Achish in Extrabiblical Literature

Archaeologists discovered a Syro-Palestinian dedicatory inscription attributed to Achish at the Philistine site of Ekron. Dating to the seventh century bc, the Phoenician inscription commemorates the dedication of a temple constructed by Achish (also vocalized Ikausu), son of Padi, king of Ekron. Since this inscription follows more than 300 years after the events described in 1 Samuel and identifies Achish with Ekron rather than Gath, Naveh suggests that the linguistic origins of Achish are formed from a West Semitic root word from which the titles of various Philistine kings derive (Naveh, “Achish-Ikausu,” 35–37). Edenburg offers the alternative suggestion that Achish means “Greek” and that, “to emphasize the ‘otherness’ of the Philistine ruler of David’s time,” the author of the books of Samuel—writing closer to the time of Achish of Ekron—associated the previously anonymous king of Gath of David’s time with this better-known ruler (Edenburg, “Notes,” 34–38).