1 Samuel 27

This chapter, in the latter part of 1 Samuel, recounts how David, pursued by Saul, leaves the land of Israel and takes refuge in Philistia. In the preceding chapter, 1 Samuel 26, David spared the sleeping Saul and let him go. In this chapter he finally escapes the pursuit by crossing over into enemy territory.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 David concludes that he will one day perish by the hand of Saul. He therefore goes to Achish, king of Gath, taking his six hundred men, their households, and his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. When Saul hears this, he no longer seeks David.
• Verses 5–7 David asks for a town in the country, and Achish gives him Ziklag. The text adds that Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah "unto this day." David dwells in Philistine territory for a year and four months.
• Verses 8–12 David attacks the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, leaving neither man nor woman alive and taking their livestock and clothing. He tells Achish that he has raided the south of Judah, the south of the Jerahmeelites, and the south of the Kenites. He leaves no survivors so that word of what he has done will not get out. Achish believes that David has made himself odious to his own people and will therefore be his servant forever.

Key Verses

• 1 Samuel 27:1 "There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines" — The flight begins with David's own judgment; the text records no inquiry of God.
• 1 Samuel 27:12 "Therefore he shall be my servant for ever" — This shows that Achish has been deceived by David. His confidence sets up the tension of the following chapters.

People and Places

• David — The future king, who places himself in the hands of the Philistines to escape Saul.
• Saul — Hearing that David has gone to Gath, he abandons the pursuit.
• Achish — Son of Maoch and king of Gath. 1 Samuel 21 records an earlier occasion when David feigned madness before Achish king of Gath and escaped.
• Ahinoam — David's wife, from Jezreel.
• Abigail — A woman of Carmel, formerly the wife of Nabal, who became David's wife.
• Gath — One of the principal Philistine cities and Achish's royal city.
• Ziklag — The town Achish gave to David.
• Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites — Peoples living along the way to Shur and Egypt.
• Jerahmeelites and Kenites — Groups living in the south of Judah, who appear in David's false report.

Points for Reflection

The text narrates David's flight, his deception, and his raids that left no survivors, but it does not directly evaluate whether these actions were right or wrong. Some interpreters therefore read verse 1 as a wavering of faith in which David failed to trust God. Others read it as a practical choice by which David escaped Saul's sword while striking Israel's enemies. The attack on the Amalekites is also sometimes read in connection with the Amalekite accounts in 1 Samuel 15 and 1 Samuel 30.

Regarding the phrase in verse 6, "pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day," some scholars hold that it reflects a vantage point after the division of the kingdom. The situation in this chapter continues into 1 Samuel 28 and 1 Samuel 29, where Achish seeks to bring David with him into battle against Israel. The New Testament does not directly quote this chapter.