1 Samuel 27: David lives among the Philistines at Ziklag
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What happens?
David thinks that one day Saul will kill him, so he goes over with his six hundred men to Achish, king of Gath, and Saul stops looking for him. Achish gives David the town of Ziklag, and David lives in the Philistine country for a year and four months. From there he raids the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites, leaving no man or woman alive, and tells Achish he has raided the south of Judah, of the Jerahmeelites and of the Kenites. Achish believes him and thinks David's own people now hate him, so he will be his servant for ever.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. David speaks to himself in verse 1. David and Achish speak in verses 5 and 10. Verse 11 gives David's reason in his own words, and Achish speaks in verse 12. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1David said in his heart, “I will 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 I will escape out of his hand.”
In plain English: David said to himself (literally: in his heart), "One of these days I will be swept away (this Bible: perish) by Saul's hand. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up looking for me anywhere in the territory (this Bible: borders) of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."
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2David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
In plain English: So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
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3David 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.
In plain English: David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's wife.
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4Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped looking for him.
In plain English: When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he did not look for him again.
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5David 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?”
In plain English: David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the towns in the countryside, so that I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"
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6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.
In plain English: So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. That is why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
Good to know: Ziklag is named among the towns of Judah in , and among the towns of Simeon in . "To this day" is the narrator's comment.
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7The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
In plain English: David lived in the country of the Philistines for a year (literally: days) and four months.
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8David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those were the inhabitants of the land who were of old, on the way to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.
In plain English: David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. These peoples had lived in the land from long ago, from the way to Shur as far as the land of Egypt.
Good to know: In chapter 15 Saul was sent to strike Amalek (). Here David raids the Amalekites from Ziklag, and in chapter 30 the Amalekites raid Ziklag.
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9David struck the land, and saved no man or woman alive, and took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned, and came to Achish.
In plain English: David struck the land and left no man or woman alive. He took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels and the clothing. Then he came back to Achish.
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10Achish 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.”
In plain English: Achish asked, "Where did you raid today?" David said, "Against the Negev (this Bible: the South) of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites."
Good to know: Verse 8 says David raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. In verse 10 he tells Achish he raided the Negev of Judah, of the Jerahmeelites and of the Kenites. Verse 11 gives the reason he left no one alive, and verse 12 says Achish believed him. The text tells what David did and said, and does not comment on it.
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11David saved neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath, saying, “Lest they should tell about us, saying, ‘David did this, and this has been his way all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’”
In plain English: David left no man or woman alive to bring to Gath. He said, "Otherwise they might report on us and say, 'This is what David did, and this has been his way the whole time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'" (or: the last words, "and this was his way the whole time he lived in the country of the Philistines", may be the narrator's words.)
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12Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he will be my servant forever.”
In plain English: Achish trusted David. He said, "He has made himself hated (literally: he has made himself stink) among his own people Israel, so he will be my servant for ever."
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