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1 Samuel
Chapter Twenty-nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 29
This
chapter gives an account of David's going forth with the armies of the
Philistines, 1 Samuel 29:1; of
his being objected to by the princes of the Philistines, who insisted upon his
being sent back, 1 Samuel 29:3; of
the report Achish made of it to David, and the discourse that passed between
them upon it, 1 Samuel 29:6;
whereby David had a way unexpectedly opened for him to be freed from this
service, which he gladly embraced, 1 Samuel 29:11.
1 Samuel 29:1 Then the
Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites
encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
YLT
1And the Philistines gather
all their camps to Aphek, and the Israelites are encamping at a fountain which
[is] in Jezreel,
Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek,.... Not the
city in the tribe of Judah of that name, Joshua 15:53; where
the Philistines had a camp in the time of Samuel, 1 Samuel 4:1; but
rather that in the tribe of Asher, Joshua 19:30;
unless there was one of this name in the tribe of Issachar, not mentioned,
since it seems to have been near Jezreel and Shunem, which were both in that
tribe, Joshua 19:18,
and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel; in the valley
of Jezreel; of which See Gill on Joshua 19:18 and
See Gill on Hosea 1:5.
1 Samuel 29:2 2 And
the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but
David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.
YLT
2and the princes of the
Philistines are passing on by hundreds, and by thousands, and David and his men
are passing on in the rear with Achish.
And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by
thousands,.... Not that there were so many lords, for there were but five
of them; but these marched, some at the head of hundreds with them, and others
at the head of thousands:
but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish; who being the
generalissimo brought up the rear, and David, whom he had appointed captain of
his bodyguards, attended him with his men, which in point of gratitude he could
not refuse; and yet was in the greatest strait and difficulty how to act, it
being both against his conscience and his interest to fight against Israel, and
was waiting and hoping for some appearance of Providence to deliver him out of
this dilemma, and which was quickly seen; but Abarbinel thinks David had no
other notion in going to the battle, but of being the bodyguard of Achish, and
accompanying him, and that he should not fight against Israel, nor for the
Philistines: neither harm the one, nor help the other.
1 Samuel 29:3 3 Then
the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing
here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this
not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days,
or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to
me.”
YLT
3And the heads of the
Philistines say, `What [are] these Hebrews?' and Achish saith unto the heads of
the Philistines, `Is not this David servant of Saul king of Israel, who hath been
with me these days or these years, and I have not found in him anything [wrong]
from the day of his falling away till this day.'
Then said the princes of the Philistines,.... To
Achish; not those of the court of Achish, who were his subjects, but the confederate
princes with him in this war, the lords of the other principalities, as appears
by the freedom they took with him, 1 Samuel 29:4,
what do these Hebrews here? or Jews, as
the Targum; what hast thou to do with them, or they to be with thee? men of
another nation and religion, and known enemies to the Philistines:
and Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines; in order to
soften them, and reconcile them to these men, and their being with him:
is not this David the
servant of Saul the king of Israel; between whom there had
been a quarrel, and the former had fled from the latter to him:
which hath been with me these days, or these years; had been with
him many days, and he might say years, as he had been with him one whole year,
and part of another, see 1 Samuel 27:7; and
he might have known him longer, if he was the same Achish David first fled to;
Kimchi interprets it, that he knew him as well as if he had been with him as
many years as days:
and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto
this day? the affair of David's going against the Geshurites, &c. not
being yet known by him, or, if it was, he approved of it, they being enemies of
his; this shows that David behaved with a great deal of prudence to have such a
character as this from a king of the Philistines.
1 Samuel 29:4 4 But the princes of the
Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him,
“Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have
appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the
battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his
master, if not with the heads of these men?
YLT
4And the heads of the
Philistines are wroth against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him,
`Send back the man, and he doth turn back unto his place whither thou hast
appointed him, and doth not go down with us into battle, and is not to us for
an adversary in battle; and wherewith doth this one reconcile himself unto his
lord -- is it not with the heads of those men?'
