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1 Samuel
Chapter Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 18
This
chapter gives an account of the respect shown to David by Saul and Jonathan, by
the servants of Saul, and all the people, and of what was said in his praise in
the songs of the women, 1 Samuel 18:1;
which latter gave Saul a great offence, and upon which he envied him, and eyed
him, and indeed sought his life, and removed him from him; and yet still he
continued the darling of the people, behaving wisely among them, which greatly
embarrassed Saul, that be knew not what to do, 1 Samuel 18:8; he
proposed his eldest daughter to him in marriage, which he had a claim to by
killing the Philistine, and then he cheated him by giving her to another, 1 Samuel 18:17; and
then he offered his youngest daughter to him, on condition that he would bring
him an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, execution of which he thought his
life would be exposed to danger, which yet he performed, 1 Samuel 18:20; and
having the affection of his wife, and the good esteem of the servants of Saul,
Saul was more afraid of him, and became his enemy, 1 Samuel 18:28.
1 Samuel 18:1 Now when he had
finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David,
and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
YLT
1And it cometh to pass, when
he finisheth to speak unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan hath been bound to
the soul of David, and Jonathan loveth him as his own soul.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul,.... In answer
to his questions about his descent and family, and doubtless more things were
talked of than are recorded:
that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David: he won his
heart, made a conquest of his affections, these went out towards him, and
cleaved unto him; such were the comeliness of his person, his graceful mien and
deportment, his freedom and fluency of expression, his courage and
undauntedness, joined with prudence, modesty, and integrity, that they strongly
attached him to him:
and Jonathan loved him as his own soul; not only
according to the excellency of David's soul, and the greatness of it, as that
deserved respect and love, as Abarbinel suggests, but he loved him as he loved
himself. There was a similarity in their persons, in their age, in the
dispositions of their minds, in their wisdom, courage, modesty, faithfulness,
and openness of soul, that attracted them to each other, that they became as
another self; as one soul, as Aristotle speaksF18Ethic. l. 9. c.
4,9. So Porphyr. de Vita Pythagor. of true friends: instances of very cordial
friendship are given by PlutarchF19Apud Patrick in loc. , as in
Theseus and Pirithous, Achilles and Patroclus, Orestes and Pylades, Pythias and
Damon, Epaminondas and Pelopidas; but none equal to this.
1 Samuel 18:2 2 Saul
took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore.
YLT
2And Saul taketh him on that
day, and hath not permitted him to turn back to the house of his father.
And Saul took him that day,.... Not only into his
favour, and into his service, but into his court; even on that very day he slew
the Philistine, or however as soon as it could be done:
and would let him go no more home to his father's house; as he used to
do before; when he only served as a musician to him, then he was only at court
when Saul was in a melancholy disposition, and wanted him, and so was going and
returning, and in the intervals kept his father's sheep, 1 Samuel 17:15; but
now he would not suffer him to attend such business any longer, since he was
not only to become a courtier, and be made a prince or noble, but to marry his
daughter, according to the declaration he had made, with respect to any man
that should kill Goliath.
1 Samuel 18:3 3 Then
Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
YLT
3And Jonathan maketh -- also
David -- a covenant, because he loveth him as his own soul,
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant,.... A
covenant of friendship; entered into a solemn agreement to keep up and maintain
a cordial respect to each other, and to support each other's interest both in
life and after death, whoever was the survivor; and in consequence of this
David had a friend at court, when Saul fell out with him, and who pleaded his
cause, and discovered his father's plots, and was the means of preserving
David's life:
because he loved him as his own soul; so that this
covenant was not founded in mere words, but in sincere and cordial affection,
and was lasting and inviolable.
