King living at the time of United Monarchy
Achish, also referred to as Abimelech, was the Philistine king of Gath who granted refuge to David when he fled from King Saul, but later dismissed him due to the suspicion of his servants.
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Also known as Abimelech · Abimelek
Achish, also known as Abimelech, was the Philistine king of Gath during the time of King Saul and King David. When David fled from Saul, he sought refuge in Gath, pretending to be insane to avoid being perceived as a threat (1Sa.21.10-15). Achish's servants recognized David as the celebrated Israelite warrior, but David's act of insanity convinced Achish to dismiss him (1Sa.21.11-15).
Later, when David was again fleeing from Saul, he returned to Achish in Gath, this time with a group of 600 men (1Sa.27.1-4). Achish granted David and his men the town of Ziklag as a base (1Sa.27.5-6). David and his men raided the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, but deceived Achish into believing that they were raiding the Israelites and their allies (1Sa.27.8-12).
When the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel, Achish brought David and his men with him (1Sa.28.1-2). However, the Philistine commanders objected to David's presence, fearing that he might turn against them in battle (1Sa.29.1-5). Achish, trusting in David's loyalty, defended him, but ultimately sent him back to Ziklag (1Sa.29.6-11).
After David became king, some of his servants fled to Achish in Gath (1Ki.2.39-40), indicating that David maintained a relationship with Achish even after becoming king.
Psalm 34 is attributed to David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech (Achish), who drove him away (Psalm 1Ki.34.1). The psalm expresses David's trust in God and his deliverance from fear and trouble.
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Angry, perhaps only a general title of royalty applicable to the Philistine kings. (1.) The king with whom David sought refuge when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:10-15). He is called Abimelech in the superscription of Ps. 34. It was probably this same king to whom David a second time repaired at the head of a band of 600 warriors, and who assigned him Ziklag, whence he carried on war against the surrounding tribes (1 Sam. 27:5-12). Achish had great confidence in the valour and fidelity of David (1 Sam. 28:1, 2), but at the instigation of his courtiers did not permit him to go up to battle along with the Philistine hosts (1 Sam. 29:2-11). David remained with Achish a year and four months. (2.) Another king of Gath, probably grandson of the foregoing, to whom the two servants of Shimei fled. This led Shimei to go to Gath in pursuit of them, and the consequence was that Solomon put him to death (1 Kings 2:39-46).
(angry), a Philistine king of Gath, who in the title of the 34th Psalm is called Abimelech. David twice found a refuge with him when he fled from Saul. (B.C. 1061.) On the first occasion he was alarmed for his safety, feigned madness, and was sent away.
thus it is; how is this
A'CHISH (serpent-charmer ?), a king of Gath, called Abimelech in the title of Ps 34, to whom David fled twice. The first time, being in danger, he feigned madness, whereupon he was dismissed. 1 Sam 21:10. The second time Achish received him cordially because of his supposed hostility to Saul, gave him Ziklag, and took him on his campaign against Saul, but finally dismissed him, with commendations of his fidelity, because of the mistrust of his princes. 1 Sam 27,1 Sam 27:29. The Achish to whom Shimei went seeking for his servants may have been this same king, but much more probably his grandson, since David's first flight took place fifty years before. 1 Kgs 2:39,1 Kgs 2:40.
A'CHISH (serpent-charmer ?), a king of Gath, called Abimelech in the title of Ps 34, to whom David fled twice. The first time, being in danger, he feigned madness, whereupon he was dismissed. 1 Sam 21:10. The second time Achish received him cordially because of his supposed hostility to Saul, gave him Ziklag, and took him on his campaign against Saul, but finally dismissed him, with commendations of his fidelity, because of the mistrust of his princes. 1 Sam 27,1 Sam 27:29. The Achish to whom Shimei went seeking for his servants may have been this same king, but much more probably his grandson, since David's first flight took place fifty years before. 1 Kgs 2:39,1 Kgs 2:40.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
21 verses in 3 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0397
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me?
So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.
Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would return to Achish,
who would ask him, “What have you raided today?” And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”
So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
Now in those days the Philistines gathered their forces for warfare against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men are to go out to battle with me.”
David replied, “Then you will come to know what your servant can do.” “Very well,” said Achish. “I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
As the Philistine leaders marched out eith their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.
Then 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.”
So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and it seems right in my sight that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you are not good in the sight of the leaders.
“But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’
After three years, however, two of Shimeiʼs slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
So Shimei saddled his donkey and set out to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves, and he brought them back from Gath.
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.