Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

“In this place his person must have been known, and to venture into that country, he their greatest enemy, and with the sword of Goliath in his hand, would seem to have been a perilous experiment; but, doubtless, the protection he received implies that he…”

So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him…

“They are on the borders of the Philistine plain at the base of the Judea mountains, six miles southwest from Beth-lehem, and well adapted for concealing a number of refugees. his brethren and all his father's house . . .”

From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I learn what God…

“David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab--"Mizpeh" signifies a watchtower, and it is evident that it must be taken in this sense here, for it is called "the hold" or fort (1Sa 22:4).”

Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah.”

“It was right to appear publicly among the people of his own tribe, as one conscious of innocence and trusting in God; and it was expedient that, on the death of Saul, his friends might be encouraged to support his interest.”

Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

“But they chose rather to disobey the king than to offend God by imbruing their hands in the blood of his ministering servants. A foreigner alone (Ps 52:1-3) could be found willing to be the executioner of this bloody and sacrilegious sentence.”

He also put to the sword Nob, the city of the priests, with its men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.

“Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword--The barbarous atrocities perpetrated against this city seem to have been designed to terrify all the subjects of Saul from affording either aid or an asylum to David.”

So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

“To repel unprovoked assaults on unoffending people who were engaged in their harvest operations, was a humane and benevolent service.”

Then Saul summoned all his troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.

“Saul called all the people together to war--not the united tribes of Israel, but the inhabitants of the adjoining districts. This force was raised, probably, on the ostensible pretext of opposing the Philistines, while, in reality, it was secretly to arouse mischief against David.”

Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?

“No wonder, then, that the Ziphites saw David and his men passing to and fro in the mountains of the wilderness.”

and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon.

“The mountain plateau seems here to end. It is true the summit ridge of the southern hills runs out a long way further towards the southwest; but towards the southeast the ground sinks more and more down to a tableland of a lower level, which…”

After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!”

“He seems to have been naturally susceptible of strong, and, as in this instance, of good and grateful impressions.”

When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.

“The Hebrews took as great care to provide sepulchers anciently as people do in the East still, where every respectable family has its own house of the dead.”

But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.

“Their protection creates a claim for some kind of tribute, in the shape of supplies of food and necessaries, which is usually given with great good will and gratitude; but when withheld, is enforced as a right.”

But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

“Michal--By the unchallengeable will of her father, she who was David's wife was given to another. But she returned and sustained the character of his wife when he ascended the throne.”

Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped.

“Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him--Among the nomad people of the East, the encampments are usually made in a circular form.”

Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke.

“Besides, he was the sovereign; Though God had rejected him from the kingdom, it was in every way the best and most dutiful course, instead of precipitating his fall by imbruing their hands in his blood and thereby contracting the guilt of a great crime…”

But the LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”

“This common custom of Arab sheiks was also the practice of the Hebrew chiefs. at his bolster--literally, "at his head"; perhaps, Saul as a sovereign had the distinguished luxury of a bolster carried for him.”

Then David crossed to the other side and stood atop the mountain at a distance; there was a wide gulf between them.

“Then David . . . stood on the top of an hill afar off . . . and cried to the people--(See on Jud 9:7).”

Saul said to him, “May you be blessed, David my son. You will accomplish great things and will surely prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

“So David went on his way--Notwithstanding this sudden relenting of Saul, David placed no confidence in his professions or promises, but wisely kept at a distance and awaited the course of Providence.”

David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul.

“David said in his heart, . . . there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines--This resolution of David's was, in every respect, wrong: (1) It was removing him from the place where the divine…”

The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.

“To her house he repaired by night in disguise, accompanied by two faithful servants. En-dor--"the fountain of the circle" (that figure being constantly affected by magicians) was situated directly on the other side of the Gilboa range, opposite Tabor; so that, in this midnight adventure…”

So Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men.

“On the other hand, many eminent writers (considering that the apparition came before her arts were put in practice; that she herself was surprised and alarmed; that the prediction of Saul's own death and the defeat of his forces was confidently made), are of opinion…”

Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

“A person who compares the Bible account of Saul's last battle with the Philistines, with the region around Gilboa, has the same sort of evidence that the account relates what is true, that a person would have that such a battle as Waterloo really took…”

As the Philistine leaders marched out their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.

“David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish--as the commander of the lifeguards of Achish, who was general of this invading army of the Philistines.”

But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him.

“But David is not free from censure in his professions to Achish (1Sa 29:8), to do what he probably had not the smallest purpose of doing--of fighting with Achish against his enemies.”