1 Samuel 18:4 4 And
Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with
his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
YLT
4and Jonathan strippeth
himself of the upper robe which [is] upon him, and giveth it to David, and his
long robe, even unto his sword, and unto his bow, and unto his girdle.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him,.... As a
token of his hearty love and true friendship, and that David might appear at
court not in the habit of a shepherd, but in that of a prince:
and gave it to David, and his garments; his other
garments besides his robe, and so clothed him from tip to toe, and which fitted
him; for as there was a similarity in their souls, and the disposition of them,
so in the make and hulk of their bodies, and in the stature of them:
even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle; these he gave
him to accoutre himself with, that he might appear as a soldier, as well as
like a prince, and as another Jonathan, or rather the same; that they might
seem as one, as alike in body, so in garb and habit.
1 Samuel 18:5 5 So David went out wherever
Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war,
and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of
Saul’s servants.
YLT
5And David goeth out
whithersoever Saul doth send him; he acted wisely, and Saul setteth him over
the men of war, and it is good in the eyes of all the people, and also in the
eyes of the servants of Saul.
And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him,.... About any
business whatsoever, especially about martial affairs, for which he was
abundantly qualified:
and behaved himself wisely; in the
management of them, using great prudence and discretion, and so failed not of
success, and of recommending himself; the Targum renders it
"prospering"; he was prosperous and successful in whatsoever he
engaged, for the Lord was with him, and blessed him:
and Saul set him over the men of war; that is, of
some of them, gave him the command of a troop; for Abner was captain or general
of the army, and continued so:
and he was accepted in the sight of all the people; of all the
people in the land in general, of all that knew or heard of him; being looked
upon as a wise, valiant, and successful commander, and which gained him the
esteem and affection of the people:
and also in the sight of Saul's servants; which was
very much, and a rare thing, for servants are too apt to envy such as are
rising in their credit and reputation; though this must not be understood of
all, without exception; but of the generality of them; nor is the word
"all" used of them, as is of the people; for some of them took the
part of Saul afterwards against David, and were secretly his enemies, see 1 Samuel 18:22.
1 Samuel 18:6 6 Now it had happened as
they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of
the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with
musical instruments.
YLT
6And it cometh to pass, in
their coming in, in David's returning from smiting the Philistine, that the
women come out from all the cities of Israel to sing -- also the dancers -- to
meet Saul the king, with tabrets, with joy, and with three-stringed
instruments;
And it came to pass, as they came,.... The armies of
Israel, with their commanders at the head of them:
when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine; either from
the slaughter of Goliath, with his head in his hand, going to Jerusalem, and
Saul accompanying him; or rather from the slaughter of the Philistines at some
other time, the singular being put for the plural; since, according to the
order of the history, this seems to be done after David was brought to court,
and had been made a captain, and had been sent out on military expeditions, and
had been successful therein, and from one of which he now returned:
that the women came out of all the cities of Israel; through which
they passed:
singing and dancing; as were usual after
great victories obtained, and deliverances wrought, the female sex being
generally greatly affected with such things; since when things go otherwise
they suffer much, and their fears rise high in time of battle; and when victory
goes on their side, it gives them great joy, and which they used to express in
this way:
to meet King Saul; the commander-in-chief, with his other
officers, and David among the rest:
with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music; with pipes or
flutes, which they both blew with their mouths, and played on with their hands,
and other musical instruments exciting joy; the last word is, by the Targum, rendered,"with
cymbals;'and so the Septuagint version; it signifies a musical instrument of
three cords, according to Kimchi; and others, as Ben Gersom, understand it of
principal songs, in which things wonderful, excellent, and honourable, were spoken
of: see Exodus 15:20. Such
sort of women were among the Romans called Cymballatriae and TympanistriaeF20Vid.
Pignorium de Servis, p. 166, 174. , who shook the cymbals, and beat upon
tabrets and drums at times of rejoicing.
1 Samuel 18:7 7 So the women sang as they
danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
YLT
7and the women answer --
those playing, and say, `Saul hath smitten among his thousands, And David among
his myriads.'
