achish Summary and Overview

angry, perhaps only a general title of royalty applicable to the Philistine kings. (1.) The king with whom David sought refuge when he fled from Saul (1 Sam. 21:10-15). He is called Abimelech in the superscription of Ps. 34. It was probably this same king to whom David a second time repaired at the head of a band of 600 warriors, and who assigned him Ziklag, whence he carried on war against the surrounding tribes (1 Sam. 27:5-12). Achish had great confidence in the valour and fidelity of David (1 Sam. 28:1,2), but at the instigation of his courtiers did not permit him to go up to battle along with the Philistine hosts (1 Sam. 29:2-11). David remained with Achish a year and four months. (2.) Another king of Gath, probably grandson of the foregoing, to whom the two servants of Shimei fled. This led Shimei to go to Gath in pursuit of them, and the consequence was that Solomon put him to death (1 Kings 2:39-46).

(angry), a Philistine king of Gath, who in the title of the 34th Psalm is called Abimelech. David twice found a refuge with him when he fled from Saul. (B.C. 1061.) On the first occasion he was alarmed for his safety, feigned madness, and was sent away.

A'CHISH (serpent-charmer ?), a king of Gath, called Abimelech in the title of Ps 34, to whom David fled twice. The first time, being in danger, he feigned madness, whereupon he was dismissed. 1 Sam 21:10. The second time Achish received him cordially because of his supposed hostility to Saul, gave him Ziklag, and took him on his campaign against Saul, but finally dismissed him, with commendations of his fidelity, because of the mistrust of his princes. 1 Sam 27,1 Sam 27:29. The Achish to whom Shimei went seeking for his servants may have been this same king, but much more probably his grandson, since David's first flight took place fifty years before. 1 Kgs 2:39,1 Kgs 2:40.

King of Gath, son of Maoch; called Abimelech, i.e., not merely a king, but also son of a king in the title to Psalm 34: See ABIMELECH for the seeming discrepancy with 1 Samuel 21:10-13; 1 Samuel 27:2. Twice David fled to him. On the first occasion, being recognized as the conqueror of the Philistines, he in fear reigned madness (as the Roman L. Junins Brutus did: Livy, 1:56), and so was let escape to the cave of Adullam. On the second he stayed at Gath, with 600 men, a year and four months, having had Ziklag assigned to him.

The unbelieving propensity to calculate probabilities, instead of trusting implicitly to God, misleads even believers into self sought positions of great spiritual danger. "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul, there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines," said David. This false step on his part necessitated gross lying to the trustful Philistine king (1 Samuel 27:1; 1 Samuel 27:8-12). He finally escaped, only by God's undeserved providential interposition, from having to march with Achish against his own countrymen (1 Samuel 28; 29). Achish, or his son, is again mentioned (1 Kings 2:40)