1Sa 27:3 David dwelt with A in Gath, he and his
1Sa 29:2 David and his men were in the .. with A
Achish (Heb. ‘í‚kîsh; Eg. 3kshn; apparently a Philistine name; appears in cuneiform records, from the time of Esar-haddon, for a Philistine king of Ekron: Ikausu). Philistine king (or more possibly, 2 Philistine kings) at the time of David and Solomon (1Sa 21:11-16; 1Ki 2:39, 40). It seems unlikely that the Achish of Solomon’s time is the same Achish of David’s time; if he was, he would have been very old when the incident recorded in 1Ki 2:39 occurred David’s 1st flight to Achish (1Sa 21:10) occurred nearly 50 years earlier; and the 2nd flight from him (27:1-12) occurred only a few years after the first. Furthermore, the Achish of 1Sa 27:2 is the son of Maoch, and the one of 1Ki 2:39 is the son of Maacah. Of course, it is possible that Maoch is a variant of the name Maaca, but it is more likely that the Achish of King David’s time was the grandfather (or other relative) of the Achish who lived in Solomon’s time. Bib.: ANET 291.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
King of Gath to whom David turned twice for protection (1Sa 21:10-15). First, David pretended to be crazy; Achish rejected him and David fled. The second time David consented to ally with Achish against Israel, but when the Philistine kings objected, Achish sent him away (1Sa 29:1-11). It may be the same Achish before whom Shimei’s servant fled (1Ki 2:39-40).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
Name of two Philistine kings, from Gath.
1. The one who protected David. His servants mistrusted David, remembering † ¢ Goliath (1Sa 21: 10-11), but David † œpretended to be mad † (1Sa 21:13) and then fled to the cave of † ¢ Adullam. Later, when he was already the leader of six hundred men, he returned to A., who designated the city of † ¢ Ziklag as his abode (1Sa 27: 1-6). David deceived A. by attacking other peoples and telling him that he had done it against Israel, which made the Philistine king believe that David had definitely made an enemy of his nation (1Sa 27: 8-12). But when A. decides to attack Israel, his princes are opposed to David accompanying them (1Sa 29: 1-11). In the title of Psalm 34, A. is called †œAbimelech†.
. The successor of the previous one. He lived in Solomon’s time. † ¢ Shimei, who had cursed David when he was fleeing from Absalom, went to A. to procure some servants who had escaped from him, which caused his death, since he was prohibited from leaving Jerusalem (1 Kings 2: 39- 46).
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
tip, KING BIOG HOMB HOAT = “snake charmer”. (a) Philistine king of Gath. David twice took refuge under his protection, pursued by Saul. The first time his servants reminded him how David was reputed to have killed “his ten thousand of him.” Hearing this, David was afraid and pretended to be mad, and Achish had him expelled (1 Sam. 21:10-15). The second time David fled from Saul, Achish gave him the city of Ziklag. Asked by Achish to help him in his war against Israel, David was reluctantly forced to join the Philistine army. However, the other princes refused to accept his help, fearing that David would go over to the enemy (1 Sam. 27, 28). (b) Another king of Gath, where Shimei’s servants came for shelter. This led to Shimei’s death (1 Kings 2:39, 40).
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
The king of Gath (called Abimelech in the title of Ps. 34) with whom David lived incognito when escaping from Saul and from whom he escaped by feigning madness (1 Sam. 21:10–15). The second time David went to Gath for refuge, Achish gave him the city of *Ziclag on the border with Israel (1 Sam. 27). He appointed David as his bodyguard for the battle against Israel (1 Sam. 28:1–2), but the other Philistines did not want David to fight with them (1 Sam. 29). Achish continued as king even during Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 2:39–40).
DWB
Douglas, J. (2000). New Biblical Dictionary: First Edition. Miami: United Bible Societies.
Source: New Bible Dictionary