Anyone who read about David in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel probably wonders who the Kerethites & Pelethites were.
No towns bore those names; but, we do have 2 men who were named Peleth in the Old Testament of the Bible.
King James called Kerethites, Cherethites in 5 different books and called them Cherethims in Ezekiel 25:16.

Links open with New International Version (NIV) verses. Unless otherwise stated, links applicable in both King James & NIV.

The first man named Peleth had a son who seems to have been a Reubenite that rose up against Moses during the Exodus and paid for his insolence with his life. Numbers 16:1-2:
1. Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites--Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth--became insolent
2. and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council.

Verses 20-35 said that all involved were killed in an earthquake by God.
So, it's unlikely that this person named Peleth was the patriarch to the Pelethites.

According to 1 Chronicles 2, the second man named Peleth was named as a decendant of Jacob through the line of Perez (whose mother was Tamar).
Jacob (Israel) > Judah (mother: Tamar) > Perez > Hezron > Jerahmeel > Onam (mother: Atarah) > Jada > Jonathan > Peleth
Unless this group of people lived peacefully near or in Philistine-controlled land, it's also doubtful that this man named Peleth was the patriarch of this group of people either.

Kerethites first appeared as a group of people who lived in the Negev (desert) according to 1 Samuel 30:11-14 when David defeated the Amalekites.
11. They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat--
12. part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13. David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.
14. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag."

Two prophetic books stated that the Kerethites lived along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

  1. Ezekiel 25:16:
    15. "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: `Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts, and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah,
    16. therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and destroy those remaining along the coast.

  2. Zephaniah 2:5-6:
    5. Woe to you who live by the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and none will be left."
    6. The land by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell, will be a place for shepherds and sheep pens.

The passages for both 2 Samuel 8:15-18 and 1 Chronicles 18:14-17 named "Benaiah son of Jehoiada" as one of David's officials "over the Kerethites and Pelethites" which indicated a high level of trust he had in them.

In 2 Samuel 15:14-18 when the aging king David's son, Absalom, tried to take the kingdom for himself, the Kerethites and Pelethites were mentioned as some of David's troops.
14. Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword."
15. The king's officials answered him, "Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses."
16. The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace.
17. So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at a place some distance away.
18. All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

When a Benjamite named Sheba incited a revolt against king David, the Kerethites and Pelethites were among the soldiers that defended David during the revolt. Some of the Benjamites were supporters of king Saul who later formed the northern kingdom of Israel. 2 Samuel 20:1-7,23-26:
1. Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, "We have no share in David, no part in Jesse's son! Every man to his tent, O Israel!"
2. So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
3. When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows.
4. Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself."
5. But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him.
6. David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba son of Bicri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master's men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us."
7. So Joab's men and the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.
...
23. Joab was over Israel's entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites;
24. Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;
25. Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
26. and Ira the Jairite was David's priest.

The last time they were mentioned, the Kerethites and Pelethites were in the proceedings to make Solomon king of his father's kingdom.
1 Kings 1:38,44-45:
38. So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon.
...
44. The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king's mule,
45. and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That's the noise you hear.

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