And the women answered one another as they played,.... They sung
vocally to their instruments, and that by turns, one rehearsing one line or
verse in the song, and then the other another:
and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten
thousands; which, if to be referred to the battle in the preceding chapter,
as it commonly is, must be understood thus, that though Saul, in pursuit of the
Philistines, slew many thousands of them, and David but one, even Goliath; yet
the slaying of him was the occasion of slaying ten thousands, and therefore it
is ascribed to him: but it seems rather that in some after battles David had
been more prosperous and victorious than Saul, and therefore superior commendations
are given him by the author of the song the women sung; which, however just it
might be to give them, was not wise, since it served to irritate their king, as
follows.
1 Samuel 18:8 8 Then
Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have
ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only
thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
YLT
8And it is displeasing to
Saul exceedingly, and this thing is evil in his eyes, and he saith, `They have
given to David myriads, and to me they have given the thousands, and more to
him [is] only the kingdom;'
And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him,.... Partly
because they called him plain Saul, and not King Saul; did not give him his
royal title, which might serve to strengthen his suspicion, after suggested;
and chiefly because they attributed a greater number of slain to David than to
him, as follows:
and he said, they have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to
me they ascribed but thousands; and so had given more
honour to an inferior officer than to the commander-in-chief, more to a subject
than to a sovereign:
and what can he have more but the kingdom? there is
nothing left out of their song, and nothing remains to be given him but that;
some think that Saul knew, by the prudent behaviour of David, and the favour he
was in with God and men, and by these commendations of the women, that the
kingdom would be his; and that the words of Samuel were true, and would be
confirmed, that the kingdom would be rent from him, and given to his neighbour
better than he. This clause, with 1 Samuel 18:9, is
left out of the Greek version, according to the Vatican copy.
1 Samuel 18:9 9 So
Saul eyed David from that day forward.
YLT
9and Saul is eyeing David
from that day and thenceforth.
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. Instead of
looking pleasantly, and with a smile, upon him, as a courtier and favourite, he
was justly entitled to by his gallant behaviour, he looked at him with a sour,
ill natured look; he looked at him with an evil, spiteful, malicious, and
envious eye; or he diligently watched and observed all his motions and actions,
whether they tended to disloyalty and treason, to dethrone him, and take the
kingdom to himself, which he was suspicious of; he laid wait for him, as the
Targum, and laid snares too, as the following history shows.
1 Samuel 18:10 10 And it happened on the next
day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied
inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other
times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand.
YLT
10And it cometh to pass, on
the morrow, that the spirit of sadness [from] God prospereth over Saul, and he
prophesieth in the midst of the house, and David is playing with his hand, as
day by day, and the javelin [is] in the hand of Saul,
And it came to pass on the morrow,.... After the women had
met him with their music and dancing, and when returned home:
that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul; thinking on
the above things that had passed, he became melancholy:
and he prophesied in the midst of the house; either
really, delivering out divine songs, as the prophets did; according to
Abarbinel, he foretold that David would be king, and the kingdom would be taken
from him, and given to him; or he feigned himself a prophet, mimicking their
motions and gestures; or, as the Targum, acted like a mad man, or a fool,
uttering foolish words, and using ridiculous gestures, which seems most
agreeable to the evil spirit in him:
and David played with his hand as at other times; upon his
harp, to remove the evil spirit, or melancholy disposition from Saul; for
though he was now advanced at court, and an officer in the army, and high in
the affections and applause of the people: yet he did not think it below him to
act as a musician, to do service to his prince; of such an humble, kind, and
ingenuous disposition was he:
and there was a javelin in Saul's hand; a kind of
spear, or half pike, which he had taken into his hand on purpose to kill David
while playing; for persons in such circumstances as his, as they are very
mischievous, so very subtle at contriving.
1 Samuel 18:11 11 And Saul cast the spear,
for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence
twice.
YLT
11and Saul casteth the
javelin, and saith, `I smite through David, even through the wall;' and David
turneth round out of his presence twice.
