Who was Achish in the Bible?
King, during the united monarchy
Achish, also known as Abimelech, was the Philistine king of Gath during the time of King Saul and King David. When David fled from Saul, he sought refuge in Gath, pretending to be insane to avoid being perceived as a threat (1Sa.21.10-15). Achish appears in 18 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Achish?
Achish, also known as Abimelech, was the Philistine king of Gath during the time of King Saul and King David. When David fled from Saul, he sought refuge in Gath, pretending to be insane to avoid being perceived as a threat (1Sa.21.10-15). Achish's servants recognized David as the celebrated Israelite warrior, but David's act of insanity convinced Achish to dismiss him (1Sa.21.11-15). Later, when David was again fleeing from Saul, he returned to Achish in Gath, this time with a group of 600 men (1Sa.27.1-4). Achish granted David and his men the town of Ziklag as a base (1Sa.27.5-6). David and his men raided the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, but deceived Achish into believing that they were raiding the Israelites and their allies (1Sa.27.8-12). When the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel, Achish brought David and his men with him (1Sa.28.1-2). However, the Philistine commanders objected to David's presence, fearing that he might turn against them in battle (1Sa.29.1-5). Achish, trusting in David's loyalty, defended him, but ultimately sent him back to Ziklag (1Sa.29.6-11). After David became king, some of his servants fled to Achish in Gath (1Ki.2.39-40), indicating that David maintained a relationship with Achish even after becoming king. Psalm 34 is attributed to David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech (Achish), who drove him away (Psalm 1Ki.34.1). The psalm expresses David's trust in God and his deliverance from fear and trouble.
Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
Where does Achish appear in the Bible?
Achish is referenced in 18 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 Kings 2:39
- 1 Kings 2:40
- 1 Samuel 21:10
- 1 Samuel 21:11
- 1 Samuel 21:12
- 1 Samuel 21:14
- 1 Samuel 27:2
- 1 Samuel 27:3
- 1 Samuel 27:5
- 1 Samuel 27:6
- 1 Samuel 27:9
- 1 Samuel 27:12
- 1 Samuel 28:1
- 1 Samuel 28:2
- 1 Samuel 29:2
- 1 Samuel 29:3
- 1 Samuel 29:6
- 1 Samuel 29:9
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Achish.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Achish?
Achish appears in 18 verses across 2 books, most often in 1 Samuel, which accounts for 16 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Achish?
1 Samuel, 1 Kings.
Where can I read every verse about Achish?
This page lists 18 of them. Protos carries all 18, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
