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1 Samuel Chapter 29 (WBT)

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1 Samuel Chapter 29 (WBT)
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1 Now the Philistines collected all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which [is] in Jezreel.

2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.

3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What [do] these Hebrews [here]? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, [Is] not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell [to me] to this day?

4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this man 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 should be an adversary to us: for with what would he reconcile himself to his master? [would it] not [be] with the heads of these men?

5 [Is] not this David, of whom they sung one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

6 Then Achish called David, and said to 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 from the day of thy coming to me to this day: nevertheless the lords favor thee not.

7 Therefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.

8 And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant, so long as I have been with thee to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king.

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.

10 Wherefore now rise early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye shall have risen early in the morning, and have light, depart.

11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do the Philistine commanders distrust David in 1 Samuel 29?
As the Philistine army musters at Aphek, the other lords object to David marching with them, afraid he might turn on them mid-battle to win back favor with Saul, recalling how Israel once sang "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" about him (v.3-5) - the same song raised concerns about him back in 1 Samuel 21:11.
How does Achish treat David in this chapter?
Achish personally vouches for David, telling him "as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright," but explains he has no power to overrule the other Philistine princes' objections (v.6-9).
What does David do after being sent away from the battle?
David and his men are dismissed early the next morning and head back toward Philistine territory while the Philistine army marches on to Jezreel (v.10-11), sparing David from having to fight against Israel before the crisis at Ziklag unfolds in 1 Samuel 30.

Today's Verse

but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

Daniel 2:28 | ASV

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