1 Samuel 29:1-5

David Is Rejected by the Philistine Leaders

29:1 The Philistines assembled all their troops ¹  at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel. 29:2 When the leaders of the Philistines were passing in review at the head of their units of hundreds and thousands, ²  David and his men were passing in review in the rear with Achish.

29:3 The leaders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish said to the leaders of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me for quite some time? ³  I have found no fault with him from the day of his defection until the present time!” ⁴ 

29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said ⁵  to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become ⁶  our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? ⁷  29:5 Isn’t this David, of whom they sang as they danced, ⁸ 

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands’?”

[29:1]  ¹ tn Heb “camps.”

[29:2]  ² tn Heb “passing by with respect to hundreds and thousands.” This apparently describes a mustering of troops for the purpose of inspection and readiness.

[29:3]  ³ tn Heb “these days or these years.”

[29:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “from the day of his falling [away] until this day.”

[29:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”

[29:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “so that he might not become.”

[29:4]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.

[29:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “in dances.”