run counter to all the promises he has been given regarding his future kingship, but to refuse Achish’s request jeopardizes his present position and safety in Ziklag. At this tense moment the narrative switches away to consider Saul’s difficulties, and it is not until chapter 29 that David’s story is resumed.