Old Testament Commentary - 1 Samuel 29

by Don R. Hender
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
Commentary & Explanation
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
             CHAPTER 29            

Israel and the Philistines gather for war—Philistine princes send David away.

  1 NOW the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a afountain which is in Jezreel.
  2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on ain the rereward with Achish.
  3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
  4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an aadversary to us: for wherewith should he breconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
  5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, aSaul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
  6 ¶ Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
  7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
  8 ¶ And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
  9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an aangel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
  10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, departa.
  11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. 		 10a depart What would have happened if David had stayed and fought with the Philistines against Israel? Might it have changed matters with Isreal's acceptance of David as Israel's king. Perhaps it is well that this did not become a question upon David's record. The Lord does work in mysterious ways at times and this may have been just one such occasion where the Lord used the fear of the Philistine princes to use in keeping David from the fight against Israel, against his own nation and people.