1 Samuel 27 · Verse 5

1 Samuel 27:5

And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
1 Samuel 27:5, King James Version

1 Samuel 27:5 in other translations

BSBThen David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
WEBDavid said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
ASVAnd David said unto Achish, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
YLTAnd David saith unto Achish, ‘If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, they give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, and I dwell there, yea, why doth thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?'
DARBYAnd David said to Achish, If now I have found favour in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some country-town, that I may abide there; for why should thy servant abide in the royal city with thee?
BBEThen David said to Achish, If now I have grace in your eyes, let me have a place in one of the smaller towns of your land, to be my living-place; for it is not right for your servant to be living with you in the king's town.
WebsterAnd David said to Achish, If I have now found grace in thy eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

What does 1 Samuel 27:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. let them give me a place in some town in the country--It was a prudent arrangement on the part of David; for it would prevent him being an object of jealous suspicion, or of mischievous plots among the Philistines. It would place his followers more beyond the risk of contamination by the idolatries of the court and capital; and it would give him an opportunity of making reprisals on the freebooting tribes that infested the common border of Israel and the Philistines.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Why should thy servant dwell in the royal city - He seemed to intimate that two princely establishments in the same city were too many. Achish appears to have felt the propriety of his proposal, and therefore appoints him Ziklag.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 27:1-7

Unbelief is a sin that easily besets even good men, when without are fightings, and within are fears; and it is a hard matter to get over them. Lord, increase our faith! We may blush to think that the word of a Philistine should go further than the word of an Israelite, and that the city of Gath should be a place of refuge for a good man, when the cities of Israel refuse him a safe abode. David gained a comfortable…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 27:1-7 →

1 Samuel 27:5 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.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
דָּוִ֜דda.VidDavidH1732
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אָכִ֗ישׁ'a.KhishAchishH397
אִם\־'im-ifH518
נָא֩na'pleaseH4994
מָצָ֨אתִיma.Tza.tiI have foundH4672
חֵ֤ןchenfavorH2580
בְּעֵינֶ֙יךָ֙be.'ei.Nei.khain view yourH5869
יִתְּנוּ\־yi.te.nu-let people giveH5414
לִ֣יlito <the> me
מָק֗וֹםma.Koma placeH4725
בְּאַחַ֛תbe.'a.Chatin one ofH259
עָרֵ֥י'a.Rei[the] cities ofH5892
הַשָּׂדֶ֖הha.sa.Dehthe fieldH7704
וְאֵ֣שְׁבָהve.'E.she.vahso I may dwellH3427
שָּׁ֑םShamthereH8033
וְלָ֨מָּהve.La.mahand <to> why?H4100
יֵשֵׁ֧בye.Shevwill he dwellH3427
עַבְדְּךָ֛'av.de.Khaservant yourH5650
בְּעִ֥ירbe.'Irin [the] city ofH5892
הַמַּמְלָכָ֖הha.mam.la.Khah<the> royaltyH4467
עִמָּֽךְ\׃'i.Makhwith youH5973

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

Cross references for 1 Samuel 27:5

  • Genesis 46:34

    That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

  • 2 Corinthians 6:17

    Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
some town.
Ge 46:34; 2Co 6:17

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

Context

  • 1 Samuel 27:4

    And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

  • 1 Samuel 27:5

    And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

  • 1 Samuel 27:6

    Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

Read all of 1 Samuel 27

1 Samuel 27:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y David dijo á Achîs: Si he hallado ahora gracia en tus ojos, séame dado lugar en algunas de las ciudades de la tierra, donde habite: porque ¿ha de morar tu siervo contigo en la ciudad real?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et David dit à Akish: Je te prie, si j’ai trouvé grâce à tes yeux, qu’on me donne un lieu dans l’une des villes de la campagne, et je demeurerai là; car pourquoi ton serviteur habiterait-il dans la ville royale avec toi?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und David sprach zu Achis: Wenn ich anders Gnade in deinen Augen gefunden habe, so gebe man mir einen Platz in einer der Städte des Gefildes, daß ich daselbst wohne; denn warum soll dein Knecht bei dir in der Königsstadt wohnen?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Dixit autem David ad Achis: Si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, detur mihi locus in una urbium regionis hujus, ut habitem ibi: cur enim manet servus tuus in civitate regis tecum?