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1 Samuel Chapter 29 (YLT)

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1 Samuel 29: The Philistines Send David Away
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1 And the Philistines gather all their camps to Aphek, and the Israelites are encamping at a fountain which `is' in Jezreel,

2 and the princes of the Philistines are passing on by hundreds, and by thousands, and David and his men are passing on in the rear with Achish.

3 And the heads of the Philistines say, `What `are' these Hebrews?' and Achish saith unto the heads of the Philistines, `Is not this David servant of Saul king of Israel, who hath been with me these days or these years, and I have not found in him anything `wrong' from the day of his falling away till this day.'

4 And the heads of the Philistines are wroth against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him, `Send back the man, and he doth turn back unto his place whither thou hast appointed him, and doth not go down with us into battle, and is not to us for an adversary in battle; and wherewith doth this one reconcile himself unto his lord -- is it not with the heads of those men?'

5 Is not this David, of whom they answer in choruses, saying, Saul hath smitten among his thousands, and David among his myriads?'

6 And Achish calleth unto David, and saith unto him, `Jehovah liveth, surely thou `art' upright, and good in mine eyes is thy going out, and thy coming in, with me in the camp, for I have not found in thee evil from the day of thy coming in unto me till this day; and in the eyes of the princes thou art not good;

7 and now, turn back, and go in peace, and thou dost do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.'

8 And David saith unto Achish, `But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant from the day that I have been before thee till this day -- that I go not in and have fought against the enemies of my lord the king?'

9 And Achish answereth and saith unto David, `I have known that thou `art' good in mine eyes as a messenger of God; only, the princes of the Philistines have said, He doth not go up with us into battle;

10 and now, rise thou early in the morning, and the servants of thy lord who have come with thee, when ye have risen early in the morning, and have light, then go ye.'

11 And David riseth early, he and his men, to go in the morning, to turn back unto the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone 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

A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me.

John 16:16 | ASV

Verse Of The Day

Achish reluctantly agrees to send David home before the fighting starts, sparing him from choosing between the Philistines and his own people. The story picks up right after in 1 Samuel 30, following the road back from 1 Samuel 28.