Achish in 1 Samuel

Achish first appears in 1 Sam 21:10–15, where David escapes from Saul and seeks refuge with King Achish of Gath. On this first encounter, David fears for his own safety and deceives Achish by feigning insanity. The title of Psalm 34 refers to this episode but uses the name Abimelech in place of Achish.

In 1 Sam 27:1–12 and 28:1–2, David again seeks refuge with Achish and the Philistines—this time accompanied by 600 men—and Achish permits David and his men to settle in Ziklag (1 Sam 27:1–12; 1 Sam 28:1–2). However, David deceives Achish a second time by lying about the location of raids he conducted against neighboring villages. Within the larger narrative, this deception secures David’s status as Israel’s future king (Shemesh, “David,” 81). Trusting in David’s false reports, Achish invites David to join the Philistines in the impending battle against Israel. However, the Philistine commanders oppose the alliance and ultimately compel Achish to send David and his men back to Philistia—away from the battle (1 Sam 29:1–11).