1 Samuel 21 · Verse 10

1 Samuel 21:10

And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
1 Samuel 21:10, King James Version

1 Samuel 21:10 in other translations

BSBThat day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
WEBDavid arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
ASVAnd David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
YLTAnd David riseth and fleeth on that day from the face of Saul, and cometh in unto Achish king of Gath;
DARBYAnd David arose, and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
BBEThen David got up and went in flight that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish, the king of Gath.
WebsterAnd David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

What does 1 Samuel 21:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
10. David ... fled ... to Achish the king of Gath--which was one of the five principalities of the Philistines. 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 had been directed by the divine oracle. Achish was generous (1Sa 27:6). He might wish to weaken the resources of Saul, and it was common in ancient times for great men to be harbored by neighboring princes.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 Went to Achish the king of Gath - This was the worst place to which he could have gone: it was the very city of Goliath, whom he had slain, and whose sword he now wore; and he soon found, from the conversation of the servants of Achish, that his life was in the most imminent danger in this place.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 21:10-15
God's persecuted people have often found better usage from Philistines than from Israelites. David had reason to put confidence in Achish, yet he began to be afraid. His conduct was degrading, and discovered wavering in his faith and courage. The more simply we depend on God, and obey him, the more comfortably and surely we shall walk through this troublesome world.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

1 Samuel 21:10 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיָּ֣קָםvai.Ya.komand he aroseH6965
דָּוִ֔דda.VidDavidH1732
וַיִּבְרַ֥חvai.yiv.Rachand he fledH1272
בַּיּוֹם\־bai.yom-on the dayH3117
הַה֖וּאha.Hu'<the> thatH1931
מִפְּנֵ֣יmi.pe.Neifrom beforeH6440
שָׁא֑וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
וַיָּבֹ֕אvai.ya.Vo'and he wentH935
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אָכִ֖ישׁ'a.KhishAchishH397
מֶ֥לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
גַּֽת\׃GatGathH1661

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 21:10

  • 1 Samuel 27:1-2

    And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

  • Jeremiah 26:21

    And when 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 Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;

  • 1 Kings 19:3

    And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer–sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

  • Psalms 34:1-22

    A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
fled.
27:1; 1Ki 19:3; Jer 26:21
Achish. or, Abimelech.
27:2; Ps 34:1; *title
Gath.Jerome says there was a large town called Gath, in the way from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; and Eusebius speaks of another Gath, five miles from Eleutheropolis, towards Lydda, (and consequently different from that mentioned by Jerome;) and also of another Gath, between Jamnia and Antipatris. It appears to have been the extreme boundary of the Philistine territory in one direction, as Ekron was on the other, (ch. 7:14; 17:52,) and lay near Mareshah, (2 Ch 11:8. Mic 1:14,) which agrees pretty well with the position assigned it by Jerome. But Reland and Dr. Wells agree with Eusebius; and the authors of the Universal History (b. i. c. 7) place it about six miles form Jamnia, fourteen south of Joppa, and thirty-two west of Jerusalem.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 21:9

    And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

  • 1 Samuel 21:10

    And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

  • 1 Samuel 21:11

    And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

Read all of 1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y levantándose David aquel día, huyó de la presencia de Saúl, y vínose á Achîs rey de Gath.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le sacrificateur dit: L’épée de Goliath, le Philistin, que tu as frappé dans la vallée d’Éla, la voilà, enveloppée dans un manteau derrière l’éphod: si tu veux la prendre, prends-la; car il n’y en a point d’autre ici que celle-là. Et David dit: Il n’y en a point de pareille; donne-la-moi.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und David machte sich auf und floh an selbigem Tage vor Saul, und er kam zu Achis, dem König von Gath.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Surrexit itaque David, et fugit in die illa a facie Saul: et venit ad Achis regem Geth.