And Saul cast the javelin,.... Out of his hand at
David:
for he said; in his heart, determining in his mind:
I will smite David even to the wall with it; he determined
to cast it with such force and violence, that it should pierce through David,
and enter into the very wall, by the side of which David was:
and David avoided out of his presence twice; to escape the
javelin cast at him; either he went out at the first time of its being thrown,
and then came in again, when he threw it a second time at him, upon which he
also withdrew; or this was one of the times, and the other some time after, of
which see 1 Samuel 19:9.
Abarbinel thinks, that David, while he was playing, his eyes were so fixed upon
his own hands, that he was not aware of the javelin, and turned himself from
Saul without intention both times, and so escaped without knowledge of it; such
was the good providence of God towards him, and which, when Saul perceived, it
wrought upon him, as follows.
1 Samuel 18:12 12 Now Saul was afraid of
David, because the Lord
was with him, but had departed from Saul.
YLT
12And Saul is afraid of the
presence of David, for Jehovah hath been with him, and from Saul He hath turned
aside;
And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him,....
Protecting and preserving him, prospering and succeeding him, giving him
victory over his enemies, and favour among the people; the Targum is,"the
Word of the Lord was for his help.'Procopius Gazaeus interprets it of the Holy
Ghost, whose grace was vouchsafed unto him: he might be afraid in his
melancholy fits, that as he had attempted to take away the life of David, that
David would contrive and seek an opportunity, and take away his life, and seize
the kingdom which God had given him, and his being with him strengthened these
fears:
and was departed from Saul; so that he was destitute
of courage, and greatness of mind, and of wisdom and prudence, and became mean
and abject, and exposed himself to the contempt of his subjects.
1 Samuel 18:13 13 Therefore Saul removed him
from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out
and came in before the people.
YLT
13and Saul turneth him aside
from him, and appointeth him to himself head of a thousand, and he goeth out an
cometh in, before the people.
Therefore Saul removed him from him,.... From court, partly
that he might be out of his sight, having such an hatred of his person that he could
not bear to see him, and partly that he might be safer from any designs of his
upon his life, which he might fear, because of his treatment of him:
and made him his captain over a thousand; not out of
respect to him, and in honour of him, but partly to cover his malice, and
please the people, and partly in hope that he might be slain by the enemy at
the head of his troop:
and he went out and came in before the people; or at the
head of them, as the Targum; he led them out to war, and returned with them in
safety, with victory and in triumph, with great honour, and highly respected by
them; quite contrary to the intention and hope of Saul.
1 Samuel 18:14 14 And David behaved wisely
in all his ways, and the Lord
was with him.
YLT
14And David is in all his
ways acting wisely, and Jehovah [is] with him,
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways,.... Both in
the court and in the camp, in whatsoever service he was employed; or
"prospered"F21משכיל
"prospere admodum res gerebat", Vatablus; "secundabatur",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so the Targum and Jarchi. , as the word also
signifies; for, generally speaking, those that behave wisely succeed well; in
this he was a type of Christ, Isaiah 52:13; the
reason of it follows:
and the Lord was with him; from whom he had his
wisdom and success; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord was for his help.'
1 Samuel 18:15 15 Therefore, when Saul saw
that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.
YLT
15and Saul seeth that he is
acting very wisely, and is afraid of him,
Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely,.... So that
he could get no advantage against him, and he succeeded and was prosperous in
all his enterprises, and was more and more in favour with the people:
he was afraid of him; lest the time was
drawing near that the kingdom should be rent from him, and given to David.
1 Samuel 18:16 16 But all Israel and Judah
loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
YLT
16and all Israel and Judah
love David when he is going out and coming in before them.
And all Israel and Judah loved David,.... The verb
is singular, and denotes that everyone of them loved him in all the tribes of
Israel, as well as in Judah his own tribe; in such general esteem was he, and
so much had he got the hearts and affections of the people:
because he went out and came in before them; the people,
as in 1 Samuel 18:13; so
the Septuagint version, in which, according to the Vatican copy, the verses 1 Samuel 18:17 are
wanting.
