Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 1 Samuel · Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII.
DAVID having had such experience of Sauls irreconcileable hatred against V. 1, 2.him, so that he thought he could no where be safe in the land of Israel, fleeth againe into the Philistims countrey, and to the same Achish King of Gath, to whom he fled once before ch. 21. 10. This flight of David is justified by Lyra, because he might use any meanes by fleeing into any place to preserve himselfe, and his company: for if he had stayed still in the land of Israel, Lyra.they must have beene beholding to some of Sauls subjects for reliefe, and hereby those subjects might have beene endangered, as Ahimelech was. And he did not flee out of feare to be destroyed by Saul, but that he might not be forced to fight against him, whereby many of his men might perish, and others that were with Saul compelled to this warfare, whom David was unwilling to slay. But Martyr, Junius, and Osiander hold, that David shewed great Peter Martyr. Iunius. Osiander.weakenesse in thus fleeing, for his owne words doe shew, that he feared to perish by the hands of Saul; and the unlawfulnesse of the fact appeareth, 1. Because he fled to the enemies of the true religion, as if a Captaine with a band of men being Christians, should flee to the Turke, to fight for him. 3. He went from his calling, which was to be King over Israel and to defend them, but he went to joyne with their enemies. 3. Many inconveniences followed hereupon, as 1. he was driven to dissemble a going to warre against Judah, and other parts of Israel, v. 10. 2. Ziklag was burned, 3. he was in danger indeed of going to fight against his owne people &c. I doe with Lyra rather thinke that David may be justified in his fleeing into the Philistims country to 2 Sam. 29.be out of Sauls danger, for it doth not argue, that he fled thither out of distrust in God, because he said, I shall one day perish by the hands of Saul, for hee meant, if he did not seeke to preserve himselfe by fleeing, he should be in danger, that is, if he did not use the best meanes that he could devise, for his owne preservation, but meanes he meant to use, as is the part of every one, that trusteth in God and hath the greatest promises, and thus he trusted to be preserved by God to the Kingdome, whereunto he had beene anointed.
For his fleeing to the enemies of the true religion, it may be excused, because they being great enemies to Saul he was likely to be most safe amongst them, but with what griefe he fled thither in regard that they were Idolaters, his former speech did declare ch. 26. 19. Where he curseth those that were the cause of it. Indeed if there had beene any other country neare in hostility with Saul, that had not beene Idolatrous, he had beene worthy to be blamed for making this his refuge. Moreover he had fled before into Moah, although he stayed not, for he was bidden to returne againe into the parts of Judah, wherein he obeyed and did some good service to his country, and being so ill requited, both by the men of Keilah whom he had rescued, and the Ziphims, and having thrice narrowly escaped Sauls hands, he thought it not fit to tarry amongst men so false hearted any more, and therefore fleeth for his safeguard into Palestina, as Christ fled afterwards into the parts of Tyrus and Sidon, when the Jewes persecuted him, and Joseph with him into Aegypt in his infancy upon good warrant, even the warning of God himselfe. For his being necessitated thus to fight against his owne country, or to faigne so to doe, this and other inconveniences were accidentall, he knew not when he went downe to Gath, that ever any such trust should by that King be reposed in him, to be required to goe against his brethren, but that he might be imployed onelyonly against other eenemies of that State. Some thinke that this Achish was not the same, to whom he fled before, but another, that raigned in his stead, described therefore by his mother Ma…ch for distinction. And the Rabbins say, that he had sent to R. KimhiAchish to treate with him about his comming before he went, which is not improbable, because he with his men might be sit to doe him good service, for which cause he thought that he might be willing to entertaine him, for so did Xerxes receive Themistocles, the Lacedemonians Alcibiades, and the Volsci Coriolanus, as Martyr hath it. Lastly, whereas it is objected, that he forsooke his calling, Peter Martyr.he did not, but reserved himselfe till God would call him backe againe, and make way for him by cutting off Saul, that he might come and be a Captaine to his people, which he could not yet doe by reason of Sauls malice and envy against him.
Saul hearing, that David was in Gath, ceaseth to seeke after him any more, V. 4.because he could not there come unto him, and happily he thought that he should never come safely from thence againe, because he was knowne to be the P. Martyr.man, that killed Goliah, and slew after that 200 Philistims, and cut off their foreskinnes, to their greater ignominy.