And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him,.... With
Achish, for giving such a character of David, and taking his part, in order to
detain him, if possible:
and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, make this fellow
return; they speak of him with contempt, and insist on it that Achish
order him to turn back, and go no further with them:
that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him; to Ziklag,
the place that Achish had given him for his residence, 1 Samuel 27:6; they
did not desire to have him sent to his own country, and to Saul, since should a
reconciliation be made between them, he would be of great service to Saul
against them:
and let him not go down with us to battle; into the
valley of Jezreel, where the Israelites had pitched:
lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: and fall upon
them behind, being in the rear, while they were engaging in the front with
Israel:
for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? to Saul he
had offended, and fled from:
should it not be
with the heads of these men? the Philistines; or unless by the heads of
these menF13הלא בראשי
"nisi per capita", Noldius, p. 257. No. 1147. ; he had no other way
of making his peace with his master but by cutting off the heads of the
Philistines; and therefore he was a dangerous man to take with them into the
battle.
1 Samuel 29:5 5 Is
this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has
slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”[a]
YLT
5Is not this David, of whom
they answer in choruses, saying, Saul hath smitten among his thousands, and
David among his myriads?'
Is not this David, of whom
they sang one to another in dances,.... Long ago:
saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands; so that he is
an old sworn enemy of ours; and the more valiant and victorious he has been,
the less is he to be trusted, see 1 Samuel 18:7.
1 Samuel 29:6 6 Then
Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the Lord lives, you
have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is
good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of
your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you.
YLT
6And Achish calleth unto
David, and saith unto him, `Jehovah liveth, surely thou [art] upright, and good
in mine eyes is thy going out, and thy coming in, with me in the camp, for I
have not found in thee evil from the day of thy coming in unto me till this
day; and in the eyes of the princes thou art not good;
Then Achish called David,.... Being so near him,
that he could call unto him himself, or he sent some person to him, to require his
presence with him:
and said unto him, surely, as the Lord liveth; or
"Jehovah liveth"; an oath by the true God, of whom Achish might have
some knowledge, as he also had of angels, from his conversation with David;
though the Heathens had a notion of a supreme Being, and yet worshipped other
gods, and whom they called Jove, from this name of Jehovah. Kimchi observes,
that all confess a first cause; and therefore when he swore to David, he swore
by him in whom David believed, perhaps out of complaisance to him, or that
David might pay the greater regard to his oath:
thou hast been upright; sincere, honest,
faithful, and just in all his deportment; yet not so sincere as he thought him
to be, witness the road he pretended he had taken against the south of Judah, 1 Samuel 27:1,
and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is
good in sight; his behaviour in the army, attending him as the keeper of his
head, or captain of his bodyguard, was exceeding agreeable to him, and he could
wish to have him continued:
for I have not found evil in thee, since the day of thy coming
unto me unto this day; whatever he had done before to the Philistines, having greatly
afflicted and distressed them in his wars with them, of which this seems to be
an exception:
nevertheless, the lords favour thee not; or thou art
not acceptable to them, yea, very offensive and disagreeable.
1 Samuel 29:7 7 Therefore
return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the
Philistines.”
YLT
7and now, turn back, and go
in peace, and thou dost do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the
Philistines.'
Wherefore now return,.... To Ziklag:
and go in peace; not only in a peaceable manner, easy and
satisfied, as David was at his very heart to hear this, but all prosperity and
happiness attend thee; the JewsF14T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 64. 1.
Sepher Alphes, par. 1. fol. 421. 2. distinguish between wishing persons to go
in peace, and to go to peace; the former they observe has not issued happily,
when the other has, and they instance in the wish of Jethro to Moses, and of
David to Absalom:
that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines: and what
would be the consequence of that he could not say, but suggests it would be
most for his peace and safety to depart.
1 Samuel 29:8 8 So David said to Achish,
“But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as
long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies
of my lord the king?”
