1 Samuel 27:9

_AND DAVID SMOTE THE LAND, AND LEFT NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN ALIVE, AND TOOK AWAY THE SHEEP, AND THE OXEN, AND THE ASSES, AND THE CAMELS, AND THE APPAREL, AND RETURNED, AND CAME TO ACHISH._ David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive. 'Occupying the high plateau (er-Kakhmah) which overhangs the Philistine plain to the west, and Wady Murreh to the south; while the mention of oxen among the spoil shows that the predatory hordes that David chastised on this occasion must have penetrated far into the interior; because south and east of the Judean mountains the country is not adapted to the sustenance of cattle' ('Negeb,' p. 206: cf. Drew's 'Scripture Lands', p. 6; Stewart's 'Tent and Khan,' p. 222; Wilson's 'Lands of the Bible,' 1:, pp. 346, 347)....

8-12 While David was in the land of the Philistines, he attacked some remains of the devoted nations. The people whom he cut off were long before doomed to destruction. It is often wisdom to shun public notice, but we must in no situation be idle. We must always try to do somewhat in the cause of God. This expedition David hid from Achish. But an equivocation which serves the purpose of a lie, is as like to it as a hypocrite is to a profane person, it is only better in appearance, therefore more dangerous. Yet, though believers often manifest imperfections, they can never be prevailed upon to renounce the service of God, and to unite interests with his enemies, or finally to become the servants of sin and Satan. But what a train of evils follow from unbelief! When we forget the Lord's past mercies, and his gracious assurances, we shall be overwhelmed with desponding fears, and probably...

Verse 1 Samuel 27:9. _DAVID SMOTE THE LAND_] Here was a complete extirpation of all these people, not one being left alive, lest he should carry tidings of the disasters of his country! The _spoil_ which David took consisted of _sheep, oxen, asses, camels_, and _apparel_....

DAVID FINDS A REFUGE AT ZIKLAG (1 Samuel 27:1.). EXPOSITION DAVID AGAIN SEEKS PROTECTION AT GATH (1 Samuel 27:1). 1 SAMUEL 27:1 DAVID SAID IN HIS HEART. Hebrew, "to his heart," to himself (see 1 Samuel 1:13). l shall perish by the hand. The verb is that used in 1 Samuel 12:25;...

AND DAVID SMOTE THE LAND,.... In which the above mentioned people dwelt, that is, the inhabitants of it: AND LEFT NEITHER MAN NOR WOMAN ALIVE; for these being the old Canaanites and Amalekites, according to the law of God were not to be spared, but utterly destroyed; which may be observed to remove the charge of cruelty that might be brought against David on this account, Deuteronomy 7:2; though this must be understood of such that came within his reach; for it is certain there were people of these several names after this; see 1 Samuel 30:1; AND TOOK AWAY THE SHEEP, AND THE OXEN, AND THE ASSES, AND THE CAMELS, AND THE APPAREL, AND RETURNED, AND CAME TO ACHISH; at Gath, to make a report of what he had been about and done; and what he brought was

CHAPTER 27 _ 1. David's unbelief (1 Samuel 27:1)_ 2. With Achish, King of Gath (1 Samuel 27:3) 3. His slaughter and deception 27:8-12) David became despondent. After all the gracious evidences that the Lord was with him, shielded him and guarded his very footsteps, he relapses in unbelief. Such is the heart of man! He fears for his life and then takes once more his case out of the Lord's hands and flees to Achish the king of Gath. He had been there before and at that former visit he feigned insanity and the Philistinian Ahimelech Achish of Gath had driven him away. Now he is welcomed by Achish, for he brings a small army of 600 young men with him and receives Ziklag to dwell in with his two wives and his household. And Saul after this sought him no more. David abode

1 Samuel 27:1 to 1 Samuel 28:2. DAVID AT GATH (J). Sequel to 1 Samuel 26:25 (_cf._ 1 Samuel 21:10). 1 SAMUEL 27:1. As a last resource David takes refuge at Gath. 1 SAMUEL 27:6. ZIKLAG: Joshua 15:31. 1 SAMUEL 27:7. This paragraph does not simp

AND. Note the Figure of speech _Polysyndeton_ (App-6) in 1 Samuel 27:9....

David's raids upon neighbouring tribes 8. _the Geshurites_ A tribe dwelling south of Philistia near the Amalekites (see Joshua 13:2), to be distinguished from the Geshurites in Syria (2 Samuel 15:8). _the Gezrites_ These cannot be the inhabitants of _Gezer_(Joshua 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

_David's Pretended Campaign Against Judah._ 1 Samuel 27:8-12 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. 9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. 10 And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road today? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. 11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring _tidings_ to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so _will_ be his manner all the while he dwelleth _in_ the country of the Phili