1 Samuel 27:7
New International Version
David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

New Living Translation
and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.

English Standard Version
And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Berean Standard Bible
And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

King James Bible
And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

New King James Version
Now the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months.

New American Standard Bible
The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

NASB 1995
The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

NASB 1977
And the number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Amplified Bible
The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Christian Standard Bible
The length of time that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The time that David stayed in the Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

American Standard Version
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Contemporary English Version
David was in Philistia for a year and four months.

English Revised Version
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
David stayed in Philistine territory for one year and four months.

Good News Translation
David lived in Philistia for sixteen months.

International Standard Version
David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months.

Majority Standard Bible
And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

NET Bible
The length of time that David lived in the Philistine countryside was a year and four months.

New Heart English Bible
The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

World English Bible
The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the number of the days which David has dwelt in the field of the Philistines [is one year] of days and four months;

Young's Literal Translation
And the number of the days which David hath dwelt in the field of the Philistines is days and four months;

Smith's Literal Translation
And the number of days which David dwelt in the field of the rovers will be days and four months.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was four months.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now the number of days that David lived in the region of the Philistines was four months.

New American Bible
In all, David lived a year and four months in Philistine territory.

New Revised Standard Version
The length of time that David lived in the country of the Philistines was one year and four months.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the time that David dwelt in the land of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the number of days when David dwelt in the land of the Philistines was a season to season and four months
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David and the Philistines
6That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah. 7And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months. 8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)…

Cross References
1 Samuel 29:3
Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”

1 Samuel 21:10
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

1 Samuel 30:1-2
On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down. / They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.

2 Samuel 2:1-3
Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,” the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” replied the LORD. / So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. / David also took the men who were with him, each with his household, and they settled in the towns near Hebron.

1 Chronicles 12:1
Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;

1 Chronicles 12:19
Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)

2 Samuel 1:1
After the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

1 Samuel 22:1-2
So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. / And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

1 Samuel 23:13
Then David and his men, about six hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he declined to go forth.

1 Samuel 25:13
And David said to his men, “Strap on your swords!” So David and all his men strapped on their swords, and about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

1 Samuel 30:26-31
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.” / He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; / to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; ...

2 Samuel 5:17
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went down to the stronghold.

2 Samuel 8:1-2
Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from the hand of the Philistines. / David also defeated the Moabites, made them lie down on the ground, and measured them off with a cord. He measured off with two lengths those to be put to death, and with one length those to be spared. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

2 Samuel 10:1-2
Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun. / And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites,

2 Samuel 15:18
and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.


Treasury of Scripture

And the time that David dwelled in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

the time [heb] the number of days

1 Samuel 29:3
Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?

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Abode Country David Dwelt Months Philistine Philistines Space Territory Time
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Abode Country David Dwelt Months Philistine Philistines Space Territory Time
1 Samuel 27
1. Saul, hearing David to be in Gath, seeks no more for him
5. David begs Ziklag of Achish
8. He, invading other countries, persuades Achish he fought against Judah.














And the time
This phrase indicates a specific period in David's life, emphasizing the importance of understanding the duration of his stay among the Philistines. In Hebrew, the word for "time" is "yom," which can mean day, time, or period. This suggests a divinely appointed season in David's life, where God was still sovereignly working out His purposes despite David's circumstances.

that David lived
The Hebrew word for "lived" is "yashab," which means to dwell, sit, or remain. This implies that David was not merely passing through but had settled temporarily. It reflects a period of stability and perhaps a strategic retreat from Saul's pursuit. David's choice to live among the Philistines shows his tactical acumen and reliance on God's guidance even in foreign lands.

in the country of the Philistines
The Philistines were long-time adversaries of Israel, and their territory was a place of refuge for David. This phrase highlights the irony and complexity of David's situation. Historically, the Philistines were a powerful sea people, and their land was known for its fortified cities. David's presence there signifies a temporary alliance and a strategic move to ensure his safety from Saul.

was a year and four months
This specific duration, "a year and four months," underscores the significant length of David's stay. In Hebrew culture, numbers often have symbolic meanings. The number "one" can signify unity or beginning, while "four" can represent completeness or universality. This period was long enough for David to establish himself and gain the trust of Achish, the Philistine king, yet it was a temporary phase in God's larger plan for David's life.

(7) A full year and four months.--Keil calls attention to the exact statement of time here as a proof of the historical character of the whole narrative. The Hebrew expression, translated "a year," is a singular one: yamim--literally, days--a collective term, used in Leviticus 25:29, 1Samuel 1:3; 1Samuel 2:19, &c., to signify a term or period of days which amounted to a full year. This year and four months were among the darkest days of David's life. He was sorely tried, it is true; but he had adopted the very course his bitterest foes would have wished him to select. In open arms, apparently leagued with the deadliest foes of Israel, like an Italian condottiere or captain of free lances of the Middle Ages, he had taken service and accepted the wages of that very Philistine city whose champion he once had slain in the morning of his career. At last his enemies at the court of Saul had reason when they spoke of him as a traitor. From the curt recital in this chapter, which deals with the saddest portion of David's career, we shall see that while he apparently continued to make common cause with the enemies of his race, he still used his power to help, and not to injure, his countrymen; but the price he paid for his patriotism was a life of falsehood, stained, too, with deeds of fierce cruelty, shocking even in these rough, half-barbarous times.

Verse 7. - A full year. Hebrew, "days." Rashi argues in favour of its meaning some days, and Josephus says the time of David's stay in Philistia was "four months and twenty days;" but already in 1 Samuel 1:3; 1 Samuel 2:19, we have had the phrase "from days day-ward in the sense of yearly, and comp. Leviticus 25:29; Judges 17:10; also Judges 19:2, where the A.V. translates the Hebrew days four months as meaning "four months" only. Probably, as here, it is a year and four months, though the omission of the conjunction is a difficulty. So too for "after a time" (Judges 14:8) it should be "after a year" - Hebrew, after days. EXPEDITIONS OF DAVID FROM ZIKLAG (vers. 8-12).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the time
הַיָּמִ֔ים (hay·yā·mîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

David
דָּוִ֖ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

lived
יָשַׁ֥ב (yā·šaḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in Philistine
פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

territory
בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה (biś·ḏêh)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7704: Field, land

amounted to
וַֽיְהִי֙ (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a year
יָמִ֖ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

and four
וְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה (wə·’ar·bā·‘āh)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 702: Four

months.
חֳדָשִֽׁים׃ (ḥo·ḏā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2320: The new moon, a month


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OT History: 1 Samuel 27:7 The number of the days that David (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 27:6
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