1 Samuel 27:8

Here is an account of David's actions while he was in the land of the Philistines, a fierce attack he made upon some remains of the devoted nations, his success in it, and the representation he gave of it to Achish. 1. We may acquit him of injustice and cruelty in this action because those people whom he cut off were such as heaven had long since doomed to destruction, and he that did it was one whom heaven had ordained to dominion; so that the thing was very fit to be done, and he was very fit to do it. It was not for him that was anointed to fight the Lord's battles to sit still in sloth, however he might think fit, in modesty, to retire. He desired to be safe from Saul only that he might expose himself for Israel. He avenged an old quarrel that God had with these nations, and at the same time fetched in provisions for himself and his army, for by their swords they must live. The Amalekites were to be all cut off. Probably the Geshurites and Gezrites were branches of Amalek. Saul was rejected for sparing them, David makes up the deficiency of his obedience before he succeeds him. He smote them, and left none alive, Sa1 27:8, Sa1 27:9. The service paid itself, for they carried off abundance of spoil, which served for the subsistence of David's forces. 2. Yet we cannot acquit him of dissimulation with Achish in the account he gave him of this expedition. (1.) David, it seems, was not willing that he should know the truth, and therefore spared none to carry tidings to Gath (Sa1 27:11), not because he was ashamed of what he had done as a bad thing, but because he was afraid, if the Philistines knew it, they would be apprehensive of danger to themselves or their allies by harbouring him among them and would expel him from their coasts. It would be easy to conclude, If so he did, so will be his manner, and therefore he industriously conceals it from them, which, it seems, he could do by putting them all to the sword, for none of their neighbours would inform against him, nor perhaps would soon come to the knowledge of what was done, intelligence not being so readily communicated then as now. (2.) He hid it from Achish with an equivocation not at all becoming his character. Being asked which way he had made his sally, he answered, Against the south of Judah, v. 13. It was true he had invaded those countries that lay south of Judah, but he made Achish believe he had invaded those that lay south in Judah, the Ziphites for example, that had once and again betrayed him; so Achish understood him, and thence inferred that he had made his people Israel to abhor him, and so riveted himself in the interest of Achish. The fidelity of Achish to him, his good opinion of him, and the confidence he put in him, aggravate his sin in deceiving him thus, which, with some other such instances, David seems penitently to reflect upon when he prays, Remove from me the way of lying.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1Sa 27:8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those [nations were] of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

Ver. 8. And the Gezrites.] Otherwise called Girgashites, as some hold.

And the Amalekites.] Whom Saul should have utterly rooted out, {1Sa 15:3; 1Sa 15:7; 1Sa 15:9} but did not. Quod defertur, non aufertur.

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.

1Sa 27:8. David and his men invaded the Geshurites, &c. — These were some remains of the Amorites, and other ancient inhabitants of the country; whom God, for their inveterate and incorrigible wickedness, had commanded to be extirpated. And they “were not confederate with Achish, but in a state of hostility with him; particularly the Amalekites, whom we find soon after making great depredations upon the Philistine territories, chap. 1Sa 30:16. David, therefore, did not act in the least dishonourably by him, but in reality for his service, in the attack he made on them. It is further to be remarked, that as those people were on the south of Judah, they made frequent incursions into the land, and were the avowed enemies of the Hebrews. This is certain at least of the Amalekites, the remnant of those whom Saul destroyed, (chap. 15.,) who had retired into remote and distant places. Of these frequent mention is made in the books of the Old Testament, as engaged in many expeditions to plunder the country and destroy the inhabitants. David, therefore, had a right to cut off those nations; as deserving the character of a man after God’s own heart, he was called upon to do it; and in doing it he served his country, without injuring his protector and friend.” — Chandler. But it has been objected, that it was unjustifiable in David, being a private man, to act thus without a warrant from Achish or from God, which it does not appear that he had. In answer to this it must be observed, that he did not act as a private man, but as one elected and anointed to the kingdom. And “the same Spirit of God which once inspired Saul with all regal virtues, was now gone over to David, and rested on him, and it were very strange if David, as king-elect of Israel, could have any guilt in doing that which Saul, as a king in possession, was deposed for not doing.” — Delaney.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

27:8 Geshurites . . . Girzites . . . Amalekites: These groups, who lived on the edges of the southern desert, had been troublesome to both Philistines and Israelites. (On the Amalekites, see 14:48; ch 15; on the Geshurites, see Josh 13:2, 13; 2 Sam 3:3.) • Shur was somewhere east of Egypt (1 Sam 15:7; Gen 16:7; 20:1; 25:18).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

These were the wicked Canaanites, whom God had appointed to be destroyed.

