Commentary
Old Testament : Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
The Song of Songs
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
![](images/minus.gif)
Text -- 1 Samuel 18:1-29 (NET)
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
Strongs On/Off
Context
Saul Comes to Fear David
18:1 When David had finished talking with Saul , Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life .
18:2 Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house .
18:3 Jonathan made a covenant with David , for he loved him as much as he did his own life .
18:4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David , along with the rest of his gear , including his sword , his bow , and even his belt .
18:5 On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success . So Saul appointed him over the men of war . This pleased not only all the army , but also Saul’s servants .
18:6 When the men arrived after David returned from striking down the Philistine , the women from all the cities of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet King Saul . They were happy as they played their tambourines and three-stringed instruments .
18:7 The women who were playing the music sang , “Saul has struck down his thousands , but David his tens of thousands !”
18:8 This made Saul very angry . The statement displeased him and he thought , “They have attributed to David tens of thousands , but to me they have attributed only thousands . What does he lack , except the kingdom ?”
18:9 So Saul was keeping an eye on David from that day onward .
18:10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied within his house . Now David was playing the lyre that day . There was a spear in Saul’s hand ,
18:11 and Saul threw the spear , thinking , “I’ll nail David to the wall !” But David escaped from him on two different occasions .
18:12 So Saul feared David , because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul .
18:13 Saul removed David from his presence and made him a commanding officer . David led the army out to battle and back.
18:14 Now David achieved success in all he did , for the Lord was with him.
18:15 When Saul saw how very successful he was, he was afraid of him.
18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David , for he was the one leading them out to battle and back .
18:17 Then Saul said to David , “Here’s my oldest daughter , Merab . I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior for me and fight the battles of the Lord .” For Saul thought , “There’s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines !”
18:18 David said to Saul , “Who am I ? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law ?”
18:19 When the time came for Merab , Saul’s daughter , to be given to David , she instead was given in marriage to Adriel , who was from Meholah .
18:20 Now Michal , Saul’s daughter , loved David . When they told Saul about this, it pleased him.
18:21 Saul said , “I will give her to him so that she may become a snare to him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David , “Today is the second time for you to become my son-in-law .”
18:22 Then Saul instructed his servants , “Tell David secretly , ‘The king is pleased with you, and all his servants like you. So now become the king’s son-in-law .”
18:23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately to David . David replied , “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law something insignificant to you? I’m just a poor and lightly-esteemed man !”
18:24 When Saul’s servants reported what David had said ,
18:25 Saul replied , “Here is what you should say to David : ‘There is nothing that the king wants as a price for the bride except a hundred Philistine foreskins , so that he can be avenged of his enemies .’” (Now Saul was thinking that he could kill David by the hand of the Philistines .)
18:26 So his servants told David these things and David agreed to become the king’s son-in-law . Now the specified time had not yet expired
18:27 when David , along with his men , went out and struck down two hundred Philistine men . David brought their foreskins and presented all of them to the king so he could become the king’s son-in-law . Saul then gave him his daughter Michal in marriage .
18:28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,
18:29 Saul became even more afraid of him . Saul continued to be at odds with David from then on .
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
![](images/advanced.gif)
Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
![](images/arrow_open.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus_head.gif)
expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> 1Sa 18:1; 1Sa 18:1; 1Sa 18:1; 1Sa 18:1; 1Sa 18:2; 1Sa 18:3; 1Sa 18:5; 1Sa 18:6; 1Sa 18:6; 1Sa 18:8; 1Sa 18:10; 1Sa 18:13; 1Sa 18:13; 1Sa 18:13; 1Sa 18:14; 1Sa 18:17; 1Sa 18:17; 1Sa 18:18; 1Sa 18:20; 1Sa 18:21; 1Sa 18:23; 1Sa 18:25; 1Sa 18:26; 1Sa 18:26; 1Sa 18:27; 1Sa 18:28; 1Sa 18:28; 1Sa 18:28; 1Sa 18:29; 1Sa 18:29; 1Sa 18:29
NET Notes: 1Sa 18:1 On the nature of Jonathan’s love for David, see J. A. Thompson, “The Significance of the Verb Love in the David-Jonathan Narratives in 1 S...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: 1Sa 18:2 Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: 1Sa 18:5 Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: 1Sa 18:18 Heb “Who are my relatives, the clan of my father?” The term חַי (khay), traditionally understood as “my life,̶...
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)
NET Notes: 1Sa 18:28 Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
![](images/cmt_minus.gif)