1. 1 Samuel 29:11 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does the narrator talk about David going back to the land of the Philistines?

1 Samuel 29:11 (ESV)

11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

It is possible that the narrator did not consider Aphek to be part of Philistine territory.1 Maintaining the image of an ideal servant, David obeys Achish’s instructions and goes back to Ziklag. It was a journey of almost 100 kilometres.