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

David . . . went up, and invaded the Geshurites--(See Jos 13:2).

and the Gezrites--or the Gerizi [GESENIUS], (Jos 12:12), some Arab horde which had once encamped there.

and the Amalekites--Part of the district occupied by them lay on the south of the land of Israel (Jdg 5:14; Jdg 12:15).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(8) Went up.—The expression is strictly accurate. The nomad tribes against whom his expeditions were directed dwelt on higher ground than David’s home at Ziklag, apparently on the wide extent of the mountain plateau, that high table-land at the north-east of the desert of Paran.

The Geshurites, and the Gezerites, and the Amalekites.—These were all “Bedaween” tribes, the scourge of the Israelitish families dwelling on the south of Canaan. It is not easy to identify the first two named of these nomades against whom David directed his operations. We hear of these Geshurites in the neighbourhood of Bashan (Deu_3:14), and of another tribe of them in Syria (2Sa_15:8). They were a widely scattered race of nomad Arabs. The Gezerites, or Gizrites, it has been supposed, were the remains of a once powerful race dispossessed by the Amorites. The third named, the Amalekites, were the remnant of that once powerful tribe destroyed by Saul in his famous war, when his disobedience incurred the wrath of Samuel.

For those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.—The grammar and construction of this sentence is confused and difficult. On the whole, the rendering and explanation of Erdmann in Lange seems the most satisfactory: “David . . . invaded the . . . and the Amalekites (for these were inhabitants of the land, who inhabited it of old) as far as Shur and Egypt.” Thus David’s raids extended as far as the desert frontier of Egypt.

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

8–12. David’s raids upon neighbouring tribes

8. the Geshurites] A tribe dwelling south of Philistia near the Amalekites (see Jos_13:2), to be distinguished from the Geshurites in Syria (2Sa_15:8).

the Gezrites] These cannot be the inhabitants of Gezer (Jos_10:33), which was far away from the scene of David’s operations. The written text (Kthîbh) as distinguished from the traditional reading (Qrî) has Gerzites. It has been conjectured that this was an ancient Arab tribe which at one time wandered up northwards and gave its name to Mount Gerizim; as their neighbours the Amalekites left traces of former migrations in the name “the mountain of the Amalekites” in the territory of Ephraim (Jdg_12:15).

the Amalekites] Such remnants of them as had escaped from Saul’s sword. See on 1Sa_15:8.

those nations were of old, &c.] If the text is right, the E. V. gives the general sense correctly. The allusion to their ancient occupation of the district may be inserted with reference to the Amalekite attack upon Israel in the march from Egypt (Exo_17:8 ff.). But the Heb. is obscure, and possibly should be emended so as to give the sense, “for these nations inhabited the land from Telem until thou comest to Shur, and unto the land of Egypt.” Telem would be mentioned as the southernmost city of Israel. See on 1Sa_15:4.

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 David and his men went up,.... From Ziklag, where they dwelt:

and invaded the Geshurites; some of the old inhabitants of the land of Canaan, the remains of the Amorites, whose land was given to the half tribe of Manasseh, but could never be expelled; and therefore David had a just right to invade them, and, if he could, either expel or destroy them; see Deu 3:14; these are the Geshurites which are joined with the Philistines, Jos 13:2,

and the Gezrites; the inhabitants of Gezer, which place fell to the tribe of Ephraim; but that tribe could not drive out the inhabitants of it, and therefore David now fell upon them as the enemies of Israel, and seized on their country, as belonging to them, Jos 16:3,

and the Amalekites; the sworn and implacable enemies of Israel, and whose memory they were laid under obligation to root out. These were such as had escaped the sword of Saul, and had fled to the more distant parts, against whom David now went; and perhaps these had fled to and mixed themselves with the people here mentioned:

for these nations were of old the inhabitants of the land; of the land of Canaan:

as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt; see Sa1 15:7.

