1 Samuel 22:3

DAVID ARRANGES FOR THE SAFETY OF HIS PARENTS

"And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab. "Pray let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me." And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart and go into the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth."

"Mizpeh of Moab" (1 Samuel 22:3). The location of this is uncertain; but apparently Moab, at that time, controlled much of the territory just east of the Jordan; and the best guess places Mizpeh somewhere in the vicinity of Mount Pisgah. There seems to be two reasons why David sought refuge for his parents with the king of Moab and received it. Jesse, David's father, was a grandson of Ruth the Moabitess; and, since Saul had recently fought the Moabites, the king of that country was probably very glad to help anyone who would keep Saul busy at home.

"The prophet Gad" (1 Samuel 22:5). This is the first mention of this prophet in the Bible; and the chronology of his joining David's company is not known. It is supposed that Samuel may have commanded him to attach to the company of David. In fact, the whole prophetic community of Israel automatically became allies of David following the tragic slaughter of the priests by Saul. "He became the king's seer after David was king (2 Samuel 24:11); he rebuked David for the sin of numbering Israel; and after David's death, he wrote a history of that monarch's reign (1 Chronicles 29:29). He also seems to have been concerned with arranging the temple services (2 Chronicles 29:25)."[5]

"All the time that David was in the stronghold" (1 Samuel 22:5). "This indicates that David sojourned for some considerable time in Moab."[6]