Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth - (cf. 1 Samuel 29:9, "as an angel of God.") Were these phrases actually used by Achish, or are they to be considered as translations from the Philistine dialect? These questions are more easily asked than answered. It has been suggested that Achish might, in speaking to David, use the former, just as many an Englishman has, in imitation of the French, interlarded his conversation with the interjection of 'mon Dieu.'