Bible Strands
1 Samuel 27:3
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David and his followers have just arrived in Gath under King Achish’s protection after fleeing Saul. The narrator records the settlement details as David establishes his new base of operations.
The words — וַיֵּשֶׁב (va-yēšēḇ) means "and he dwelt" or "settled," marking the transition from flight to residence. אִישׁ (’îš) translates as "each man," emphasizing that every follower brought his household.
The thread — The text names David’s wives, connecting to 1 Samuel 25:42 where Abigail follows him and 1 Samuel 25:3 where she is first introduced as Nabal’s wife. The narrative continues in 1 Samuel 27:4 when Saul stops searching for David after learning of his flight to Gath.
Why it lands — The record requires acknowledging the political reality of David’s exile and the logistical reality of his household’s relocation. It demands recognition that divine protection operates through documented human arrangements rather than visible miracles.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 25:42 So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
- 1 Samuel 25:3 His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
- 1 Samuel 25:18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys
- 1 Samuel 30:3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
- 1 Samuel 30:5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.