YLT
8And David saith unto
Achish, `But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant from the
day that I have been before thee till this day -- that I go not in and have
fought against the enemies of my lord the king?'
And David said unto Achish, what have I done?.... This
question is anticipated by the speech of Achish, who had declared he had found
no evil in him; but David must say something to put on an appearance of concern
for being dismissed, when he was heartily glad of it:
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? which cannot be excused of great dissimulation, since nothing
was more foreign from his heart, and against his will, than fighting against
the Israelites, and which he determined to avoid if possible; and glad at heart
he was to be thus excused, and freed from the straits and difficulties he was
involved in; but that the Philistines might have no cause of suspicion of him,
and that he was warmly attached to their interest among whom he was still to
continue, he put on these airs. Abarbinel is of opinion that the lords of the
Philistines were only afraid of David, but not of his men, and therefore were
not solicitous about their going, but his, which gave David a concern; and
since he was particularly singled out, he desired to know what special evil had
been found in him; but when he understood, by the following answer of Achish,
that his servants were to go with him, he was content, and said no more; but
the princes asked, "what do these Hebrews here?" 1 Samuel 29:3.
1 Samuel 29:9 9 Then Achish answered and
said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of
God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up
with us to the battle.’
YLT
9And Achish answereth and saith
unto David, `I have known that thou [art] good in mine eyes as a messenger of
God; only, the princes of the Philistines have said, He doth not go up with us
into battle;
And Achish answered and said unto David,.... In reply
to the questions:
I know that thou art good in my sight as an angel of God: for his great
wisdom, and graceful behaviour, and inoffensive carriage:
notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, he shall
not go up with us to the battle; though Achish had so good an opinion of
him, and had declared it in council, yet an order had passed there that he
should not go to battle with them; there were but five of them, and Achish was
one of the five, so that there were four to one for the dismissing him; and
Achish, though a king, was obliged to submit.
1 Samuel 29:10 10 Now therefore, rise early
in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you.[b] And as
soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”
YLT
10and now, rise thou early in
the morning, and the servants of thy lord who have come with thee, when ye have
risen early in the morning, and have light, then go ye.'
Wherefore now rise up early with thy master's servants that are
come with thee,.... Meaning his six hundred men, who were considered as the
servants and subjects of Saul, though with David: and which tacitly carried in
it the objection of the Philistine lords unto them, that since they were the
servants and subjects of Saul, they were not to be trusted in a battle with
him; lest finding an opportunity, they should seize it, and thereby ingratiate
themselves into his favour again:
and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light,
depart; he advises them to get away as soon as they could, lest the
Philistines should fall upon them, and force them, and he could not say what
mischief might befall them; wherefore for their safety it was best to depart as
soon as they could see their way.
1 Samuel 29:11 11 So David and his men rose
early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And
the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
YLT
11And David riseth early, he
and his men, to go in the morning, to turn back unto the land of the
Philistines, and the Philistines have gone up to Jezreel.
So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning,.... Being as
willing and ready to go as the Philistines were desirous they should:
to return into the land of the Philistines; for now they
were in the land of Israel, at Aphek, near Jezreel, from whence they went back
to Ziklag, which was within the principality of Gath; and, according to BuntingF15Travels,
&c. p. 137. , was eighty eight miles from the place where the army of the
Philistines was; but it seems not very likely that it should be so far off:
and the Philistines went up to Jezreel; where the
army of the Israelites lay encamped, in order to fight them. By the dismission
of David from the army of the Philistines, he was not only delivered from a sad
plight he was in, either of acting an ungrateful part to Achish, or an
unnatural one to Israel; but also, by the pressing charge of Achish to get away
as early as possible in the morning, he came time enough to rescue the prey the
Amalekites had taken at Ziklag his city, as in the following chapter; and the
providence of God in this affair is further observable, as by some represented,
since if David had stayed in the camp of the Philistines, it would not have
been so easy for him, on the death of Saul, to have got from them, and succeed
in the kingdom, as he could and did from Ziklag.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)