1 Samuel 18:17 17 Then Saul said to David,
“Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be
valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought,
“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against
him.”
YLT
17And Saul saith unto David,
`Lo, my elder daughter Merab -- her I give to thee for a wife; only, be to me
for a son of valour, and fight the battles of Jehovah;' and Saul said, `Let not
my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.'
And Saul said to David,.... Not in friendship
and good will to him, but designing to lay a snare for him:
behold, my eldest daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife; most
interpreters understand it, that he was obliged to this by promise, on account
of David's slaying Goliath, 1 Samuel 17:25; but
Abarbinel is of another mind, and he rightly observes, that the words referred
to are not the words of Saul, but of the men of Israel, who might suppose what
the king would do; or if they heard anything like it spoken by Saul, it was
only in a hyperbolical way, signifying he did not care what he gave, and what
he parted with, to the man that killed the Philistine, but was not strictly
bound to this particular thereby; nor did David ever claim such promise, nor
did Saul think himself bound to do it, but proposes it as an instance of his
great kindness and favour, as he pretended, and therefore expected great
returns for it, as follows:
only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles: he knew he
was a valiant man, and ready enough to fight; but he expected that in
consideration of such a favour, and such high honour as this, that he would
exert himself in an extraordinary manner, and engage in hazardous attempts, and
show himself worthy to be the son of a king, in the defence of him and of his
country, and for the glory of the God of Israel; all this he suggests, when his
view was, that he should expose his life to such danger, that it might be hoped
it would be taken away:
for Saul said; not openly and verbally, but in his heart;
he thought within himself:
let not mine hand be upon him; he had attempted to lay
hands on him, or to kill him with his own hands, but now he thought better, and
consulted his credit among the people:
but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him; he hoped by
these means that he would fall by their hands at the head of his troop, while
he was displaying his valour, and hazarding his life for the good of his king
and country; what Saul contrived proved his own case, he died in battle with
the Philistines, 1 Samuel 31:4.
1 Samuel 18:18 18 So David said to Saul,
“Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in
Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
YLT
18And David saith unto Saul,
`Who [am] I? and what my life -- the family of my father in Israel -- that I am
son-in-law to the king?'
And David said unto Saul,.... Surprised at the
offer Saul made him, yet not refusing it, but expressing himself with great
modesty and humility:
who am I? as to his person, parentage, and
employment, mean and despicable, at least in his own eyes, a type of the lowly
Jesus, Matthew 11:29,
and what is my life? keeping sheep, for from
thence was he taken and advanced; though some think his meaning is, that to
hazard his life, as Saul proposed, was not equivalent to such an honour he
meant to confer upon him, and that he was ready to do it at all times:
or my father's family in
Israel; though in an honourable tribe, and was an honourable family, yet
it seems not to be very great, at least was not in David's esteem worthy of
such high advancement, as that one of it should be so nearly related to the king;
Ben Gersom thinks David has reference to the original of his family, Ruth the
Moabitess:
that I should be son in law to the king? as he would
be by marrying his daughter.
1 Samuel 18:19 19 But it happened at the
time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was
given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
YLT
19And it cometh to pass, at
the time of the giving of Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she hath been
given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
But it came to pass, at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter,
should have been given to David,.... Either when the
giving of her to him was talked of, or when the time fixed for her marriage was
come:
that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife: Saul either
having in reality never designed she should be given to David, only proposed it
to please the people, or to affront David, and expose him to shame and
confusion by the step he meant to take, or however he soon changed his mind;
though Abarbinel's notion is, that the young lady had disposed of herself to
this person without her father's knowledge, which seems not likely; the person
she was given to was the son of Barzillai the Meholathite, 2 Samuel 21:8; and
some have observed, as the curse of God on this match, that all her sons were
delivered to the Gibeonites, and hanged up, as related in the same place; for
though these sons are said to be brought up by Michal, they were bore by Merab
to him.
