Why did Achish let David live in Gath?

[tonychanyt]

1 Samuel 27:

1 David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines.”

David was an outcast. He fled to the Philistines.

2 So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men.

King Saul was the enemy of the Philistines, and David was Saul's enemy. Achish thought: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. David was Achish's friend in that sense.

David had 600 men with him. He didn't stay so close to Achish at Gath for long.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”

From both Achish and David's points of view, it was better that they were not so close to each other.

6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag.

David's reputation as a warrior was well-known, making him a valuable ally. Achish created a buffer zone between Philistine territory and Israel by allowing David to settle in Ziklag, a border town.

It appeared to be a win-win situation: David was no longer chased after by Saul, while Achish gained an ally against Saul.

In ancient Near Eastern culture, offering hospitality to a fugitive from another kingdom was sometimes practiced to gain political advantage.

Some years later, Hadad the Edomite fled from David and Joab to Egypt in !K 10:

19 There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.

More years later, 1K 11

40 Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.

Why did Achish accommodate David in his territory?

To form an alliance with David against their common enemy, Saul.