Bible Verses About Gath: David takes refuge at

The same day, David took flight from Sha'ul and went to Akhish king of

The servants of Akhish said to him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Weren't they dancing and singing to each other, 'Sha'ul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands'?"

These remarks were not lost on David, and he became very much afraid of Akhish king of Gat.

So, as they were watching, he changed his behavior and acted like a madman when they had hold of him, scratching marks on the doors of the city gate and drooling down his beard.

Akhish said to his servants, "Here, you see that the man is meshugga; why bring him to me?

Am I short of meshugga'im? Is that why you've brought this one to go crazy on me? Must I have this one in my house?"

So David set out with his six hundred men and passed on to Akhish the son of Ma'okh, king of Gat.

David lived with Akhish, he and his men, each man with his household - including David with his two wives Achino'am from Yizre'el and Avigayil from Karmel, Naval's widow.

Sha'ul was told that David had escaped to Gat, whereupon he stopped searching for him.

David said to Akhish, "If you are now favorably disposed toward me, let me have a place to live in one of the cities in the countryside. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

That very day Akhish gave him Ziklag, and that's why to this day Ziklag belongs to the kings of Y'hudah.

After David had been living in the country of the P'lishtim for a year and four months,