A people from the Philistine coast
The Cherethites appear in the Old Testament as a distinct people living in or alongside Philistine territory. Zephaniah addresses the "nation of the Cherethites" and connects them with the seacoast, the region occupied by the Philistines (Zephaniah 2:5). Ezekiel also speaks of God bringing judgement on the Cherethims alongside the Philistines (Ezekiel 25:16).
This is why many readers understand the Cherethites as a Philistine clan or an allied people within Philistia, rather than as Israelites. The Bible's focus is not on giving their family history. It shows where they stood in the world around Israel and, surprisingly, how some came to serve David.
Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
David's trusted fighting men
During David's reign, the Cherethites are repeatedly named with the Pelethites. They were under the command of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, one of David's most capable and trusted leaders (2 Samuel 8:18). They seem to have functioned as an elite military unit and royal bodyguard.
Their loyalty becomes especially clear when David fled Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion. The Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites went with him as he crossed the Kidron valley (2 Samuel 15:18). Later, they helped suppress the rebellion of Sheba son of Bichri (2 Samuel 20:7). In a tense and divided kingdom, David had men around him who stayed faithful.
And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
Why would non-Israelites serve David?
Their presence reminds us that David's kingdom included people from beyond Israel's tribes. The Gittites mentioned beside them likely came from Gath, a Philistine city, which fits the wider picture of foreign warriors joining David's cause (2 Samuel 15:18). David himself had spent time among the Philistines while fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 27:2).
Scripture does not explain every detail of how the Cherethites entered David's service. Still, it plainly presents them as committed to the king. When David was weak, displaced, and facing betrayal, these soldiers stood with him. Their story is a quiet picture of loyalty in a difficult moment.
What their name may mean
Some scholars connect the name Cherethites with Crete, and with the wider biblical idea that Philistine ancestors came from Caphtor. Amos says the Philistines were brought from Caphtor, while Jeremiah refers to the remnant of the country of Caphtor (Amos 9:7; Jeremiah 47:4). Caphtor is often associated with Crete or the Aegean world, though its precise identification is debated.
That connection is possible, but the Bible never directly says, "the Cherethites came from Crete." So it is best to hold the idea lightly. What Scripture clearly tells us is enough: they were linked with Philistia, some served David with distinction, and they appear again when Benaiah helped secure Solomon's throne (1 Kings 1:38-39).
So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.