1 Samuel 18:1–30

18:2 On the day Goliath is slain, Saul “rejoices” (19:5) in what David has done. He views him with such favor that he no longer allows him to return home, instead employing him in his service at court (cf. comments on 16:22–23; 17:15).

18:3 Shortly thereafter, Jonathan as crown prince takes the initiative and “made [lit., “cut”; cf. 11:2] a covenant with David,” the terms of which are not spelled out. Although Jonathan almost certainly knows of Samuel’s pronouncements regarding Saul’s loss of dynasty (13:13–14; 15:23), only later does he recognize David as divinely appointed to succeed Saul (20:14, 31–32; 23:17). Here his covenant is an expression of mutual support and friendship, engendered by his genuine attachment to David: “He loved him as his own soul” (cf. 18:1).

18:4 To symbolize the bond between them, Jonathan removes his robe and gives it to David. To receive such royal clothing was accounted a great honor in the ancient Near East (cf. Est. 6:8). He also gives him his “armor” (possibly a royal tunic; cf. comment on 2 Sam. 20:8), and his weapons—sword, bow (2 Sam. 1:22), and belt. David does not refuse this offer as he had earlier declined Saul’s (1 Sam. 17:39), implying he reciprocates Jonathan’s regard. Neither Saul’s nor Jonathan’s gesture involves abdication of royal status, although they do ironically foreshadow David’s future royal status.

18:5 During the following period, David “went out” (cf. 8:20) on military expeditions for Saul and enjoyed consistent success (cf. also 18:14, 15, 30). “Saul set him over the men of war” probably refers to appointment as a general in Saul’s staff, perhaps with charge over Saul’s personal bodyguard. Such rapid promotion does not create tension in the ranks because of the universal admiration David enjoys, even among Saul’s political and military advisers.

18:6 David’s honeymoon period at the royal court does not last. At one set of victory celebrations over “the Philistine” (probably a collective reference), Israelite women meet the king to celebrate the triumph of his army. In a manner similar to Exodus 15:20–21, they express their joy through singing and dancing to the music of “tambourines” (cf. comment on 1 Sam. 10:2–6 [at v. 5]) and “musical instruments,” perhaps three-stringed lutes or triangles.

18:7 However, their victory chant (found again in 21:11 and 29:5) sparks Saul’s anger. “Thousands . . . ten thousands” forms a long-standing conventional pair used in parallel lines of Hebrew poetry (e.g., Deut. 32:30; 33:17) and needn’t mean any more than that Saul and David have between them killed many foes.

18:8 To Saul, plagued by insecurity after Samuel’s announcement (15:28), the song is far from innocent in mentioning David alongside himself and in conceivably according him a higher status. “He said” represents the narrator’s insight into Saul’s thinking. David’s popular esteem marks him as a threat to Saul’s status.

18:9 “And Saul eyed David from that day on.” The similarity in sound between the Hebrew words for “eyed” and “iniquity” imparts a sinister air to the statement as Saul jealously monitors David’s activities. This marks the start of Saul’s opposition to David.

18:10 “The next day” (after vv. 6–9) Saul’s mental agitation exposes him to invasion by a “harmful spirit from God” (cf. comment on 16:14) that is permitted to rush upon him (10:6). The result is that Saul “raved” (lit., “prophesied,” as in 10:6, 10, but here viewed negatively), and so ironically he needs David, of whom he is so suspicious, to soothe him by “playing the lyre.” Saul’s spear is a symbol of his royal office, kept with him not only on military expeditions (26:7) but also when holding court (22:6) and even when at rest in the palace (19:9) or eating (20:33). Thus Saul with spear in his hand is contrasted with David with a lyre in his—and the soothing effect of the music has not yet taken hold.

18:11 Again access is granted to Saul’s thinking as he hurls the spear. “I will pin David to the wall” is literally “I will strike in David and in the wall,” perhaps aiming to go through his clothes or body. These deliberate acts are not the product of a fit of insanity, though David—and others present—perhaps dismisses them as such. Twice David eludes Saul before escaping from his presence.

18:12 No information is given about David’s reaction to these two murderous assaults, but unexpectedly Saul is “afraid of David.” Since a seasoned warrior usually would not miss twice at such close quarters, Saul senses that David is divinely protected from his attacks while he himself has forfeited divine blessing (cf. 16:13–14).

18:13 Employing less direct tactics, Saul appoints David as “commander of a thousand.” This is a demotion from being “over the men of war” (v. 5), but it could no doubt be dressed up as an opportunity for independent action. Saul favors this change because it removes David from the court and increases the probability of injury or death in action (similar to David’s own ploy against Uriah; 2 Sam. 11:14–17).

But the scheme backfires, for far from being deprived of public exposure, David “went out and came in before the people”; that is, his public profile is enhanced as an active military leader, going out before his troops into battle and returning victorious.

18:14–16 David’s success is due to divine favor, “for the Lord was with him” (cf. comment on 18:28–29). But this only intensifies the vehemence with which Saul reacts to him. “Stood in fearful awe” is a much stronger expression than “was afraid” (v. 12) and implies something close to being terror-stricken. Meanwhile “all Israel and Judah” (cf. comment on 11:8) join the company of those who “loved David” (cf. comment on 18:1). Here at last is a true leader in whom they can have confidence.

