1 Samuel 29:4

Verse

But the commanders of the Philistines were angry 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 war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?

American Standard Version (1901)

But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?

Bible in Basic English

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?

Free Bible Version

But the Philistine commanders got angry with Achish, and told him, “Send him back to the place he came from, to the town you assigned to him. He can't go with us into battle. What if he turns on us during the fighting? What a great way for him to please his master—by handing over the heads of our men!

King James (Authorized) Version

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?

Translation for Translators

But the Philistia army commanders were angry with Achish for allowing David’s army to be going with them. They said to him, “Send David and his men back to the city that you gave to him! We do not want him to go with us into the battle. If he goes with us, we will have an enemy in our own midst! He would please King Saul by killing our own soldiers [RHQ]!

Unlocked Literal Bible

But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He will not go down with us into battle, for he will turn against us during the fighting. For how else could he make himself acceptable to his master than by taking the heads of our own men?

Noah Webster Bible

And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this man 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 should be an adversary to us: for with what would he reconcile himself to his master? would it not be with the heads of these men?

World English Bible

But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For with what should this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Should it not be with the heads of these men?

Young's Literal Translation

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?'

Context

The Philistines Reject David

³Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”⁴But the commanders of the Philistines were angry 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 war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men? ⁵Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

Summary

In this verse, the Philistine commanders express concern about David's presence in their army, fearing that he might turn against them during the battle against Israel. This situation highlights the delicate position David found himself in, as he had been living among the Philistines to escape King Saul's pursuit. Ultimately, David's reputation as a mighty warrior and his loyalty to the Philistine king Achish were called into question, leading to his dismissal from the army. This event foreshadows David's eventual rise to become the king of Israel and showcases God's protection and guidance in preserving David's destiny.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

The princes of the Philistines were wroth - It is strange that they had not yet heard of David's destruction of a village of the Geshurites, Gezrites, and Amalekites, Sa1 27:8, Sa1 27:9. Had they heard of this, they would have seen much more cause for suspicion.