Achish

Who is Achish?

Achish is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for two Philistine rulers of Gath. It is perhaps only a general title of royalty, applicable to the Philistine kings. The two kings of Gath, which is identified by most scholars as Tell es-Safi, are:

⁕The monarch with whom David sought refuge when he fled from Saul. He is called Abimelech in the superscription of Ps. 34. It was probably this same king, or his son with the same name, to whom David a second time repaired at the head of a band of 600 warriors. The king assigned David to Ziklag, whence he carried on war against the surrounding tribes. Achish had great confidence in the valour and fidelity of David, but at the instigation of his courtiers did not permit him to go up to battle along with the Philistine hosts. David remained with Achish a year and four months.

⁕Another king of Gath, probably grandson of the foregoing, to whom the two servants of Shimei fled. This led Shimei to go to Gath in pursuit of them, and the consequence was that Solomon put him to death.

In the 7th century BC royal inscription from Tel Miqne-Ekron the name Achish appears, along with four other names of the local kings of Ekron. A similar name appears as a king of Ekron in 7th century BC Assyrian inscriptions. This apparently refers to the same king of Ekron.