1 Samuel 27:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

NIV: So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.

NASB: So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

CSB: That day Achish gave Ziklag to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today.

NLT: So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day),

KJV: Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

NKJV: So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

First Samuel 27:5–7 describes David ruling over his own people in his own land for the first time. He has found protection for his people from Saul with Achish, king of the Philistine city of Gath. Achish is more impressed with Saul's hatred of David than David's reputation as a warrior, and takes them in. Now, David asks for and Achish gives him a city where David's people can finally rest. They stay there over a year, secretly fighting Israel's enemies while they tell Achish they're fighting Israel (1 Samuel 27:8–12).

David takes his people to safety. Convinced that Saul will eventually kill him, David asks the king of the Philistine city of Gath to provide protection for him, his men, and their families. Achish agrees and eventually gives David the town of Ziklag. From there, David and his men conduct raids on Israel's enemies and bring the king some of the plunder. David tells the king he has been attacking the people of Israel and their allies, and Achish believes the lie, growing to trust David fully. Even better, Saul stops hunting them.

After being hunted by King Saul (1 Samuel 24—26), David finds safety with the Philistines. Saul will never stop trying to kill him, but King Achish of Gath is willing to give David and his people a city of their own. Achish trusts David so much he brings David and his men to fight the Israelites. David goes willingly, but the other Philistine kings refuse to fight with the man who killed so many of them. David's unit returns to find their city burned and their wives and children taken. While they rescue their families, Saul and Jonathan die in battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 29—31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.

Accessed 9/17/2025 1:12:32 PM