And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
The Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, 'Send this man back to the place you've given him to stay. Don't let him come with us into battle, because he might turn against us during the fight. How else would he get back in his master's good graces except by bringing him our heads?'
The Philistine military leaders didn't trust David to fight alongside them, fearing he would switch sides and kill them to win back King Saul's favor.
📚 Historical Context
David had been living among the Philistines as a refugee from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. When the Philistines prepared to fight against Israel, David was expected to join them against his own people. The Philistine commanders wisely recognized this impossible position David was in and suspected he might betray them in battle.
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