1 David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand." 2 David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 David lived 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 wife. 4 It was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. 5 David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?" 6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: why Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. 8 David and his men went up, and made a raid on the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those (nations) were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt. 9 David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the cattle, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the clothing; and he returned, and came to Achish. 10 Achish said, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David said, "Against the South of Judah, against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites." 11 David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell of us, saying, 'So did David, and so has been his way all the while he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'" 12 Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever."
David flies to Achish, king of Gath, who receives him kindly, and gives him Ziklag to dwell in, where he continues a year and four months, 1-Samuel 27:1-7. David invades the Geshurites and Amalekites, and leaves neither man nor woman alive, 1-Samuel 27:8, 1-Samuel 27:9. He returns to Achish, and pretends that he had been making inroads on the Israelites, and Achish believes it, 1-Samuel 27:10-12.
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, 1-Samuel 27:1; 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, 1-Samuel 27:5; 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, 1-Samuel 27:8.
(1-Samuel 27:1-7) David retires to Gath.
(1-Samuel 27:8-12) David deceives Achish.
David at Ziklag in the Land of the Philistines - 1-Samuel 27:1-12
In his despair of being able permanently to escape the plots of Saul in the land of Israel, David betook himself, with his attendants, to the neighbouring land of the Philistines, to king Achish of Gath, and received from him the town of Ziklag, which was assigned him at his own request as a dwelling-place (1-Samuel 27:1-7). From this point he made attacks upon certain tribes on the southern frontier of Canaan which were hostile to Israel, but described them to Achish as attacks upon Judah and its dependencies, that he might still retain the protection of the Philistian chief (1-Samuel 27:8-12). David had fled to Achish at Gath once before; but on that occasion he had been obliged to feign insanity in order to preserve his life, because he was recognised as the conqueror of Goliath. This act of David was not forgotten by the Philistines even now. But as David had been pursued by Saul for many years, Achish did not hesitate to give a place of refuge in his land to the fugitive who had been outlawed by the king of Israel, the arch-enemy of the Philistines, possibly with the hope that if a fresh war with Saul should break out, he should be able to reap some advantage from David's friendship.
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