Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
Parallel translations
- WEB David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
- KJV And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
- BSB That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
- NASB Then David set out and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.
- NLT So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David flees from Saul all the way to Gath, seeking refuge among the Philistines.
Overview
Desperate to escape Saul, David goes to Achish king of Gath, ironically taking shelter in the hometown of Goliath whose sword he now carries. This bold and risky move shows how far David's fear has driven him from safety in Israel. It sets up a moment where David's faith falters and his cleverness is tested among enemies.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Jer 26:21When Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt:
- 1 Kgs 19:3When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
- Ps 34:1–22By David; when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless Yahweh at all times. His praise will always be in my mouth.
- 1 Sam 27:1–2David 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 shall I escape out of his hand.”
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 21:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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