1 Samuel 18:20 20 Now Michal, Saul’s
daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
YLT
20And Michal daughter of Saul
loveth David, and they declare to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes,
And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David,.... His
youngest daughter fell in love with him, because of the comeliness of his
person, his gallant behaviour, his wise conduct, and the general esteem and
reputation he was had in, as may be supposed:
and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him; not that his
daughter loved David, or that he should be his son-in-law, but that he should
have an opportunity, as he hoped, of destroying David, which he had lost by
giving his elder daughter to another; as also of retrieving his credit with the
people, which was greatly sunk by using David in the manner he did, who had
become the darling of the people.
1 Samuel 18:21 21 So Saul said, “I will give
her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the
Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,
“You shall be my son-in-law today.”
YLT
21and Saul saith, `I give her
to him, and she is to him for a snare, and the hand of the Philistines is on
him;' and Saul saith unto David, `By the second -- thou dost become my
son-in-law to-day.'
And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him,.... The cause
and occasion of his fall and ruin, by means of what he should propose to him as
the condition of marriage; but instead of proving a snare to him, as he hoped,
she was the means of his deliverance, when Saul sent messengers to slay him, 1 Samuel 19:11,
and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him; provoked by
what he should put him upon doing to them. The scheme he had in his head after
appears, and what he now said was not openly said before his servants and
courtiers, whom he did not trust with his secrets, but this he said within
himself, conceived and contrived it in his own mind:
wherefore Saul said to David; who was as yet at court,
or whom he sent for on this occasion:
thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the
twain; by marrying one of his two daughters; signifying, that he would
not defer the marriage, or put it off to a longer time, as he had done before,
but that he should be married immediately to one or other of his daughters; and
seeing he could not have the eldest, she being disposed of, he should have the
youngest, and so be equally his son-in-law. If we read the words without the
supplement, "shalt be my son-in-law in the two", or in both, the
sense is, that he should have them both; and so the Jews sayF23T.
Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 19. 2. , that he married them both, first Merab, and after
her death Michal; or that he should be his son-in-law on two accounts, one by
betrothing Merab, though he was not married to her, and the other by being
married to Michal, so that he would be doubly his son in law; but the sense,
according to the supplement, is best.
1 Samuel 18:22 22 And Saul commanded his
servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has
delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s
son-in-law.’”
YLT
22And Saul commandeth his
servants, `Speak unto David gently, saying, Lo, the king hath delighted in
thee, and all his servants have loved thee, and now, be son-in-law to the
king.'
And Saul commanded his servants, saying, commune with David
secretly,.... And persuade him to marry Michal, and assure him of Saul's
real regard to him, and good intention towards him; for it seems that David
being ill used in the affair of his eldest daughter, did not listen to the
proposals of Saul as to the youngest, and therefore Saul took this method to
bring him into them:
and say, behold, the king hath a delight in thee; bore a good
will towards him, had an high opinion of him, and it would be a pleasure to him
that he should he his son-in-law:
and all his servants love thee; which might be true in
general, excepting some few; which was no small mortification to Saul, though
he here pleads it, and puts his servants on making use of it to gain his
present purpose:
now therefore be the king's son in law; accept of the
proposal he has made, and marry his youngest daughter.
1 Samuel 18:23 23 So Saul’s servants spoke
those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a
light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and
lightly esteemed man?”
YLT
23And the servants of Saul
speak in the ears of David these words, and David saith, `Is it a light thing
in your eyes to be son-in-law to the king -- and I a poor man, and lightly
esteemed?'
And Saul's servants spake these words in the ears of David,.... Those
before related, which Saul commanded them to speak, which they delivered
exactly according to their orders, with an audible voice, clearly, plainly, and
distinctly, so that David might hear and understand them:
and David said, seemeth it to you a light thing to
be a king's son in law; a small a trifling matter, an easy thing to come into, every
thing requisite to it:
seeing that I am a poor man; and not able to give a
dowry suitable to the daughter of a king; it being usual in those times for a
man to give a dowry to, and not receive a portion with a wife; and which also
was the custom of the Germans, as TacitusF24De Moribus German. c.
