1 Samuel 29

1 Samuel 29

Meyer - 1 Samuel 29:3 What do these Hebrews here? It was a very natural remark. The Philistines were going into battle with the Hebrew king and his troops, and it was very anomalous that a strong body of Hebrews should be forming part of the Philistine array. They had no business to be there. The annoyance of the chief captains and lords that surrounded Achish was natural enough. For long, probably, it had been smoldering; now it broke out into flame. It is very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves, and say to one another, “What do these Hebrews here? The word “Hebrew “means one that has passed over—a separatist. The death of our Lord Jesus was intended to make all His followers separatists. Through Him they have passed from death unto life; they have been delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. The appeal of His cross to us all is, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate.” Too often, however, that call is unheeded; and, for fear of man, we mingle with the ranks of the enemies of our Lord. If Christians attend the theater; if Sunday-school teachers, elders or deacons of a church, are found participating in the pleasures of the ungodly; if the young Christian man is found loosely consorting with the card-players of the smoking-room of an ocean steamer— may not the sneer go round, “What do these Hebrews here? “What doest thou here, Elijah!” is the remonstrance of God. “What do these Hebrews here?” that of the world, which not unfrequently has a truer sense of propriety than God’s professing followers. 1 Samuel 29:4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man go back, that he may return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men? BGT 1 Samuel 29:4 καὶ ἐλυπήθησαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ οἱ στρατηγοὶ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ ἀπόστρεψον τὸν ἄνδρα εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ οὗ κατέστησας αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ καὶ μὴ ἐρχέσθω μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ μὴ γινέσθω ἐπίβουλος τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ ἐν τίνι διαλλαγήσεται οὗτος τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ οὐχὶ ἐν ταῖς κεφαλαῖς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων LXE 1 Samuel 29:4 And the captains of the Philistines were displeased at him, and they say to him, Send the man away, and let him return to his place, where thou didst set him; and let him not come with us to the war, and let him not be a traitor in the camp: and wherewith will he be reconciled to his master? Will it not be with the heads of those men? KJV 1 Samuel 29:4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? NET 1 Samuel 29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said to him, "Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don't let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? CSB 1 Samuel 29:4 The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, "Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle. What better way could he regain his master's favor than with the heads of our men? ESV 1 Samuel 29:4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? NIV 1 Samuel 29:4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men? NLT 1 Samuel 29:4 But the Philistine commanders were angry. "Send him back to the town you've given him!" they demanded. "He can't go into the battle with us. What if he turns against us in battle and becomes our adversary? Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him? NRS 1 Samuel 29:4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him; and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the man back, so that he may return to the place that you have assigned to him; he shall not go down with us to battle, or else he may become an adversary to us in the battle. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? NJB 1 Samuel 29:4 But the Philistine chiefs were angry with him. 'Send the man back,' they said, 'make him go back to the place which you assigned to him. He cannot go into battle with us, in case he turns on us once battle is joined. Would there be a better way for the man to regain his master's favour than with the heads of these men here? NAB 1 Samuel 29:4 But the Philistine chiefs were angered at this and said to him: "Send that man back! Let him return to the place you picked out for him. He must not go down into battle with us, lest during the battle he become our enemy. For how else can he win back his master's favor, if not with the heads of these men of ours? YLT 1 Samuel 29:4 And the heads of the Philistines are wroth against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him, 'Send back the man, and he doth turn back unto his place whither thou hast appointed him, and doth not go down with us into battle, and is not to us for an adversary in battle; and wherewith doth this one reconcile himself unto his lord -- is it not with the heads of those men?' GWN 1 Samuel 29:4 But the Philistine officers were angry with Achish. "Send the man back," the Philistine officers told him. "Return him to the place you assigned him. He shouldn't go with us into battle. He shouldn't be allowed to become our enemy during the battle. Is this man going to try to regain his master's favor? He'll do it with the lives of our men! BBE 1 Samuel 29:4 But the rulers of the Philistines were angry with him, and said to him, Make the man go back to the place you have given him; do not let him go down with us to the fight, or he may be turned against us and be false to us: for how will this man make peace with his lord? will it not be with the heads of these men? Make this fellow: 1Sa 14:21 1Ch 12:19 Lu 16:8 1 Samuel 29 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: 1 Chronicles 12:19-20 From Manasseh also some defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines after consultation sent him away, saying, “At the cost of our heads he may defect to his master Saul.” 20 As he went to Ziklag there defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh. PHILISTINE COMMAND DAVID DEPART But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him - Achish had clearly stirred up the Philistine commanders. They were not about to accept his arguments in support of David. and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man go back, that he may return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us - The commanders issue a command to Achish to send David away from the battle back home to Ziklag. They feared David would turn on them in the battle with the Hebrews. The horns of David's dilemma were solved undoubtedly reflecting the strong arm of the LORD providentially moving in the hearts of the Philistine commanders to confront Achish. Proverbs 21:1 says "The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes." TSK Note - The princes reasoned wisely, according to the common practice of mankind; and it was well for David that they were such good politicians: it was ordered by a gracious Providence that they refused to let David go with them to this battle, in which he must have been either an enemy to his country, or false to his friends and to his trust. Had he fought for the Philistines, he would have fought against God and his country; and had he in the battle gone over to the Israelites, he would have deceived and become a traitor to the hospitable Achish. God therefore delivered him from such disgrace; and by the same kind Providence he was sent back to rescue his wives, and the wives and children of his people, from captivity. For (term of explanation) with what could this man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men? - NLT gives a good sense paraphrasing it "Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by handing our heads over to him?" The Philistines saw this as David's opportunity to reunite with his people taking them heads of Philistines to show his renewed loyalty. G C