John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:9
And David smote the land ,.... In which the above mentioned people dwelt, that is, the inhabitants of it: and left neither man nor woman alive ; for these being the old Canaanites and Amalekites, according to the law of God were not to be spared, but utterly destroyed; which may be observed to remove the charge of cruelty that might be brought against David on this account, Deuteronomy 7:2 ; though this must be understood of such that came within his reach; for it is certain there were... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:8-12
Here is an account of David's actions while he was in the land of the Philistines, a fierce attack he made upon some remains of the devoted nations, his success in it, and the representation he gave of it to Achish. 1. We may acquit him of injustice and cruelty in this action because those people whom he cut off were such as heaven had long since doomed to destruction, and he that did it was one whom heaven had ordained to dominion; so that the thing was very fit to be done, and he was very... read more