Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 29:2

"And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish." — 1 Samuel 29:2 (ASV)

And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands. —The orderly advance of this great military nation is thus described. The term “lords” is a different term from the expression “princes.” There were apparently five sovereign princes in the Philistine federation, of whom Achish of Gath was one. Beneath these were other chieftains, who seemingly had great control over the sovereign princes.

David and his men. —David, in return for the lands around Ziklag given him by the King of Gath, seems to have owed a kind of military service to his suzerain Achish. The difference in the arms and equipment of the Israelite warriors in the division of David, which was marching under the standard of Gath, no doubt excited questions. The general appearance of the Hebrews was, of course, well known to their hereditary Philistine foes.