1 Samuel 27

BLIVRE · Chapter 27/31

1E disse Davi em seu coração: Ao fim serei morto algum dia pela mão de Saul: nada portanto me será melhor que fugir à terra dos filisteus, para que Saul se deixe de mim, e não me ande buscando mais por todos os termos de Israel, e assim me escaparei de suas mãos.

2Levantou-se, pois Davi, e com os seiscentos homens que tinha consigo passou-se a Aquis filho de Maoque, rei de Gate.

3E morou Davi com Aquis em Gate, ele e os seus, cada um com sua família: Davi com suas duas mulheres, Ainoã jezreelita, e Abigail, a que foi mulher de Nabal o do Carmelo.

4E veio a nova a Saul que Davi se havia fugido a Gate, e não o buscou mais.

5E Davi disse a Aquis: Se achei agora favor em teus olhos, seja-me dado lugar em algumas das cidades da terra, de onde eu habite; por que teu servo deverá morar contigo na cidade real?

6E Aquis lhe deu aquele dia a Ziclague. De aqui foi Ziclague dos reis de Judá até hoje.

7E foi o número dos dias que Davi habitou na terra dos filisteus, quatro meses e alguns dias.

8E subia Davi com os seus, e faziam entradas nos gesuritas, e nos gersitas, e nos amalequitas: porque estes habitavam de longo tempo a terra, desde como se vai a Sur até a terra do Egito.

9E Davi aquela terra, e não deixava com vida homem nem mulher; e levava as ovelhas, as vacas, os asnos e os camelos e as roupas; e voltava, e vinha a Aquis.

10E dizia Aquis: Onde atacastes hoje? E Davi dizia: Ao sul de Judá, e ao sul de Jerameel, ou contra o sul dos queneus.

11Nem homem nem mulher deixava à vida Davi, que viesse a Gate; dizendo: Porque não deem aviso de nós, dizendo: Isto fez Davi. E este era seu costume todo aquele tempo que morou em terra dos filisteus.

12E Aquis confiava em Davi, dizendo assim: Ele se faz abominável em seu povo de Israel, e será meu servo para sempre.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Tired of running, David decides to take refuge among the Philistines, serving King Achish of Gath. Given the city of Ziklag, David attacks Israel's ancient enemies but deceives Achish about his true targets.

Explanation

David's decision to seek refuge precisely among the Philistines, his historic enemies, shows the level of exhaustion and desperation he had reached after years of relentless pursuit by Saul — a pragmatic choice for survival more than a spiritually ideal plan. David's double strategy, actually attacking peoples such as the Amalekites (Israel's historic enemies) while lying to Achish and telling him he was attacking Israelite territory, reveals a morally gray area in his conduct during this period of exile, with no explicit judgment from the text on whether this deception was right or wrong. This sixteen-month period living under Philistine protection, though pragmatically effective for his survival, sets the complicated stage for the following chapter, when the Philistines expect David to fight alongside them against Israel itself.

Fun facts

  • Ziklag, the city given to David by Achish, would later remain the personal property of the kings of Judah 'unto this day,' according to the text itself (v.6), indicating that the book was composed or edited well after the events it narrates.
  • David's practice of leaving no survivors in the raids he carried out (v.9, 11) was specifically meant to keep the truth about his real targets from reaching Achish's ears — a brutal but strategically calculated wartime tactic.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 27:1After so many cycles of pursuit and temporary reconciliation, David rationally concludes that only a permanent escape into enemy territory will finally end Saul’s manhunt.
  2. 1 Samuel 27:2Returning to Gath, the same city where he had feigned madness to escape in chapter 21, shows how much David’s situation has changed: he now arrives as the leader of an organized force, not a lone fugitive.
  3. 1 Samuel 27:3Bringing his men’s entire households to Gath shows this was no temporary visit — David was settling permanently in Philistine territory.
  4. 1 Samuel 27:4David’s strategy works exactly as planned: Saul, with neither the jurisdiction nor the appetite to invade Philistine territory just to chase him, finally abandons the hunt.
  5. 1 Samuel 27:5Asking for a city of his own, instead of living in the capital, gave David more autonomy and discretion — away from the direct watch of the Philistine court, he could act more freely.
  6. 1 Samuel 27:6Achish gives Ziklag to David to live in — the text notes that the city remained the property of the kings of Judah afterward, a sign that this account was written or edited well after the events, at a time when that detail still made sense to the reader.
  7. 1 Samuel 27:7This extended stretch, more than a year, shows that the strategy of voluntary exile among the Philistines was not a passing gesture but a substantial phase of David’s life before becoming king.
  8. 1 Samuel 27:8Raiding these ancient peoples, longtime enemies of both Israel and the Philistines themselves, let David keep his men active and supplied without attacking a single Israelite directly.
  9. 1 Samuel 27:9David left no one alive in the towns he raided precisely so there would be no witnesses to tell Achish who he was really attacking — he lied about his targets to keep the Philistine king’s trust.
  10. 1 Samuel 27:10David deliberately lies about the real targets of his raids, letting Achish believe he was attacking his own Israelite people, when in fact he was sparing Judah and striking other peoples instead.
  11. 1 Samuel 27:11The extreme brutality of leaving no survivors served a cold strategic purpose: eliminating any witness who could reveal to Achish the truth about who David was really attacking.
  12. 1 Samuel 27:12David’s deception works perfectly: Achish believes he has become a permanent enemy of his own people, securing blind loyalty — a deception that will create a dangerous dilemma in the next chapter.

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