1Sa 29:1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
To Aphek - This was a place in the valley of Jezreel , between Mounts Tabor and Gilboa. Not the city in the tribe of Judah of that name, Jos_15:53; where the Philistines had a camp in the time of Samuel, 1Sa_4:1; but rather that in the tribe of Asher, Jos_19:30, although some scholars say in the tribe of Issachar.
Pitched by a fountain - To be near a fountain, or copious spring of water, was a point of great importance to an army in countries such as these, where water was so very scarce.
1Sa 29:2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.
By hundreds, and by thousands - They were probably divided by fifties, hundreds, and thousands; each having its proper officer or captain, like those of the Israelites 1Sa_8:12 And he will appoint commanders over thousands, and commanders over fifties, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and weapons for his chariots. David and his men formed a body-guard to Achish 1Sa_28:2.
the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds - 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:
David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish - who being king brought up the rear, and David, whom he had appointed captain of his bodyguards, attended him with his men, which he could not refuse.
1Sa 29:3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
He fell unto me - The regular word for deserting and going over to the other side.
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, 1Sa_29:4,
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 1Sa_27:7; and he might have known him longer, if he was the same Achish David first fled to;
I have found no fault in him - the affair of David's going against the Geshurites, etc. not being yet known by him, or, if it was, he approved of it.
1Sa 29:4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
The princes of the Philistines were wroth - With Achish, for giving such a character of David, and taking his part, in order to detain him, if possible:
he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him - to Ziklag, the place that Achish had given him for his residence, 1Sa_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:
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 :
Make this fellow - it was ordered by a gracious Providence that they refused to let David go with them to this battle, in which he must have been either an enemy to his country, or false to his friends and to his trust. Had he fought for the Philistines, he would have fought against God and his country; and had he in the battle gone over to the Israelites, he would have deceived and become a traitor to the hospitable Achish. God therefore delivered him from such disgrace; and by the same kind Providence he was sent back to rescue his wives, and the wives and children of his people, from captivity.
Go down to the battle - this expression is used as in 1Sa_26:10; 1Sa_30:24, because battles were generally fought in the plains, into which the Hebrews were obliged to come down from their mountainous land.
1Sa 29:5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Is not this David - he is an old sworn enemy of theirs; and the more valiant and victorious he has been, the less is he to be trusted. To justify their suspicion, the princes reminded him of their song with which the women in Israel had celebrated David's victory over Goliath (1Sa_18:7).
1Sa 29:6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
As the Lord 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; The swearing by Yahweh seems strange in the mouth of a Philistine. But probably not the very words, but only the sense of this speech is preserved.
Thou hast been upright - So he thought, for as yet he had not heard of the above transaction; David having given him to understand that he had been fighting against Israel .
1Sa 29:7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
1Sa 29:8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? 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?
David said - he did intend to persuade Achish that he would fight against Israel ; and show his fidelity to the king of Gath . It was in the order of God’s gracious providence that the Philistine lords refused to let David go with them to this battle. Had he gone, he had his choice of two sins - First, If he had fought for the Philistines, he would have fought against God and his country. Secondly If he had in the battle gone over to the Israelites, he would have deceived and become a traitor to the hospitable Achish. God, therefore, so ordered it in his mercy that he was not permitted to go to a battle in which he was sure to be disgraced, whatever side he took, or with what success soever he might be crowned.
David said - This was deep dissimulation and flattery, no way to be justified. David must say something to put on an appearance of concern for being dismissed, when he was heartily glad of it: Some scholars think David wanted to fight for the Philistines, others think he did not.
fight against the enemies of my lord the king - These last words are also ambiguous, since the king whom David calls his lord might be understood as meaning either Achish or Saul.
1Sa 29:9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
As an angel of God - There is some reason to think that Achish had actually embraced or was favorably disposed towards the Jewish religion. He speaks here of the angels of God, as a Jew might be expected to speak; and in 1Sa_29:6 he appeals to, and swears by Jehovah; which, perhaps, no Philistine ever did. It is possible that he might have learned many important truths from David, during the time he sojourned with him.
thou art good in my sight as an angel of God - for his great wisdom, and graceful behaviour, and inoffensive carriage:
1Sa 29:10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
with thy master's servants - Meaning his six hundred men, who were considered as the servants and subjects of Saul, though with David:
1Sa 29:11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
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 ;
David and his men - 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 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.
Jezreel - Jezreel, or Esdrelon, was a city of Issachar , afterwards celebrated as the residence of the kings of Israel , delightfully situated in the extensive and fertile plain of the same name,
