The note that all David's servants passed by him—the Kerethites, Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath—establishes the military forces that accompanied the king in his flight and suggests the international character of David's bodyguard. The reference to the six hundred Gittites—presumably Philistine warriors who had come to serve David—demonstrates the international composition of David's forces and the loyalty of foreign warriors to his cause. The designation of these forces as David's servants suggests their status as paid warriors or mercenaries loyal to the king's person rather than to the kingdom itself. The verse establishes the military forces available to David as he prepares to resist Absalom's rebellion.

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