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1 SAMUEL 29

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:1-5
  ¹Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring which is in Jezreel. ²And the lords of the Philistines were proceeding on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were proceeding on in the rear with Achish. ³Then the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?" ⁴But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man go back, that he may return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men? ⁵Is this not David, of whom they sing in the dances, saying,
 'Saul has slain his thousands,
 And David his ten thousands'?"

29:1 "to Aphek" This word (BDB 67) has an uncertain etymology, possibly

1. "river bed," KB 80
2. "stronghold," KB 80, BDB 67
3. "enclosure" (from VERBAL root), BDB 67

There are several places/cities by this designation

1. on the coast near Joppa
2. on the coast near Acco
3. east of the Sea of Galilee
4. on the eastern Philistine border south of Timnah
5. Aphekah, southwest of Hebron
6. Aphekah, east of Byblos

A good atlas picture is in The MacMillan Bible Atlas, p. 74, map #95. BDB says it is the same city as mentioned in Josh. 12:18 (cf. 1 Kgs. 20:26,30; 2 Kgs. 13:17).

29:2 "the lords" This is a Philistine loan word (BDB 710). It refers to the "kings" of the five city-states of the Philistine area (cf. v. 7; 1 Sam. 5:8).

▣ "by hundreds and by thousands" These are not numbers only but military groupings.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

29:3 "the commanders" This is a generic term (BDB 978) for "chieftain," "ruler," "official," "captain," "prince." Here, it refers to the Philistine military commanders.

▣ "Hebrews" This (BDB 720, KB 782) term is mostly used by non-Israelite people to designate Israelites. Its etymology seems to be "one from the other side," possibly referring to "those coming from the eastern side of the Jordan (i.e., not from Canaan).

1. "Eber" of Gen. 10:24-25, a descendant of Shem
2. "Habiru," a semi-nomadic Semite population migrating from east to west across the ANE in the second millennium (see El-Amarna Letters)

▣ "rather these years" The LXX makes this time period specific (i.e.," this is the second year"), possibly following 1 Sam. 27:7.

The MT has "fall" (BDB 656, KB 709, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) used in the metaphorical sense of "falling away from Saul." This VERB is used of desertion before an enemy in Jer. 37:13; 38:19.

29:4 "were angry with him" The Philistine military leaders had a negative emotional reaction to David and his men because

1. of their relation to Israel (i.e., racial animus)
2. of their fear of them helping the Israelite army (i.e., military strategy)

From the text, both seem true.

SPECIAL TOPIC: RACISM

▣ "the man" This is a way of showing disrespect. They will not even mention David's name.

In this period and in this part of the world, victory was expressed by the cutting off of the heads of the vanquished foes or enemy.

1. Goliath ‒ 1 Sam. 17:46,51
2. Saul ‒ 1 Sam. 31:9
3. Ish-bosheth ‒ 2 Sam. 4:7
4. Sheba ‒ 2 Sam. 20:22
5. Elisha, charge of the intent of the king of Israel ‒ 2 Kgs. 6:31-32

29:5 The Philistines knew of David's military prowess.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 29:6-11
  ⁶Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords. ⁷Now therefore return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines." ⁸David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" ⁹But Achish replied to David, "I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He must not go up with us to the battle.' ¹⁰Now then arise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as soon as you have arisen early in the morning and have light, depart." ¹¹So David arose early, he and his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

29:6 "As the Lord lives" This is an oath idiom based on the covenant name for Israel's Deity (YHWH). It is so surprising that a Philistine king would use this name!

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ Notice how Achish describes David's perceived loyalty.

1. you have been upright
2. his goings out and comings in have been pleasing to the Philistines (i.e., his supposed raids on southern Judah, cf. v. 8; 1 Sam. 26:8-11)
3. Achish had not found evil in anything David had done for all his time with him
4. David is described as "like an angel of God" (v. 9; 2 Sam. 14:17,20; 19:27)

However, also note the two "nevertheless" (vv. 6, 9). Even with all this praise, the Philistine military leaders will not allow David and his men to join the battle.

29:10 These is some confusion in the Hebrew text of this verse (JPSOA footnote). The LXX has an expanded version.

"And now be early in the morning, you and the servants of your Lord who came with you, and go to the place, there where I appointed you, and do not place a pestilent thought in your heart, for you are good before me, and start early on the way, and let there be light upon you, and go."

The UBS Text Project, p. 203, gives the LXX version a "D" rating (highly doubtful), but they prefer it to the MT.

▣ "of your lord" This must be a reference to King Saul. It was another way of asserting that David and his men were Hebrews/Israelites.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why are the Philistines and Israelites fighting so far north?
2. What is the origin of the designation "Hebrew"?
3. Why did the Philistine military generals distrust David?
4. Why is David compared to "an angel of God"?

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