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1 Samuel 29:3

in 1 Samuel 29

Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day?

KJV

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?

This verse in 1 Samuel 29

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

These days, or these years - I suppose these words to mark no definite time, and may be understood thus: “Is not this David, who has been with me for a considerable time?”

This site's exposition

What do these Hebrews here

on 1 Samuel 29:3-4

Achish defends David to his own princes with a plain testimonial, no fault found in him since the day he fell unto me. The princes answer with military logic David cannot disprove, that a man cannot buy his way back into Saul's favor except with Philistine heads, and their suspicion sits closer to the truth than Achish's trust, since David had spent his months at Ziklag raiding towns he never reported to his Philistine lord. The scene sets one Gentile king's honest good opinion against shrewder men who read the case rightly for the wrong reason.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church4 voices

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, etc. Achish praising the friendship of David, the angry princes of the Philistines avoid his companionship in battle, fearing his fighting prowess as fame spreads. Finally, among other things they say:

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

And Achish called David, and said to him, etc. Achish himself indeed declares David to be upright, innocent, and good, as an angel of God; but so as not to offend the eyes of the Philistine princes, he orders him to withdraw from the battle, …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

Is this not David? etc. While the Church of the nations praises the faith in Christ, through which eternal life is deserved, angry philosophers and priests of idols fear to believe in Him, whose word they mourn has destroyed their worship and wisdom; they see …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

The princes of the Philistines said: What do these Hebrews want? The pagans despise the life, society, and doctrine of the faithful of Christ, who are justly called Hebrews, that is, those who pass over; because they now know how to transit from vices to …

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

What confidence can we put in them, or what service can we expect from them?" A Hebrew is out of his place, and, if he has the spirit of a Hebrew, is out of his element, when he is in the camp of the Philistines, and deserves to be made uneasy there.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes

2 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Then said the princes of the Philistines,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

He fell unto me - The regular word for deserting and going over to the other side. See Jer 37:13; Jer 38:19.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

From the day he settled. From the day of his camping with me. 1 See Bereishis:18, and Rashi there explains that נָפָל means ‘dwelt.’
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Samuel 29:3:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

35 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙and they said

    vaiyomeruH5595305 times

  • שָׂרֵ֣י[the] commanders of

    sareiH8269421 times

  • פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים[the] Philistines

    felishtimH6430287 times

  • מָ֖הwhat?

    mahH4100752 times

  • הָעִבְרִ֣ים[are] the Hebrews

    haivrimH568034 times

  • הָאֵ֑לֶּה<the> these

    haelehH428746 times

  • וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH5595305 times

  • אָכִ֜ישׁAchish

    ʾakhishH39721 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H4135510 times

  • שָׂרֵ֣י[the] commanders of

    sareiH8269421 times

  • פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים[the] Philistines

    felishtimH6430287 times

  • הֲלֽוֹא־¿ not

    halo'-H38085168 times

  • זֶ֨ה[is] this

    zehH20881180 times

  • דָוִ֜דDavid

    davidH1732999 times

  • עֶ֣בֶד׀[the] servant of

    ʾevedH5650799 times

  • שָׁא֣וּלSaul

    shaulH7586402 times

  • מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of

    melekh-H44282525 times

  • יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לIsrael

    yisraelH34782507 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֨רwho

    ʾasherH8345497 times

  • הָיָ֤הhe has been

    hayahH19613559 times

  • אִתִּי֙with me

    ʾitiH854929 times

  • זֶ֤הthis

    zehH20881180 times

  • יָמִים֙days

    yamimH31172304 times

  • אוֹ־or

    ʾov-H176321 times

  • זֶ֣הthis

    zehH20881180 times

  • שָׁנִ֔יםyears

    shanimH8141877 times

  • וְלֹֽא־and not

    velo'-H38085168 times

  • מָצָ֤אתִיI have found

    matzatiH4672455 times

  • בוֹ֙in <the> him

    vo

  • מְא֔וּמָהanything

    meumahH397232 times

  • מִיּ֥וֹםfrom [the] day

    miyomH31172304 times

  • נָפְל֖וֹfell he

    nafeloH5307435 times

  • עַד־until

    ʾad-H57041261 times

  • הַיּ֥וֹםthe day

    haiyomH31172304 times

  • הַזֶּֽה׃ פ<the> this

    hazehH20881180 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Romans 12:17

    Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 20:22

      Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:15

      Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

    • 1 Peter 3:9

      Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

    • Matthew 5:39

      But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;

    • 2 Corinthians 8:20–21

      We hope to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.

  • Through

    Daniel 6:5

    Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel, unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”

    it leads to

    • Acts 24:13–16

      Nor can they prove to you any of their charges against me.

    • Esther 3:8

      Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey…

    • 1 Samuel 24:17

      and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I have rewarded you with evil.

About 1 Samuel

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.