Then said the princes of the Philistines, What are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he deserted unto me unto this day?
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Bede
AD 735
The pagans despise the life, fellowship and teaching of those who believe in Christ, who are rightly called Hebrews, that is, “pilgrims.” For they know to pass over at the present time from vices to virtues, and in the future they hope to pass over from death to life. Looking from the summit of their heavenward mind, they know how to transcend the base desires of fleshly things and all the hostilities of the world. - "Four Books on 1 Samuel 4.29"
Know David. It seems they were not unacquainted with him, since they knew that Achis had given him a place, (ver. 4,) or city. (Haydock)
But they prudently judged that it would be very hazardous to employ him on this occasion. Providence thus brought him honourably out of the scrape, as he could not have remained even inactive, among the troops of the Philistines, without rendering himself suspected both to them and to his own people. (Calmet)
Years. Abulensis thinks that Achis told an untruth, to persuade the lords that he had been long witness of David's fidelity. He might also allude to the first time, when he came to his court, or the four months specified chap. xxvii. 9, might fall into different years. Septuagint, "he has been with us days, this is the second year. "(Menochius)
Syriac, "two years (Arabic, "one year "and some months. "(Calmet)
The true term was only four months. (Worthington)
