King James Version
1 Samuel 18
30 verses with commentary
Saul's Jealousy of David
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.</strong><br><br>The phrase 'the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David' (<em>niqsherah benephesh</em>) describes the deepest possible human bonding. This instant, profound connection arose from witnessing David's fa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David.**—We have in this and the following chapters somewhat of a detailed account of David at the Court of Saul. In 1 Samuel 16 this Court life of the future king has been already touched upon, notably in 1Samuel 18:21-23, where the affection of Saul for David was mentioned, where also the appointing of the young shepherd to a post about the ki...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. When thou art departed from me to-day--**The design of these specific predictions of what should be met with on the way, and the number and minuteness of which would arrest attention, was to confirm Saul's reliance on the prophetic character of Samuel, and lead him to give full credence to what had been revealed to him as the word of God.
**Rachel's sepulchre--**near Beth-lehem (see on Ge 3...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the folly of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take them for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feared God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to g...
Read full commentary →And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.</strong><br><br>Jonathan's covenant with David exemplifies godly friendship that transcends personal ambition and family loyalty. Though Jonathan was heir to Saul's throne, he recognized God's choice of David and submitted to divine purposes. His willingness to risk his father's wrath to protect David demo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. the plain--**or, "the oak of Tabor," not the celebrated mount, for that was far distant.
**three men going up to God to Beth-el--**apparently to offer sacrifices there at a time when the ark and the tabernacle were not in a settled abode, and God had not yet declared the permanent place which He should choose. The kids were for sacrifice, the loaves for the offering, and the wine for the li...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the folly of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take them for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feared God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to g...
Read full commentary →Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.</strong><br><br>The covenant between Jonathan and David formalized their soul-bond with sworn commitments. Hebrew <em>berit</em> (covenant) involved solemn obligations, often sealed with sacrifice and ceremonies. Jonathan's initiative in covenant-making shows he recognized David's divine destiny and willingly su...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Made a covenant.**—The son of the first Hebrew king recognised in David a kindred spirit. They were one in their God, in their faith, in their devotion to the Divine will. Jonathan recognised in the young shepherd, who unarmed went out alone to meet the mighty Philistine warrior, the same spirit of sublime faith in the Invisible King which had inspired him in days far back to go forth alone ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the folly of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take them for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feared God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to g...
Read full commentary →And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.</strong><br><br>Jonathan's gift of robe, garments, sword, bow, and girdle was extraordinarily symbolic. The robe (<em>meil</em>) represented royal status; its transfer signaled Jonathan's recognition of David as Saul's true successor. Ea...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Gave it to David.**—It has been suggested that the reason of this gift was to enable his friend David—then poorly clad—to appear at his father’s court in a fitting dress; but this kind of present was usual among friends in those remote ages. Glaucus and Diomed, for instance, exchanged armour of a very different value.
“Now change we arms, and prove to either host
We guard the friendship of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. the hill of God--**probably Geba (1Sa 13:3), so called from a school of the prophets being established there. The company of prophets were, doubtless, the pupils at this seminary, which had probably been instituted by Samuel, and in which the chief branches of education taught were a knowledge of the law, and of psalmody with instrumental music, which is called "prophesying" (here and in 1Ch ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the folly of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take them for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feared God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to g...
Read full commentary →And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself 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. behaved: or, prospered
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself 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.</strong><br><br>Jonathan's covenant with David exemplifies godly friendship that transcends personal ambition and family loyalty. Though Jonathan was heir to Saul's throne, he recogniz...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And he was accepted.**—The historian here calls especial attention to the strange power David was able to acquire over the hearts of men. It was not only over Saul and his great son that he rapidly won influence, but in the case of his colleagues at the Court and in the army, all of whom he was rapidly outstripping in the race for honour and distinction, he seems to have disarmed all jealous...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee--**literally, "rush upon thee," suddenly endowing thee with a capacity and disposition to act in a manner far superior to thy previous character and habits; and instead of the simplicity, ignorance, and sheepishness of a peasant, thou wilt display an energy, wisdom, and magnanimity worthy of a prince.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 18
The Danites seek to enlarge their inheritance, and rob Micah.
