1 Samuel 27:1

And David said in his heart: 'I shall now be swept away one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.'

JPS TaNaKH 1917

In The King James Version

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

In Context

2And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

Read all of 1 Samuel 27

Cross References

Numbers 14:3And wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey; were it not better for us to return into Egypt?'

1 Samuel 16:13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 21:10(21-11) And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

1 Samuel 22:5And the prophet Gad said unto David: 'Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.' Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

1 Samuel 25:30And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that He hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel;

1 Samuel 28:1And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their hosts together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David: 'Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me in the host, thou and thy men.'

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 27:1

David was a man after God's own heart, and yet he had his faults, which are recorded, not for our imitation, but for our admonition; witness the story of this chapter, in which, though, I. We find, to his praise, that he prudently took care of his own safety and his family's ( ver. 2-4 ) and valiantly fought Israel's battles against the Canaanites ( ver. 8-9 ), yet, II. We find, to his dishonour, 1. That he began to despair of his deliverance, ver. 1 . 2. That he deserted his own country, and went to dwell in the… Read the whole commentary →

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