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

The Geshurites bordered upon the Philistines, and lived in the mountainous district which terminates the desert on the northeast (marginal reference). They were a different tribe, or, at least, a different branch of it, from the Geshurites who lived on the northeast border of Bashan, and were Arameans 2Sa 15:8. The Gezrites, or Gerzites, may be connected with those who gave their name to Mount Gerizim.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Pillaged Gessuri, &c. These probably were enemies of the people of God; and some, if not all of them, were of the number of those whom God had ordered to be destroyed; which justifies David’s proceedings in their regard. Though it is to be observed here, that we are not under an obligation of justifying every thing that he did: for the Scripture, in relating what was done, doth not say that it was well done. And even such as are true servants of God, are not to be imitated in all they do. (Challoner) --- The nations of Chanaan, who inhabited as far as Egypt, and the Amalecites, who had escaped the arms of Saul, were devoted to destruction, Exodus xvii., &c. In such cases, any man might fall upon them, without any other formal declaration of war. (Calmet) --- There was another Gessuri of Syria, in the tribe of Manasses, across the Jordan. (Menochius) --- The country which these people inhabited, to the south of Palestine, was afterwards depopulated by the kings of Egypt and of Syria, in their continual wars, so that many of the cities which are mentioned in Scripture, were never known to profane geographers. (Calmet) --- St. Jerome, (Trad.) Sa, and others, think that David attacked some of the Philistines. But it is as probable at least that he would abstain from molesting them, whom had so generously afforded him an asylum. Salien concludes, that he did not attack the other nations, (except the Amalecites, who were sufficiently marked out for destruction, Deuteronomy xxv. 19,) without consulting the Lord, by the high priest, as he was accustomed to do in every difficulty. (Salien, the year of the world 2979) (Menochius) --- They all dwelt in part of the land of Chanaan, (Worthington) which was sufficient. (Haydock)

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).

The Gezrites were anciently seated in other places, Jos 12:12; 16:3, but for some reasons not now known they changed their seats, as was then very usual, and seated themselves, and had for some considerable time lived, near the Amalekites.

The Amalekites; the remnant of those whom Saul destroyed, 1Sa 15, who fled from his sword, and retired into remote and desert places.

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

8. The Geshurites — A nomadic people occupying the desert south of the Philistines. See at Jos_13:2; Jos_13:13.

The Gezrites — Rather, The Gerzites, as in the margin. Of these we have no certain trace elsewhere, but from this verse we readily infer that their territory was contiguous to that of the Geshurites and Amalekites.

The Amalekites — See Exo_17:8.

Shur — The name given to the wilderness extending from the Isthmus of Suez eastward to an indefinite extent, and comprising a considerable portion of Northern Arabia. Gen_16:7; Exo_15:22.

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

EXPEDITIONS OF DAVID FROM ZIKLAG (vers. 8-12).

Went up. The Geshurites inhabited the high table land which forms the northeastern portion of the wilderness of Paran. Like the Kenites, they seem to have broken up into scattered tribes, as we find one portion of them in the neighbourhood of Bashan, (Deu_3:14) and another in Syria. (2Sa_15:8) Probably, like the Amalekites, they were a Bedouin race, and so great wanderers. Hence the verb translated invaded is literally "spread themselves out" like a fan, so as to enclose these nomads, whose safety lay in flight. Gezrites. The written text has Girzites, which the Kri has changed into Gezrites, probably from a wish to connect a name never mentioned elsewhere with the town of Gezer. But Gezer lay far away in the west of Ephraim, and the connection suggested in modern times of the Girzites with Mount Gerizim in Central Palestine is more probable. They would thus be the remains of a once more powerful people, dispossessed by the Amorites, but who were now probably a very feeble remnant. For those nations, etc. The grammar and translation of this clause are both full of difficulties, but the following rendering is perhaps the least objectionable: "For these were (the families) inhabiting the land, which were of old, as thou goest towards Shur," etc. Families must be supplied because the participle inhabiting is feminine. What, then, the narrator means to say is that these three Bedouin tribes were the aboriginal inhabitants of the northwestern portion of the desert between Egypt and South Palestine. On the Amalekites see 1Sa_15:2. We need not wonder at finding them mentioned again so soon afterSaul"s expedition. A race of nomads would sustain no great harm from an expedition which soon began to occupy itself with capturing cattle. On Shur see 1Sa_15:7.

