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1 Samuel 27

KJV · Chapter 27/31

1And 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 speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3And David dwelt 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.

4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

5And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

8And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

10And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.

12And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

📖 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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