18. relates; and this was to be according to the rank and quality of the person
married, and which in this case David was not equal to:
and lightly esteemed? not by the people of
Israel and Judah, who loved him, as he was loved even by the servants of Saul,
at least in profession; but by Saul himself, who had slighted him in giving his
elder daughter to another man, when he had promised her to him, which was
discouraging to David, and resented by him.
1 Samuel 18:24 24 And the servants of Saul
told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”
YLT
24And the servants of Saul
declare to him, saying, `According to these words hath David spoken.'
And the servants of Saul told him, saying, on this manner spake
David. Such and such words were spoken by him, to this purpose; the sum
and substance of them were expressive of his unworthiness to be a king's
son-in-law, and of his inability to bring a dowry suitable to her quality.
1 Samuel 18:25 25 Then Saul said, “Thus you
shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred
foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But
Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
YLT
25And Saul saith, `Thus do ye
say to David, There is no delight to the king in dowry, but in a hundred
foreskins of the Philistines -- to be avenged on the enemies of the king;' and
Saul thought to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.
And Saul said, thus shall ye say to David,.... In answer
to his objections, and in order to remove them, and especially what concerned
the dowry:
the king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the
Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies; that is, he required or
desired no other dowry of David, but that he would slay an hundred Philistines,
and bring their foreskins to him; by which he would be able to know that they
were Philistines he slew, not Israelites who were circumcised; though it cannot
well be thought that Saul should have any suspicion of that, or take such a
method to prevent it; but as those were almost, if not altogether, the only
uncircumcised persons that were their neighbours, since the Arabians, Edomites,
Midianites, &c. received circumcision from their ancestors, it would be a
clear case to him that these were the men he slew; and whom he the rather
pitched upon, because they were his enemies, and the enemies of Israel, and
abhorred of the Lord; which carried in it a show of zeal for the glory of God,
and the good of his people, and because he hoped David would fall by them in
the enterprise, or however render himself very odious to them, and they would
bear him ill will, and seek his ruin. StraboF25Geograph. l. 15. p.
500. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. l. 1. c. 24. reports of the people in
Carmania, that no man among them marries a wife before he cuts off the head of
an enemy, and brings it to the king; and the king lays up the skulls in a
treasury, and he is the most famous that has the most heads brought unto him.
Saul chose not heads, but foreskins, for the reasons before given:
but Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines; he hoped in
the enterprise the Philistines would be too powerful for him, and kill him.
1 Samuel 18:26 26 So when his servants told
David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now
the days had not expired;
YLT
26And his servants declare to
David these words, and the thing is right in the eyes of David, to be
son-in-law to the king; and the days have not been full,
And when his servants told David these words,.... That the
king desired no other dowry than an hundred foreskins of the Philistines:
it pleased David well to be the king's son in law; on such
conditions; partly because of the honour of it, and partly because of his love
to Michal; and chiefly because it would give him an opportunity of destroying
the enemies of God, and of his people, as well as such a match would lead the
way, and be a step in Providence to ascend the throne designed for him in due
time:
and the days were not expired; neither for the bringing
in of the foreskins, nor for the consummation of the marriage.
1 Samuel 18:27 27 therefore David arose and
went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David
brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he
might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a
wife.
YLT
27and David riseth and goeth,
he and his men, and smiteth among the Philistines two hundred men, and David
bringeth in their foreskins, and they set them before the king, to be son-in-law
to the king; and Saul giveth to him Michal his daughter for a wife.
Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the
Philistines two hundred men,.... This he did himself, for the verb is
singular, and which were an hundred more than required; this he did to show his
regard to the orders of Saul, and his obedience to him, and to testify the
sincerity of his afflictions to his daughter, for whose sake he risked his life
in this expedition, as well as to express his zeal for God, and his country,
against their avowed enemies; the Greek version has only one hundred men, see 2 Samuel 3:14,
and David brought their foreskins; along with him to Saul's
court, having taken them off when slain. Josephus saysF26Antiqu. l.
