1 Samuel 27:2-4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:1-7

Here is, I. The prevalency of David's fear, which was the effect of the weakness of his faith (1 Sam. 27:1): He said to his heart (so it may be read), in his communings with it concerning his present condition, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. He represented to himself the restless rage and malice of Saul (who could not be wrought into a reconciliation) and the treachery of his own countrymen, witness that of the Ziphites, once and again; he looked upon his own forces, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:2

And David arose ,.... From the place where he was: and he passed over ; the borders of land of Canaan: with the six hundred men that were with him ; having neither lost any, nor had any added to him, since he was at Keilah, 1 Samuel 23:13 , unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath ; whether this was the same Achish David was with before, 1 Samuel 21:10 , is not certain; it seems as if he was not the same, since he is described as the son of Maoch, as if it was to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:3

And David dwelt with Achish at Gath ,.... The metropolis of his kingdom, called, 1 Samuel 27:5 , the royal city: he and his men, every man with his household ; or family; which they brought with them, to secure them from the malice of Saul; who in their absence might have destroyed them, as being the families of traitors and fugitives, and might be the more readily received by Achish, as he might hope for some advantage front them; and besides were pledges of their fidelity to him, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:4

And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath ,.... Who very probably had his spies out to watch his motions, and report to him where he was, and what he was doing: and he sought no more again for him ; by which it seems as if he would have sought after him again, had he continued in the land of Israel; but now being gone, and in an enemy's country, and having nothing to fear from him while there, he laid aside all thoughts of seeking after him. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 27:2

David arose , and he passed over - unto Achish - There is not one circumstance in this transaction that is not blameable. David joins the enemies of his God and of his country, acts a most inhuman part against the Geshurites and Amalekites, without even the pretense of a Divine authority; tells a most deliberate falsehood to Achish, his protector, relative to the people against whom he had perpetrated this cruel act; giving him to understand that he had been destroying the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 27:3

Every man with his household - So it appears that the men who consorted with David had wives and families. David and his company resembled a tribe of the wandering Arabs. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:1-4

Loss of faith. The facts are— 1 . David, fearing lest he should fall by the hand of Saul, deems it better to go to the land of the Philistines. 2 . He and his family and attendants are received by Achish at Gath. 3 . Saul, hearing of this, seeks him no more. There is a latent thought in many minds that the great and good men of whom the Bible speaks ought to figure in Scripture as only models of excellence, and hence a sense of disappointment is experienced when, in its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:2-4

Achish, the son of Maoch. No doubt the Achish of 1 Samuel 21:10 ; but if the same as Achish, son of Maachah, in 1 Kings 2:39 , as is probably the case, he must have lived to a good old age. As it is said in 1 Chronicles 18:1 that David conquered the Philistines, and took from them Gath and other towns, it would seem that he still permitted Achish to remain there as a tributary king, while Ziklag he kept as his private property ( 1 Chronicles 18:6 ). On the former occasion,. when... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 27:2

1 Samuel 27:2. Unto Achish the son of Maoch “Most writers agree that this Achish, to whom David now fled, was not the Achish by whom he was so inhospitably received, and from whom he so narrowly escaped, when he was before at Gath. His being here called Achish the son of Maoch, sufficiently implies him to have been another person; for those words can, in the nature of the thing, have no use but to distinguish this Achish from another of the same name. And indeed this Achish seems as well... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:1-12

The move to Philistia (26:1-27:12)Although he had every intention of killing Nabal, David still refused to harm Saul; but Saul remained determined to harm David (26:1-5). When another opportunity arose to kill Saul, David refused to act. He was content to leave the matter with God, who would remove Saul when he saw fit (6-12).Once again David produced proof that he had no evil intentions towards Saul (13-17). But clearly David was becoming tired of this continual flight from the mad king. Not... read more

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