1 Samuel 29 (WEB)

1 Samuel 29

¹ Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and the Israelites encamped by the spring which is in Jezreel.

² The lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.

³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years? I have found no fault in him since he fell away until today.”

⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For with what should this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Should it not be with the heads of these men?

⁵ Isn’t this David, of whom people sang to one another in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords don’t favor you.

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

⁸ David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ Achish answered David, “I know that you are 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 Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you; and as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”

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

Around 1 Samuel 29

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

1 Samuel 29 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The Philistine armies gather at Aphek, and David and his men march in the rear with Achish. The Philistine lords see them and ask what these Hebrews are doing there. Achish vouches for David, saying he has found no fault in him. The lords are not persuaded. They remember the song about Saul's thousands and David's ten thousands, and they fear that David will win back his master's favor with their heads in the middle of the battle.

So Achish calls David and, with real regret, sends him home. He tells David he has been upright, as good as an angel of God in his sight. David protests, asking what he has done wrong, and Achish stays firm. David rises early with his men and goes back toward the land of the Philistines, while the Philistines go up to Jezreel.

Background

David has talked himself into a corner in chapter 27. Marching with the Philistines against Israel would have put him against his own people and against Saul on the day Saul died, and the text never says what he would have done. The chapter resolves the problem without showing David's choice, since the Philistine lords refuse him. Readers have long seen God's providence in that. The sending home sets up the disaster at Ziklag in the next chapter.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 29 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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