Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

1 Samuel 27:2

So David left; he and his six hundred men went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. They moved in and settled down in Gath, with Achish. Each man brought his household; David brought his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel. When Saul was told that David had escaped to Gath, he called off the hunt.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gath;   Maachah;   Philistines;   Thompson Chain Reference - Achish;   Gath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gath;   Gittith;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gath;   Ittai;   Maachah;   Maoch;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Achish;   David;   Gittith;   Ittai;   Maoch;   Palestine;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gath;   Maoch;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Achish;   Maacah;   Maoch;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gath;   Maoch ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Achish;   Maachah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - It'ta-I;   Ma'och;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abimelech;   Achish;   Alliance;   Gath;   Maacah;   Maoch;   Philistines;   Zebah and Zalmunna;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Achish;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gath;   Maacah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So David set out with his six hundred men and went over to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
Hebrew Names Version
David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Akhish the son of Ma`okh, king of Gat.
King James Version
And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Lexham English Bible
So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
English Standard Version
So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New Century Version
So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New English Translation
So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied by his six hundred men.
Amplified Bible
So David and the six hundred men who were with him arose and crossed over to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New American Standard Bible
So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid therefore arose, and he, and the sixe hundreth men that were with him, went vnto Achish the sonne of Maoch King of Gath.
Legacy Standard Bible
So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Contemporary English Version
David and his six hundred men went across the border to stay in Gath with King Achish the son of Maoch. His men brought their families with them. David brought his wife Ahinoam whose hometown was Jezreel, and he also brought his wife Abigail who had been married to Nabal from Carmel.
Complete Jewish Bible
So David set out with his six hundred men and passed on to Akhish the son of Ma‘okh, king of Gat.
Darby Translation
And David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Easy-to-Read Version
So David and his 600 men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maoch. Achish was king of Gath.
George Lamsa Translation
So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish, the son of Maachah, king of Gath.
Good News Translation
So David and his six hundred men went over at once to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Literal Translation
And David rose up and crossed over, he and six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he gat him vp, and wente ouer (with the sixe hundreth men that were with him) vnto Achis the sonne of Maoch kynge of Gath.
American Standard Version
And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Bible in Basic English
So David and the six hundred men who were with him went over to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid arose, and he and the sixe hundred men that were with him, went vnto Achis the sonne of Maoch, king of Gath.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
King James Version (1611)
And Dauid arose, and hee passed ouer with the sixe hundred men that were with him, vnto Achish the sonne of Maoch king of Gath.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So David arose, and the six hundred men that were with him, and he went to Anchus, son Ammach, king of Geth.
English Revised Version
And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Berean Standard Bible
So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid roos, and yede, he and sixe hundrid men with hym, to Achis, the sone of Maoth, kyng of Geth.
Young's Literal Translation
And David riseth, and passeth over, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, unto Achish son of Maoch king of Gath;
Update Bible Version
And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Webster's Bible Translation
And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that [were] with him to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
World English Bible
David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New King James Version
Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New Living Translation
So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
New Life Bible
So David got up and crossed over with his 600 men to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
New Revised Standard
So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David arose, and he and the six hundred men that were with him passed over, unto Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And David arose, and went away, both he and the six hundred men that were with him, to Achis, the son of Maoch, king of Geth.
Revised Standard Version
So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to A'chish the son of Ma'och, king of Gath.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

Contextual Overview

1 David thought to himself, "Sooner or later, Saul's going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to Philistine country. Saul will count me a lost cause and quit hunting me down in every nook and cranny of Israel. I'll be out of his reach for good." 2So David left; he and his six hundred men went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. They moved in and settled down in Gath, with Achish. Each man brought his household; David brought his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel. When Saul was told that David had escaped to Gath, he called off the hunt. 5 Then David said to Achish, "If it's agreeable to you, assign me a place in one of the rural villages. It doesn't seem right that I, your mere servant, should be taking up space in the royal city." 6So Achish assigned him Ziklag. (This is how Ziklag got to be what it is now, a city of the kings of Judah.) David lived in Philistine country a year and four months.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

David: This measure of David's, in uniting himself to the enemies of his God and people, was highly blameable; was calculated to alienate the affections of the Israelites; and led to equivocation, if not downright falsehood.

the six: 1 Samuel 25:13, 1 Samuel 30:8

Achish: 1 Samuel 21:10, 1 Kings 2:40

Reciprocal: Judges 11:3 - vain men 2 Samuel 2:3 - his men 1 Kings 2:39 - Achish 2 Kings 12:17 - against Gath 1 Chronicles 12:1 - these are

Cross-References

Genesis 47:29
When the time came for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said, "Do me this favor. Put your hand under my thigh, a sign that you're loyal and true to me to the end. Don't bury me in Egypt. When I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me alongside them." "I will," he said. "I'll do what you've asked."
Genesis 48:21
Israel then said to Joseph, "I'm about to die. God be with you and give you safe passage back to the land of your fathers. As for me, I'm presenting you, as the first among your brothers, the ridge of land I took from Amorites with my sword and bow."
1 Samuel 20:3
But David said, "Your father knows that we are the best of friends. So he says to himself, ‘Jonathan must know nothing of this. If he does, he'll side with David.' But it's true—as sure as God lives, and as sure as you're alive before me right now—he's determined to kill me."
Proverbs 27:1
Don't brashly announce what you're going to do tomorrow; you don't know the first thing about tomorrow.
Isaiah 38:1
At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, " God says, ‘Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You're going to die. You're not going to get well.'"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David arose,.... From the place where he was:

and he passed over; the borders of land of Canaan:

with the six hundred men that [were] with him; having neither lost any, nor had any added to him, since he was at Keilah, 1 Samuel 23:13;

unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath; whether this was the same Achish David was with before, 1 Samuel 21:10, is not certain; it seems as if he was not the same, since he is described as the son of Maoch, as if it was to distinguish him from him; though it is not improbable that he was the same person. Some think a that he is described not from his father, but from his mother, whose name was Maacha. The circumstances of David were now very much altered from what they were when he went to Gath before; then he went secretly, now openly; then as a person unknown, now as well known; then alone, now with six hundred men; then when discovered he was seized by the princes of Gath, and brought before the king, and was driven from his presence; but now he came either at the invitation of Achish, hearing how he had been treated by Saul, and thinking to attach him to his interest, and make him more and more the enemy of Saul, and so free himself from a very powerful one, and of whose wisdom and prudence, and military skill, and courage, and valour, he might hope to avail himself; or David sent an embassy to him, to treat with him about his coming into his country, and settlement in it, and terms to mutual satisfaction were agreed upon.

a Hieron. Trad. Heb, in 2 Reg. fol. 78. E.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 27:2. David arose, and he passed over - unto Achish — There is not one circumstance in this transaction that is not blameable. David joins the enemies of his God and of his country, acts a most inhuman part against the Geshurites and Amalekites, without even the pretense of a Divine authority; tells a most deliberate falsehood to Achish, his protector, relative to the people against whom he had perpetrated this cruel act; giving him to understand that he had been destroying the Israelites, his enemies. I undertake no defence of this conduct of David; it is all bad, all defenceless; God vindicates him not. The inspired penman tells what he did, but passes no eulogium upon his conduct; and it is false to say that, because these things are recorded, therefore they are approved. In all these transactions David was in no sense a man after God's own heart. Chandler attempts to vindicate all this conduct: those who can receive his saying, let them receive it.


 
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