29 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 29:2As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 29:3the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 29:4But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 29:5Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
6 29:6Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 29:7So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 29:8And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 29:9And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 29:10Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 29:11So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
The narrative reverts from Saul’s doom to the difficulties in which David has entangled himself. This involves backtracking to the situation immediately following 1 Samuel 28:2. As dependents of Achish, king of Gath, David and his men have accompanied him and the contingent from Gath to Aphek, where the Philistine forces are mustering to fight against Saul and Israel. However, the Philistine commanders are suspicious of David’s loyalty and, despite Achish’s protests, insist that David be sent back to Ziklag (29:1–5). Reluctantly Achish complies with their demands and apologizes to David for sending him away (vv. 6–11). In this way David’s dilemma is resolved for him, seemingly by the actions of the Philistines themselves but in reality through a higher, unseen hand shaping the outcome.
29:2 At Aphek the Philistines conduct a formal military review with the “lords of the Philistines,” the five kings of the Philistine pentapolis (5:8), marching their troops in units conventionally known as “hundreds” and “thousands” (cf. 22:7). Achish, king of Gath, and his contingent are in the final group, and David and his men are with Achish as his personal bodyguard (28:2). David is being drawn closer to betraying his people and deserting his principles by fighting against Saul.
29:3 The “commanders of the Philistines” are probably the same group as the lords of the Philistines. As they review the troops they ask, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” “Hebrews” (ʻibrim) involves a wordplay with the earlier “passing on” (ʻoberim; v. 2), and the term is used disparagingly (cf. comment on 4:6). Their weapons and dress, and perhaps also their physical characteristics, distinguish them from the others.
Clumsily, Achish identifies David and tries to defend his presence. By acknowledging that he has been “the servant of Saul, king of Israel,” he in fact stirs up memories of past encounters with David and his status as a defector. “For days and years” is a vague expression and, if equivalent to “for over a year now,” is a very short time on which to base any conclusions. Even so, Achish has no doubts about David’s faultless conduct “since he deserted to me” (cf. 27:1–4). Clearly David has successfully duped Achish regarding his activities while at Ziklag (27:8–12).
29:4–5 However, this defense is rejected by the Philistine generals, who are enraged by Achish’s naiveté. While they do not take action against David, they do not want him anywhere near the battlefield, demanding that he return to Ziklag in the far south (27:6). In the heat of battle David might change sides again and “become an adversary [satan; cf. 2 Sam. 19:22],” fighting against them. They have no difficulty envisaging “this fellow,” that is, David, grasping the chance to “reconcile himself to his lord” by slaying Philistine soldiers and taking their heads as trophies to Saul (cf. 1 Sam. 17:46; 2 Sam. 4:7; 20:22). Indeed, “at peril to our heads” (1 Chron. 12:19) suggests that “the men here” is an oblique reference to themselves, who are not altogether forgetful of the fate of Goliath. The Philistine commanders show themselves to be far more astute than Achish, and they may well have hit upon David’s intentions.
The commanders also have longer memories than Achish. From past experience they know that Hebrews would change sides (1 Sam. 14:21), and they also recall the popular song celebrating David’s victories (18:7; 21:11) and associating him with Saul.
29:6 “As the Lord lives” sounds strange on Philistine lips, and many suppose that the narrator has substituted this for an oath incorporating the name of a Philistine deity. Achish may, however, be attempting to present the news sympathetically. He certainly assures David that he is personally convinced David is “honest,” an upright and straightforward fellow who should take part in the campaign. His repeated declaration that David has not acted improperly throughout his stay with him shows that Achish has been blinded by David’s charming plausibility and the receipt of a steady stream of plunder.
But even Achish cannot disregard the fact that “the lords do not approve” of David (lit., “in the eyes of the lords you [are] not good”). His presence is a risk too far, and Achish must accept this fact.
29:7 Achish commands David to return to Ziklag. While “go peaceably [lit., “in peace”; Hb. beshalom]” might simply be a conventional dismissal, it is more probable that Achish realizes that for a warrior’s integrity to be challenged and for him to be sent away from the battle line is a snub against which David might react violently (cf. 2 Chron. 25:10–13). Achish does not want David to stir up trouble for him with his fellow commanders.
29:8 Shrewdly, David does not appeal to the lords of the Philistines to reverse their decision, but the duplicity with which he has acted toward Achish again becomes evident in his outraged protest, “But what have I done?” (contrast 17:29; 20:1; 26:18). David may be probing to find out if his dismissal means his position has been compromised. He also speaks ambiguously (cf. 28:2) in referring to his desire to “fight against the enemies of my lord the king.” Formally, this appears to be a description of Achish—and that is certainly how Achish takes it—but Saul (who is recognized as David’s lord in 29:4) or the Lord God could equally be intended by David. If so, David is in reality saying that he is ready to turn on Achish.
29:9 Achish does not wish to antagonize his trusted subordinate, and so for a third time (vv. 3, 6) he expresses his satisfaction with David’s conduct that is “blameless” (lit., “good”), probably in the sense of “loyal.” The comparison with an “angel of God” is used elsewhere of David in 2 Samuel 14:17, 20; 19:27 and of no one else in the OT (cf. Stephen in Acts 6:15). Elsewhere the comparison refers to David’s extraordinary powers of discernment, but here the analogy seems rather to be that of acting as acceptably and faithfully as an angel serves God. Even so, Achish cannot get around the fact that the Philistine commanders are adamant that David and his men are not to proceed with them any further.
29:10 Achish is insistent that David act at first light the next day, as these three expressions show: “Rise early in the morning . . . start early in the morning . . . depart as soon as you have light.” The expression “with the servants of your lord who came with you” is puzzling. It possibly describes the men of Manasseh deserting to David at this juncture (cf. 1 Chron. 12:19).
29:11 This ending differs significantly from the resolution of Saul’s story at the end of the previous chapter. Saul went off into the night with no prospect before him besides ignominious defeat and death. David sets out “early in the morning” and in the light of day returns to the land of the Philistines.
The narrator has clearly accounted for the circumstances in which David parts company with the Philistine army so that he is located many miles away when Saul dies. There is, however, an ominous note: “But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.” There they will confront Saul and the Israelite army.
1 Cf. map, ESV Study Bible, 537.
2 After “who came with you,” the Septuagint has a longer text (reflected in the NRSV and REB): “And go to the place that I appointed for you. As for the evil report, do not take it to heart, for you have done well before me.” This adds no new information to the account and seems to be a scribal expansion.