18:17 Twice Saul tries to get rid of David through entangling him with the Philistines in connection with marriage to one of his daughters. He first proposes that David marry his “elder daughter Merab” (cf. 14:49). This may be a much-delayed implementation of his earlier promise (17:25), but with one addition: “Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” “The Lord’s battles” (cf. 25:28) reflects Israel’s conviction that they are divinely destined to occupy the land by overwhelming its occupants. Saul is using a pious veneer of religion to cloak his real intentions.

Once more we are told “Saul thought” (cf. 18:8, 11). The narrator is hinting that, even though Saul thinks himself crafty, it does not take much to see what he is about. Rather than risking public obloquy from dealing with David personally, Saul contrives scenarios in which the Philistines could kill him in battle (cf. comments on 18:13, 21).

18:18 While David does not reject Saul’s offer, he plays down his personal suitability to becoming the king’s son-in-law. Although it is conventional language, “Who am I?” (cf. 2 Sam. 7:18) reflects a genuine sense of unworthiness. “Who are my relatives?” is literally “Who is my life?”—seemingly an older use of “life” to refer to his family circle, which is then further explained as “my father’s clan in Israel” (cf. comment on 1 Sam. 9:21).

18:19 Sometime later, Saul reneges on the arrangement. If the proposal were known publicly, this would be publicly humiliating for David and indicative of the increasingly erratic nature of Saul’s conduct. He instead gives Merab in marriage to Adriel from Abel-meholah, on the west bank of the Jordan, south of Beth-shan. Merab and Adriel’s five sons will die in tragic circumstances (2 Sam. 21:7–9).

18:20 When Saul contrives a similar ploy with his second daughter, Michal (14:49), there is the difference that she “loved David.” This is not particularly surprising, since David is the hero of the hour whose popularity is steadily increasing. When Saul learns of her attachment to David, he is pleased (lit., “the matter was right in his eyes”) because he can (ab)use her feelings to achieve his consuming desire to eliminate David.

18:21 Saul intends to use Michal and the Philistines to ensnare David. A “snare” is a trap activated by a trip wire of some sort, which releases a fine net to catch unwary animals or birds attracted by bait. In this instance the bait is Saul’s own daughter, and the Philistines are the net. So Saul again proposes that David become his son-in-law.

18:22 Knowing David’s earlier reluctance, Saul reinforces his approach by directing his servants (members of his inner group rather than palace attendants) to speak privately with David using a script obviously written by Saul, which likely deceives no one. They are to urge David to accept the honor because of the king’s favor and their personal approval. The marriage is viewed simply as a political arrangement, and no account is taken of the feelings of David or Michal.

18:23 “In the ears of David” indicates that the conversation is in private. David’s response is similar to that given previously, because he is acutely conscious that as a poor man he is unable to afford the bride-price expected for marrying a king’s daughter, and he has “no reputation” (a play on the sound of “seem . . . little”); that is, socially speaking he is a nobody.

18:24–25 Saul directs his officials to inform David of an acceptable alternative “bride-price”—“a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” Since other enemies of Israel practiced circumcision, this payment would prove that the Philistines had been killed. While Saul’s gloss on the situation is that he wishes to take vengeance on his enemies, the narrator makes it clear that his real aim is to have others kill David.

18:26–27 Nothing is said about how much David discerned of Saul’s motives, but his murderous plotting works perversely to David’s advantage. “It pleased David well” (lit., “the matter was straight in the eyes of David”; cf. v. 20) to become the king’s son-in-law on these terms, which did not involve a monetary gift. “Before the time had expired” (lit., “and the days were not full”) implies that Saul placed a time limit on his proposal. But David acts promptly and, with the men of his thousand, slays twice the number Saul demanded, perhaps to leave Saul with no room to wriggle out of his proposal. “Given in full number to the king” portrays these grizzly trophies as being counted out before Saul. As a result, the king, ever conscious of his public image, has no option but to give David his daughter Michal as his wife. What Saul had hoped would get rid of David has in fact strengthened his position. He is now a member of the royal family, with a distant claim on the throne.

18:28–29 Saul is fully aware (“saw and knew”) that David has passed unscathed the test set for him because “the Lord was with David” (vv. 12, 14). God’s evident protection and blessing (cf. 16:18) intensify Saul’s fear of David (18:12, 15). His awareness of Michal’s devotion to David also escalates his fear, because his family (Jonathan and Michal) does not share his attitude toward David. But Saul remains utterly embittered against David and does not for a moment give up seeking to do him ill.

18:30 Possibly as a backlash from David’s exploits (v. 27), the Philistine military leaders resume their assaults upon Israel. But whenever they attack, “David had more success than all the servants of Saul.” The man who had played down his personal significance and that of his family (v. 23) is now the one whose “name was highly esteemed” by everyone in the land—except Saul. This very positive assessment of David is an instance of the blessing of the Lord who brings low and exalts (2:7).