6. c. 10. sect. 3. he cut off their heads, and brought them to him, and he
makes the number to be six hundred; neither are according to the text, but to
make his history more agreeable to the Gentiles, see 1 Samuel 18:21; an
Arabic writerF1Alcamus apud Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 19.
col. 130. makes mention of a people, that cut off the genital parts of men, and
gave them to their wives for their dowry:
and they gave them in full tale to the king; the
messengers David sent in with them, even the full tale of two hundred, which
were as many more as were demanded:
that he might be the king's son in law; being now as
desirous of it as the king was:
and Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife; which he
could not in honour refuse to do, seeing he had performed the condition he had
required. David's marriage of the younger sister, when upon various
considerations it might have been expected that he should have married the
elder, may be an emblem of Christ's espousing the Gentile church, when the
Jewish church, her elder sister, is neglected by him, she having rejected him.
1 Samuel 18:28 28 Thus Saul saw and knew
that the Lord
was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him;
YLT
28And Saul seeth and knoweth
that Jehovah [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul hath loved him,
And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David,.... This he
perceived by the favour he gave him among men, by overruling all the steps Saul
took to do him hurt, for his good, and in giving him success in all that he
engaged in; the Targum is,"that the Word of the Lord was for the help of
David:"
and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him; and therefore
could entertain no hope of making use of her as an instrument of his ruin, but,
on the contrary, would, out of her great affection to her husband, betray the
designs of her father against him, and do all she could to preserve him.
1 Samuel 18:29 29 and Saul was still more
afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually.
YLT
29and Saul addeth to be
afraid of the presence of David yet; and Saul is an enemy with David all the
days.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David,.... Because
the Lord was with him, and his wife loved him; so that he feared he should
never be able to accomplish his designs, and that this marriage, which he
intended as the means of his ruin, would pave the way for his ascending the
throne:
and Saul became David's enemy continually; was every day
giving fresh evidence of his enmity against him; before it was by fits, and at
certain times, there were some intervals; but now enmity was rooted and habituated,
and was constant and continually showing itself.
1 Samuel 18:30 30 Then the princes of the
Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that
David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name
became highly esteemed.
YLT
30And the princes of the
Philistines come out, and it cometh to pass from the time of their coming out,
David hath acted more wisely than any of the servants of Saul, and his name is
very precious.
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth,.... Out of
their cities in troops, to revenge and spoil the land of Israel, being enraged
at their defeat when Goliath their champion was slain, and at the injury and
dishonour done them by David very lately in slaying two hundred of them, and taking
off their foreskins; and, as the Jews sayF2Midrash Schemuel apud
Abarbinel. in loc. , having heard of the marriage of David, and understanding
the Israelites had a law, that a newly married man might not go to the war the
first year, took this opportunity of invading and spoiling them; whereas David
understood that law better than they, and knew it referred not to a voluntary
war, but to that which was the command of God against the seven nations; and
even in that case, as some think, it did not oblige such persons to remain at
home, but left it to their choice to do as they pleased:
and it came to pass after they went forth; and were met
and opposed by the Israelites, by the troops of Saul, under different
commanders:
that David behaved
himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; showed
himself to be more expert in the art of war, and formed designs with great
wisdom and prudence, and which he as wisely executed, as well as with great
courage and valour, to the annoyance and defeat of the enemy, and to the
advantage, defence, and safety of the people of Israel; or he was more
"prosperous" than they, as the Targum, and so others interpret it; he
was more successful in his attacks on the Philistines, and in his skirmishes
with them:
so that his name was much set by; he was in high esteem
with the people; his name was "precious"F3וייקר "et in pretio esset vel erat",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. to them, as the word signifies; they made
mention of it, as, Ben Gersom interprets it, with great honour and glory; so
that Saul failed much, and was greatly disappointed in the scheme he had formed
against him,
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》