1 Samuel 29:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Achish answered David and said, "I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’

NIV: Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.’

NASB: But Achish replied to David, 'I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us into the battle.’

CSB: Achish answered David, "I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’

NLT: But Achish insisted, 'As far as I’m concerned, you’re as perfect as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are afraid to have you with them in the battle.

KJV: And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art 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.

NKJV: Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’

First Samuel 29:6–11 records the Philistine king, Achish, sadly sending David home. David and his men have been under Achish's protection from Saul for over a year, and Achish has brought them to fight the Israelites with the other Philistine armies. Those other commanders, however, don't trust David, so Achish dismisses them (1 Samuel 29:1–5). When David and his men return, their city is burned, and their families are gone. Despite their fatigue, they overtake the Amalekites and rescue their wives and children (1 Samuel 30). Meanwhile, Saul and three of his sons die in battle (1 Samuel 31).

David, his men, and their families have been hiding from King Saul under the protection of Achish, Philistine king of Gath (1 Samuel 27:1–2). Achish so thoroughly trusts that David has rejected the Israelites that he plans to take David and his men into battle with him against the Israelites. The Philistine commanders reject this idea and tell Achish to send David back home. David protests, but Achish has no choice but to order David to return to the land of the Philistines to sit out the battle against Israel.

The Philistines are renewing their war against the Israelites (1 Samuel 28:1). Achish, king of Gath, insists that David and his men fight with him in the battle against Israel. The Philistine commanders wisely reject the idea of allowing these Israelites among their ranks in battle, no matter how much Achish trusts David. David protests, and Achish expresses his regret, but the king sends David and his men back home. They will arrive to find their families captured and their city burnt (1 Samuel 30:1).

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.