Among the men of Judah whom the war brought to Gibeah, David ben Jesse of Bethlehem took a conspicuous place; his skill on the harp brought him into close relations with the king.  He became Saul’s armour-bearer, afterwards the most intimate friend of his son, finally the husband of his daughter.  While he was thus winning the affections of the court, he at the same time became the declared favourite of the people, the more so because unexampled good fortune attended him in all he undertook.  This excited the jealousy of Saul, naturally enough in an age in which the king always required to be the best man.  Its first outburst admitted of explanation as occasioned by an attack of illness; but soon it became obtrusively clear that the king’s love for his son-in-law had changed into bitter hatred.  Jonathan warned his friend and facilitated his flight, the priests of Nob at the same time providing him with arms and food.  He went into the wilderness of Judah, and became the leader of a miscellaneous band of outlaws who had been attracted by his name to lead a roving life under his leadership.  His kinsmen from Bethlehem were of their number, but also Philistines and Hittites.  Out of this band David’s bodyguard subsequently grew, the nucleus of his army.  They reckoned also a priest among them, Abiathar ben Ahimelech ben Ahitub ben Phinehas ben Eli, the solitary survivor of the massacre of the sons of Eli at Nob which Saul had ordered on account of suspected conspiracy with David.  Through him David was able to have recourse to the sacred lot before the ephod.  In the end he found it impossible to hold his own in Judah against Saul’s persecutions, especially as his countrymen for the most part withheld their assistance.  He therefore took the desperate step of placing his services at the disposal of Achish the Philistine king of Gath, by whom he was received with open arms, the town of Ziklag being assigned him as a residence.  Here with his band he continued to follow his old manner of life as an independent prince, subject only to an obligation to render military service to Achish.

Meanwhile the Philistines had once more mustered their forces and marched by the usual route against Israel.  Saul did not allow them to advance upon Gibeah, but awaited their attack in the plain of Jezreel.  A disastrous battle on Mount Gilboa ensued; after seeing his three eldest sons fall one after another at his side, Saul threw himself upon his sword, and was followed by his armour-bearer.  The defeat seemed to have undone the work of his life.  The immediate consequence at least was that the Philistines regained their lost ascendancy over the country to the west of Jordan.  Beyond Jordan, however, Abner, the cousin and generalissimo of Saul, made his son Ishbaal, still a minor, king in Mahanaim, and he was successful in again establishing the dominion of the house over Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, of course in uninterrupted struggle with the Philistines.