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

Amalekites - The remnant of those whom Saul destroyed, chap. xv, 3-9, who retired into remote and desert places.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

From Ziklag David made an attack upon the Geshurites, Gerzites, and Amalekites, smote them without leaving a man alive, and returned with much booty. The occasion of this attack is not mentioned, as being a matter of indifference in relation to the chief object of the history; but it is no doubt to be sought for in plundering incursions made by these tribes into the land of Israel. For David would hardly have entered upon such a war in the situation in which he was placed at that time without some such occasion, seeing that it would be almost sure to bring him into suspicion with Achish, and endanger his safety. ויּעל, "he advanced," the verb being used, as it frequently is, to denote the advance of an army against a people or town (see at Jos 8:1). At the same time, the tribes which he attacked may have had their seat upon the mountain plateau in the northern portion of the desert of Paran, so that David was obliged to march up to reach them. פּשׁט, to invade for the purpose of devastation and plunder. Geshuri is a tribe mentioned in Jos 13:2 as living in the south of the territory of the Philistines, and is a different tribe from the Geshurites in the north-east of Gilead (Jos 12:5; Jos 13:11, Jos 13:13; Deu 3:14). These are the only passages in which they are mentioned. The Gerzites, or Gizrites according to the Keri, are entirely unknown. Bonfrere and Clericus suppose them to be the Gerreni spoken of in 2 Macc. 13:24, who inhabited the town of Gerra, between Rhinocolura and Pelusium (Strabo, xvi. 760), or Gerron (Ptol. iv. 5). This conjecture is a possible one, but is very uncertain nevertheless, as the Gerzites certainly dwelt somewhere in the desert of Arabia. At any rate Grotius and Ewald cannot be correct in their opinion that they were the inhabitants of Gezer (Jos 10:33). The Amalekites were the remnant of this old hereditary foe of the Israelites, who had taken to flight on Saul's war of extermination, and had now assembled again (see at Sa1 15:8-9). "For they inhabit the land, where you go from of old to Shur, even to the land of Egypt." The עשׁר before מעולם may be explained from the fact that בּואך is not adverbial here, but is construed according to its form as an infinitive: literally, "where from of old thy coming is to Shur." עשׁר cannot have crept into the text through a copyist's mistake, as such a mistake would not have found its way into all the MSS. The fact that the early translators did not render the word proves nothing against its genuineness, but merely shows that the translators regarded it as superfluous. Moreover, the Alexandrian text is decidedly faulty here, and עולם is confounded with עלם, ἀπὸ Γελάμ. Shur is the desert of Jifar, which is situated in front of Egypt (as in Sa1 15:7). These tribes were nomads, and had large flocks, which David took with him as booty when he had smitten the tribes themselves. After his return, David betook himself to Achish, to report to the Philistian king concerning his enterprise, and deceive him as to its true character.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

David’s Campaign Against the Heathen

v. 8. And David and his men, no longer under the direct observation of the Philistines, went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gezrites, small nations living south of the Philistine territory, and the Amalekites, the nomadic tribes whom Saul had almost destroyed, 1Sa 15:7; for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt, on the Egyptian border.

v. 9. And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, since they would naturally inform against him, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish, bringing this rich booty along.

v. 10. And Achish said, it was his custom to ask, Whither have ye made a road today? referring to their latest raid. And David said, Against the south of Judah and against the south of the Jerahmeelites and against the south of the Kenites, his geographical references being purposely vague and indefinite, in order to make Achish think that his expeditions were directed against some tribe of Israel or against their allies on the southern border.

v. 11. And David saved neither man nor woman alive to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, David and his men, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines, that is, such was David’s custom while nominally under the jurisdiction of the Philistine king.

v. 12. And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him, making himself a stench, a loathing, completely alienating himself from the Israelites; therefore he shall be my servant forever. Thus Achish was deceived, while David continued to harass and destroy the desert tribes which were a menace to Israel. Thus he, while receiving evil at the hand of Saul, rewarded good to the entire people of Israel, a fine example of love toward one’s enemies.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

making raids on

attacking and taking property many times (See: Idiom)

Girzites

A people group who apparently lived somewhere between Philistia and Egypt. (See: How to Translate Names)

as you go to Shur

Here "you" is being used as an indefinite pronoun that refers to anyone. AT: "on the way most people travel to Shur" (See: Pronouns)

Shur

region on the northeast border of Egypt (See: How to Translate Names)

Achish

the king of Gath (See: Pronouns)

translationWords

David

Geshur

Amalek

nation

Egypt

save

ewe

cow

donkey

camel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Dovid…would go up. This is the present tense, i.e., he was always accustomed doing this.

In the direction of Shur. From the entrance of Shur.

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.