David in the Service of King Achish of Gath: Renegade to His ...

82 Y. Shemesh / Vetus Testamentum 57 (2007) 73-90
continues to be their mortal foe even aft er he becomes king of Judah and
Israel. When Abner urges the elders of Israel to transfer their allegiance to
David, he argues that “the Lord has said concerning David: ‘I will deliver My
people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and all its other enemies
through My servant David’” (2 Sam. iii 18). And aft er David is anointed king
of all Israel he continues his wars against the Philistines (2 Sam. v 17-25; viii 1).
As for David’s relations with Achish, we know that David was disloyal and
insincere from the very beginning, since he brazenly lied to him about the
targets of his raids (1 Sam. xxvii 8-12) and made sure to leave no survivors
who might inform Achish of his duplicity. Th e narrator even underscores
that this was not a one-time matter, but that “such was his practice as long as
he stayed in the territory of the Philistines” (1 Sam. xxvii 11).
3. How David and his men react when they hear the bitter tidings of
Israel’s defeat and the deaths of Saul and Jonathan: When David and his men
learn of the outcome of the battle at Mount Gilboa they rend their garments,
lament, weep, and fast until the evening, mourning the deaths of Saul, Jonathan,
and the house of Israel (2 Sam. i 11-12). Th is is not the reaction of
persons who only shortly earlier had intended to fight against Israel on
the side of the Philistines. At the start of David’s dirge for Saul and Jonathan
(vv. 17-27) he refers to the Philistines as the enemy: “Tell it not in Gath, do
not proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistine
rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult” (2 Sam. i 20). Even the
Amalekite lad who brings the news knows where the allegiance of David and
his men lies (at least officially), because he comes to them with his garments
torn and ashes on his head (v. 2). It is true that he evidently believes that
David, in his heart of hearts, will be glad of the news of Saul’s death and
reward him accordingly; but he also knows that officially David is loyal to
Saul and will put on the trappings of mourning when he hears his report.
Th is is why the Amalekite takes the trouble of pretending to grieve himself
and emphasizes that he slew Saul at the latter’s express request, as an act of
mercy, since the stricken king had no hope of surviving (vv. 9-10). None of
this helps him, however, and David orders his execution, because he dared
raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed (vv. 15-16). Th us David continues
to strengthen the taboo of harming the Lord’s anointed even aft er Saul’s
death. 23 His harsh reaction to the news and his order to execute the Amalekite,
despite the fact that on his own account his intention was to be merciful
23) See above, §III 2.