1 Samuel 27:7

1Sa 27:7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Ver. 7. A full year and four months,] viz., Till Saul’s death, and about two years after Samuel’s death.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, the number of the days.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(7) A full year and four months.—Keil calls attention to the exact statement of time here as a proof of the historical character of the whole narrative. The Hebrew expression, translated “a year,” is a singular one: yamim—literally, days—a collective term, used in Lev_25:29, 1Sa_1:3; 1Sa_2:19, &c., to signify a term or period of days which amounted to a full year. This year and four months were among the darkest days of David’s life. He was sorely tried, it is true; but he had adopted the very course his bitterest foes would have wished him to select. In open arms, apparently leagued with the deadliest foes of Israel, like an Italian condottiere or captain of free lances of the Middle Ages, he had taken service and accepted the wages of that very Philistine city whose champion he once had slain in the morning of his career. At last his enemies at the court of Saul had reason when they spoke of him as a traitor. From the curt recital in this chapter, which deals with the saddest portion of David’s career, we shall see that while he apparently continued to make common cause with the enemies of his race, he still used his power to help, and not to injure, his countrymen; but the price he paid for his patriotism was a life of falsehood, stained, too, with deeds of fierce cruelty, shocking even in these rough, half-barbarous times.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. a full year and four months] The Sept. reading “four months” is improbable, though the Heb. might be rendered “a space of time, even four months.” Ch. 1Sa_29:3 implies a much longer residence. “In this city David laid the foundation of his kingdom. Here he could already rule with greater freedom and independence, collect fugitives and deserters around him in larger and larger numbers, send or receive embassies like a prince (1Sa_30:26-31), and as a ruler over soldiers and peaceable citizens rehearse, on a small scale, those arts by which he afterwards acquired and maintained his great kingdom.” Ewald, Hist. of Israel, III. 101. Here a band of archers and slingers from Saul’s own tribe joined him, together with men from the southern towns of Judah, and from Manasseh (1Ch_12:1-7; 1Ch_12:20-22).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines,.... At Gath and Ziklag:

was a full year and four months; or "days and four months"; days being sometimes put for a year, Jdg 17:10; though some interpret it not of a year, but of some few days out of the fifth month, besides the four months; so Jarchi and Kimchi; and Josephus (h) makes his abode to be four months and twenty days; but, according to the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, it was only four months; and so it may be rendered, "days, that is, four months"; for according to the Jewish chronology (i) Samuel died four months before Saul, and this flight of David was after the death of Samuel, and when Saul died he left the land of the Philistines, and took the throne of Judah; See Gill on Sa1 25:1.

(h) Antiqu. l. 6. c. 13. sect. 10. (i) Sepher Olam Rabba c. 13. p. 37.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Months. Hebrew, "days and four months." The former expression denotes a year; though some would have it, that David remained "four months and a few days" in the country. He probably continued so many months at Geth, (ver. 9, 11,) and about a year at Siceleg. (Calmet) --- Septuagint have "days, four months;" and Salien adopts that term. (Haydock) See chap. xxix. 3. (Du Hamel)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Heb. days and four months; days being put for a year; as Lev 25:29. Or, some days and four months, i.e. some days above four months. Or, some days and (for even, or that is, the conjunction and being oft so used, as hath been proved above) four months.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. A full year and four months — This doubtless gives the true sense of the Hebrew, which is, literally, days and four months. The Septuagint and Vulgate render: The number of days which David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months. Josephus has four months and twenty days. The confusion seems to have come from misapprehension of the idiomatic use of ימים in the sense of a year. While David abode at Ziklag he was reinforced by multitudes from the land of Israel. See at 1Ch_12:1-22.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A full year. Hebrew, "days." Rashi argues in favour of its meaning some days, and Josephus says the time of David"s stay in Philistia was "four months and twenty days;" but already in 1Sa_1:3 1Sa_2:19, we have had the phrase "from days day-ward in the sense of yearly, and Lev_25:29; Jud_1:17:10; also Jdg_19:2, where the A.V translates the Hebrew days four months as meaning "four months" only. Probably, as here, it is a year and four months, though the omission of the conjunction is a difficulty. So too for "after a time" (Jud_1:14:8) it should be "after a year Hebrew, after days.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Days and four months. The minimum [number] of days is two. It is impossible to explain this word, 'יָמִים' as a year because Dovid did not go to Achish until Shmuel had died, and Shaul only reigned after Shmuel's death four months, as we learned in Seder Olam. Also [this can be deduced from the following:] the number of Eili's years [forty years which he judged Yisroel], and the twenty years that the Ark was in Kiryas Ye'arim total sixty years. Subtract from that Shmuel's fifty-two years, plus one year from his conception, with these four months, plus the seven years which Dovid reigned in Chevron before he brought the Ark from Kiryas Ye'arim. This [calculation] discloses that Shaul reigned after Shmuel's death but four months.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.