1 Samuel
Chapter 18
Saul’s Envy
When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan felt a deep affection for David and began to love him as himself.
Saul kept David with him from that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house.
Then Jonathan agreed with David because he loved him as much as himself.
Jonathan, taking off the cloak he was wearing, gave it to David; he also gave him his own armor, sword, bow, and belt.
Wherever Saul sent David, he went and succeeded. For this reason, Saul put David in charge of the soldiers—a move which pleased Saul’s men and his officers as well.
When they arrived after David had slain the Philistine, the women came out from the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with timbrels and musical instruments.
They merrily sang this song: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David, his tens of thousands.”
Saul was very displeased with this song and said: “They have given tens of thousands to David, but to me only thousands! By now, he has everything but the kingdom!”
From then on, Saul became very distrustful of David.
The following day, an evil spirit from God seized Saul, causing him to rave in his house. David then played on the lyre as he used to while Saul had his spear in hand.
Then Saul pointed it at David, thinking, “I will nail David to the wall.” But David escaped on two occasions.
Saul saw that the Lord was with David and had left him. And he was afraid.
So he removed David from his presence by making him chief of a thousand men. David went ahead of his troops
and was successful each time because the Lord was with him.
The more successful David was, the more afraid Saul became.
But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in their expeditions.
David, Saul’s Son-in-law
Saul told David: “You know my eldest daughter, Merob. I will give her to you as your wife; be brave and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul thought: “Let the Philistines strike him instead of me.”
David answered Saul: “Who am I? And what is my father’s family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
Yet when it was time for Merob to be married to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite.
Now, Saul’s daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When this came to Saul’s knowledge, he was very pleased
for he thought: “I shall promise her to him, and it will be a snare to him. The Philistines will kill him. ”So, Saul said to David a second time: “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
Then he commanded his servants to talk to David privately, saying: “The king and all his servants like you. You should become the king’s son-in-law!
Saul’s servants repeated these words to David, who replied: “Do you think it is easy to become the king’s son-in-law, poor and unknown as I am?”
When Saul’s servants repeated to the king what David had said,
Saul ordered them to tell David: “The king wants no marriage gift other than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.” For Saul wanted David to fall into the hands of the Philistines.
Saul’s servants told David this, and it seemed to him that he could easily become the king’s son-in-law.
David and his men set out and killed two hundred Philistines. And they brought the king the foreskins so that David could become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul had to give his daughter Michal to David to become his wife.
Saul feared David, knowing that the Lord was with him. But Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him.
Saul feared David increasingly and was his enemy until the end.
Whenever the Philistine chiefs engaged David in battle, he succeeded more than any of Saul’s officers, earning great fame.
Commentaries
Saul’s Envy.
This chapter presents various news items and episodes connected by two contrasting and escalating themes: David’s success and Saul’s growing fear. The opposition creates a dialectical movement because it is precisely Saul’s fear that fuels David’s success, and vice versa. David’s success spreads quickly and widely: the king’s son becomes fond of him, the king’s daughter falls in love with him, the troops admire him, the ministers respect him, and Judah and Israel cherish him; he wins battles, survives an assassination attempt, and ultimately, the Lord is with him. Meanwhile, Saul, after David’s victory over Goliath, becomes increasingly annoyed, then afraid, and eventually tries to kill David, turning against him. The monarchical principle was new in Israel, and the dynastic principle had not yet taken hold; if Saul was accepted because of his military victories, there was now someone else who surpassed him, possibly leading the people to choose a different king.
David, Saul’s Son-in-law.
Despite Saul’s fear and jealousy of David, he plans to make him his son-in-law and keep him in his army so that the Philistines will kill him. However, the spirit of God is with David, while Saul’s spirit has been taken from him, and an evil spirit afflicts him. Saul’s political career declines steadily, while David’s popularity grows due to his victories in every battle against the Philistines. Yet, David begins to become part of the royal family because Saul decides to give his daughter Michal to him, making him his son-in-law.