Then said Achish to his servants, Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me?
David sensed his personal danger and pretended to be insane to save his life. Evidently Achish dismissed him, concluding that David was mad and could be of no help to him against Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 29:3; 1 Samuel 29:6; 1 Samuel 29:9; Psalms 34 title). It so happened that ancient Near Easterners regarded the insane as harbingers of evil and so avoided them. They felt it was bad luck to kill a madman. [Note: Merrill, "1 Samuel," p. 219.] 