Bible Study 1 Samuel 27
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1 Samuel 27 · WEB

David Among the Philistines at Ziklag

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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David said in his heart, "I will now perish 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 I will escape out of his hand."
2David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
4It was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; and he stopped seeking him.
5David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there; for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"
6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.
7The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
8David and his men went up and made a raid on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.
9David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing; and he returned and came to Achish.
10Achish said, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David said, "Against the South of Judah, against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites."
11David saved neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they tell about us, saying, 'So David did.'" So David was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.
12Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel to utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever."
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Summary

After sixteen months of being pursued by Saul, David despairs and seeks refuge with the Philistine king Achish of Gath. He requests and receives the border town of Ziklag as his base. For sixteen months David conducts raids against Israel's ancient enemies — the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites — while deceiving Achish into thinking he is raiding Israelite territory. By killing all survivors, he maintains the deception. Achish concludes David has permanently alienated himself from Israel and will serve him loyally.

Themes

  • The consequences of fear-driven decisions — David's despair leads to a morally compromising double life
  • Living among enemies: the tension between survival and integrity
  • Deception as a strategy of the weak — and its spiritual and moral costs
  • The providential use of a flawed situation — Ziklag becomes David's permanent royal grant

Key verses

  • 1 Sam 27:1 — “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines.”
  • 1 Sam 27:12 — “Achish believed David, saying, 'He has made his people Israel to utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.'”
  • 1 Sam 27:6 — “Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.”

Context & background

Ziklag's exact location is debated, but it is generally associated with the modern southern Israel/Negev region, possibly Tell esh-Shari'a or Tel Halif, roughly 24-30 km northeast of Beersheba. It was a frontier town between Philistine and Israelite territory. Gath (modern Tell es-Safi, central Israel) was Achish's capital. The Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites were ancient semi-nomadic peoples in the Negev and Sinai who posed persistent threats to settled communities. David's strategy of leaving no survivors to report his actual targets was cold and calculated, reflecting the moral ambiguity of this low point in his life. The narrator notes that Ziklag "belongs to the kings of Judah to this day," signaling its permanent significance.

Cross-references

  • 1 Sam 21:10-15 — David's first visit to Gath, where he feigned madness; now he returns with an army.
  • 1 Sam 30 — The Amalekites David was supposed to be eliminating will return to raid Ziklag.
  • 2 Sam 1:1; 2:1 — David at Ziklag receives news of Saul's death and then seeks God's direction to Hebron.
  • Josh 15:31; 19:5 — Ziklag was allocated to Judah and then Simeon in Joshua's land assignments, though never fully occupied.
  • Ps 34:18 — "Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart" — applicable to David's despair at the start of this chapter.

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What was David's stated reason for fleeing to the Philistines, and what was Saul's reaction?

  2. Observe

    Whom did David actually raid while telling Achish he was raiding Judah, and why did he leave no survivors?

  3. Interpret

    What does it suggest about David's spiritual state that this decision is framed entirely in human reasoning with no inquiry of Yahweh?

  4. Interpret

    What are the long-term costs of living a double life, even when one's targets are ostensibly Israel's enemies?

  5. Apply

    How should a believer respond when, like David, their trust in God's protection runs out in a long season of pressure?

  6. Apply

    What helps maintain integrity when prolonged stress tempts toward compromise?

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