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1 Samuel 29:4

in 1 Samuel 29

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. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?

KJV

And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?

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This verse in 1 Samuel 29

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The princes of the Philistines were wroth - It is strange that they had not yet heard of David’s destruction of a village of the Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites, 1Sa 27:8, 1Sa 27:9. Had they heard of this, they would have seen much more cause for suspicion.

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.

This site's exposition

the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown fault David for what he tells Achish at 29:8, offering to fight against the enemies of the king when he likely had no purpose to fight. They see an earlier false step bearing its fruit. The anger of the commanders keeps David out of the battle.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

David Leaves the Philistines. 6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the L ORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:95%@v4-6

And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

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. It is just an instance of the unhappy consequences into which a false step--a departure from the straight course of duty--will betray everyone who commits it.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

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.

  • וַיִּקְצְפ֨וּand they were angry

    vaiyiktzefuH7107 →

  • עָלָ֜יוtowards him

    ʾalavH5921 →5755 times

  • שָׂרֵ֣י[the] commanders of

    sareiH8269 →421 times

  • פְלִשְׁתִּ֗ים[the] Philistines

    felishtimH6430 →287 times

  • וַיֹּ֣אמְרוּand they said

    vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times

  • לוֹ֩to <the> him

    lo

  • שָׂרֵ֨י[the] commanders of

    sareiH8269 →421 times

  • פְלִשְׁתִּ֜ים[the] Philistines

    felishtimH6430 →287 times

  • הָשֵׁ֣בsend back

    hashevH7725 →1056 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָאִ֗ישׁthe man

    haishH376 →1663 times

  • וְיָשֹׁב֙so may he return

    veyashoH7725 →1056 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • מְקוֹמוֹ֙place his

    mekomoH4725 →401 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwhere

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • הִפְקַדְתּ֣וֹyou assigned him

    hifkadtoH6485 →303 times

  • שָׁ֔םthere

    shamH8033 →834 times

  • וְלֹֽא־and not

    velo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • יֵרֵ֤דhe will go down

    yeredH3381 →381 times

  • עִמָּ֙נוּ֙with us

    ʾimanuH5973 →1050 times

  • בַּמִּלְחָמָ֔הin the battle

    bamilchamahH4421 →320 times

  • וְלֹא־and not

    velo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • יִֽהְיֶה־he will become

    yihyeh-H1961 →3559 times

  • לָּ֥נוּof us

    lanu

  • לְשָׂטָ֖ן<into> an adversary

    lesatanH7854 →

  • בַּמִּלְחָמָ֑הin the battle

    bamilchamahH4421 →320 times

  • וּבַמֶּ֗הand <in> how?

    uvamehH4100 →752 times

  • יִתְרַצֶּ֥הwill he make himself acceptable

    yitratzehH7521 →

  • זֶה֙this one

    zehH2088 →1180 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אֲדֹנָ֔יוmaster<s> his

    ʾadonavH113 →333 times

  • הֲל֕וֹא¿ not

    halo'H3808 →5168 times

  • בְּרָאשֵׁ֖יby [the] heads of

    berasheiH7218 →599 times

  • הָאֲנָשִׁ֥יםthe men

    haanashimH582 →566 times

  • הָהֵֽם׃<the> those

    hahemH1992 →553 times

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

Related verses

8 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Samuel 14:21And the Hebrews who had previously gone up into the surrounding camps of the Philistines now went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.6 worksPsalms 56:1Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.6 works1 Chronicles 12:19Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)3 works1 Samuel 27:6That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.3 works1 Samuel 29:9Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’3 works1 Samuel 30:1On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.3 works
The other 2 cross-references, with their words ▾
Luke 16:8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.2 works1 Chronicles 19:3the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Have not his servants come to you to explore the land, spy it out, and overthrow it?”2 works

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

    Luke 16:8

    The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.

    it leads to

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:5

      For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness.

    • Ephesians 5:8

      For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

    • John 12:36

      While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of light.” After Jesus had spoken these things, He went away and was hidden from them.

    • Luke 16:10

      Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

    • Proverbs 6:6–8

      Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 12:19

    Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will…

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 29:2–9

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

  • Through

    1 Samuel 27:6

    That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.

    it leads to

About 1 Samuel

David Slays Goliath, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
David Slays Goliath, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 29 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & 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.

Read on in 1 Samuel 29 →