Then David having dwelt a while in Gath with Achish, desired of him some V. 5.other place to dwell in, because Gath was the chiefe City, where Achish himselfe dwelt, and therefore unfit for him and his men, being so meane in comparison of the King, to dwell in together with him. Wherefore Achish gave V. 6, 7.him Ziklag, where he dwelt one yeare foure months, and by reason of this gift of Achish, it was ever after a Towne pertaining to David and to his posterity, the Kings of Judah. Touching Davids desire to remove from Gath, he did it in modesty, because it was not fit for him being a stranger, to dwell in so eminent a place, for one farre meaner would agree better to his condition; but as Lyra hath it, he had another end herein, viz. that he might the more Lyra. Osiander.freely goe forth with his men to prey upon the bordering Nations, and thus, get a living for them, whom he could not otherwise maintaine being so many, without putting the King to great charge. Moreover he did thus, saith Borrhaeus, Borrhaeus.to avoid the envy of the Philistims, and because he could not away with their vices and Idolatry. And Ziklag was assigned unto him, not without a Junius.singular providence, for Josh. 15. 31. it was assigned to the Tribe of Jadah, but hitherto unjustly detained by the Philistims, but now it was restored to the right owners, and so continued. And forsomuch as David had now a place of his owne, many were hereby moved to come unto him, 1 Chron. 12. 12, 22, till his Army was growne very great. For the time of Davids aboad here Hebr: it is said foreign dayes and foure months, the Vulg. Lat. making nothing of the dayes, leaveth that out, and hath it onelyonly foure months, and R. Solomon by dayes understandeth two dayes, as Lyra sheweth, but he saith, that by the Lyra.word foreign are understood either naturall dayes, or a yeare or yeares, and thus rather he thinketh it is to be understood a yeare or two yeares and foure months, because ch. 29. Achish said to the other Princes of the Philistims, that David had beene with him many dayes, that is, a long time, wherein he had experience of his fidelity, and to expresse certainely a longer time, then foure months, he saith, these dayes or these yeares, so that the time of his aboad there, must needes be more then one yeare, that is, a yeare at the least and foure months of another yeare, and this may be further confirmed from ch. 1. 21. where the yearely sacrifice is called the sacrifice of dayes, and because it is put before the months here, as the greater number, whereas a lesser number is never wont to be put before a greater, as dayes before months, but contrariwise yeares and months before dayes, therefore Josephus erred, saying, he was there foure months and twenty dayes, and Vatablus foure months and certaine daies, and Kimhi seven months in the whole, which was the time betwixt the death of Samuel and of Saul, and the Sept. only foure months.
Then David went and invaded the Geshurittes, Gezrites, and Amalekites, &c. Of the Geshuritets we read Josh. 12. 5. that they dwelt at the first in Geshur in the V. 8.land of Gilead, and of the Gezrites, Josh. 16. 3. that they dwelt in Gezer, belonging to Ephraim, but for feare of the people of Israel they removed and dwelt amongst the Amalekites, and when they now thought themselves safe from all enemies, David came upon them and destroyed them, and tooke their spile, as he might well doe, because they were Canaanites adjudged long agoe to destruction. And in destroying these peoples, David went so far, that he spared V. 9. V. 11. V. 10.neither man nor woman, the reason whereof is rendered v. 11. lest they should tell, what he did, whereas he dissembled to Achish v. 10. that his going was against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, but if any of them had beene left alive, they would have discovered the contrary, and then happily Achish would have beene offended with him, because although they were none of the Philistims, yet it may be that they were in league with them, or under their tribute, as Lyra saith. For his dissimulation to the King, he cannot Lyra. P. Martyr.plainely be charged with lying, as Peter Martyr chargeth him, for those people dwelt on the south of Judah, and in places of right belonging to them, Iunius.so that his answer was ambignous, he might be understood either to have fought against Judah, or those peoples inhabiting upon the south of that Tribe, and Achish being willing, that he should fight against Judah, was easily brought to understand his speech accordingly, as Josephus saith, yet as Junius hath it, Josephus.he declined some what from that simplicity, that ought to be in a good man through weakenesse, but he thought thus to give the better content to Achish, as indeed he did. Of the Jerahmeelites read 1 Chron. 2. 9, 25. they came of Jerahmeel, the first borne of Hezron, of the Tribe of Judah: of the Kenites, Judg. 1. 16.
Mystically by David leaving Judea and fleeing into the Philistims country, The Mystery. Lyra.Christ was figured out, who fled or went by his ministers from the Jewes to the Gentiles, and the rooting out of errours in those places, where they came, by Davids destroying of all, not suffering one to live, for by killing the subduing Act. 10.of the Gentiles to the faith by Peter was set forth.