--The Danites determined to take Micah's gods with them. Oh the folly of these Danites! How could they imagine those gods should protect them, that could not keep themselves from being stolen! To take them for their own use, was a double crime; it showed they neither feared God, nor regarded man, but were lost both to g...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. Philistine: or, Philistines instruments: Heb. three stringed instruments
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.</strong><br><br>Jonathan's covenant with David exemplifies godly friendship that transcends personal ambition and family loyalty. Though Jonathan was h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **When David was returned.**—The triumphant return of the young soldier does not refer to the homecoming after the death of the giant, but to the close of the campaign which followed that event. Evidently a series of victories after the fall of the dreaded champion—perhaps spread over a very considerable period—had for a time restored the supremacy of Israel in Canaan. In this war, David, on w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.</strong><br><br>The women's song 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands' used Hebrew poetic parallelism with ascending numbers. While praising both, the comparison favored David, creating the seed of Saul's jealousy. Public acclaim, though deserved, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.**—These words, which sing of the early glory of David in battle, are quoted again in 1Samuel 29:5. They were, no doubt, the favourite refrain of an old national or folk-song.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal--**This, according to Josephus, was to be a standing rule for the observance of Saul while the prophet and he lived; that in every great crisis, such as a hostile incursion on the country, he should repair to Gilgal, where he was to remain seven days, to afford time for the tribes on both sides Jordan to assemble, and Samuel to reach it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? displeased him: Heb. was evil in his eyes
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?</strong><br><br>Saul's question 'what can he have more but the kingdom?' reveals the root of his jealousy - fear of losing power. The Hebrew <em>charah</em> (to burn with anger) indicates int...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **What can he have more but the kingdom?**—In this foreboding utterance of Saul there was involved not only a conjecture which the result confirmed, but a deep inward truth: if the king stood powerless before the subjugators of his kingdom at so decisive a period as this, and a shepherd boy came and decided the victory, this was an additional mark of his rejection.—V. Gerlach, quoted in *Keil....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart--**Influenced by the words of Samuel, as well as by the accomplishment of these signs, Saul's reluctance to undertake the onerous office was overcome. The fulfilment of the two first signs [1Sa 10:7, 8] is passed over, but the third is specially described. The spectacle of a man, though more fit to look after his fat...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.</strong><br><br>Jonathan's covenant with David exemplifies godly friendship that transcends personal ambition and family loyalty. Though Jonathan was heir to Saul's throne, he recognized God's choice of David and submitted to divine purposes. His willingness to risk his father's wrath to protect David demonstrates loyalty rooted in spiritual d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **And Saul eyed David.**—From the hour on which the king listened to the people’s lilt in honour of the young hero, in Saul’s distempered mind hate alternated with love. He still in his heart longed for the presence of the only human being who could charm away his ever-increasing melancholia, but he dreaded with a fierce jealousy the growing influence of the winning and gifted man whom he had ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart--**Influenced by the words of Samuel, as well as by the accomplishment of these signs, Saul's reluctance to undertake the onerous office was overcome. The fulfilment of the two first signs [1Sa 10:7, 8] is passed over, but the third is specially described. The spectacle of a man, though more fit to look after his fat...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.</strong><br><br>The evil spirit's return 'on the morrow' suggests immediate consequence of Saul's jealous response. His prophesying (<em>yithnabe</em>) in this context indicat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **The evil spirit**.—The evil spirit comes now over the unhappy king in quite a new form. Hitherto, when the dark hour came upon Saul the madness showed itself in the form of a dull torpor, a hopeless melancholia, an entire indifference to everything connected with life, as well in the lower as in the higher forms. This earlier phase of the *soul’s malady *has been exquisitely pictured by Bro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-11. when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart--**Influenced by the words of Samuel, as well as by the accomplishment of these signs, Saul's reluctance to undertake the onerous office was overcome. The fulfilment of the two first signs [1Sa 10:7, 8] is passed over, but the third is specially described. The spectacle of a man, though more fit to look after his fat...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.</strong><br><br>Saul's attempt to 'smite David even to the wall' escalated from jealousy to attempted murder. The Hebrew <em>nakah</em> (to strike) indicates lethal intent. David's escape 'out of his presence twice' demonstrates both divine protection and David'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And Saul cast the javelin.**—The Alexandrian MS. of the LXX. and the Chaldee Version translate the Hebrew here “lifted the javelin.” The probable meaning of the verb in this place is “brandished,” or “aimed.” It is hardly credible that if he actually threw it, David would have trusted himself a second time in the king’s chamber.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. But who is their father?--**The Septuagint reads, "Who is his father?" referring to Saul the son of Kish.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-11**
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aimi...
Read full commentary →And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.</strong><br><br>Saul's fear of David arose precisely 'because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.' The Hebrew syntax emphasizes the contrast: divine presence with David, divine absence from Saul. Fear of those God empowers often indicates awareness of one's own spiritual poverty. Saul's ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And Saul was afraid of David.**—Even after the scenes in the royal chamber just related, David remained at Court. He looked on such manifestations of bitter hatred as simple outbursts of a temporary insanity. His loyal nature would not believe in the enduring hate of one so great and noble as Saul; but we read here that even when the king recovered from the paroxysm, he *feared *David. Saul...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.</strong><br><br>Saul's removal of David from close proximity ironically accelerated David's rise. The Hebrew 'removed him from him' (<em>wayesirehu me'itto</em>) suggests Saul put distance between them, yet the 'captain over a thousand' position gave David military ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. behaved: or, prospered
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.</strong><br><br>David's wise behavior (<em>maskil</em>) in all his ways combined with 'the LORD was with him' shows the partnership of human wisdom and divine presence. The Hebrew <em>sakal</em> indicates prudence, insight, and success. David navigated court politics, military command, and personal relationships w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.</strong><br><br>The paradox deepens: David's excellent conduct increased rather than decreased Saul's fear. The Hebrew <em>yare'</em> (to fear) indicates genuine terror. Saul feared David precisely because David gave him no legitimate cause for action against him. Wise behavior in the face of unjust oppositi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.</strong><br><br>The contrast is stark: Saul feared while 'all Israel and Judah loved' (<em>'ahav</em>). The Hebrew emphasizes totality - both northern tribes (Israel) and David's own tribe (Judah) united in affection for him. The reason given is simple: 'he went out and came in before them.' David led from t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **But all Israel and Judah.**—This distinct mention of the two great later divisions of the chosen people seems to point to the fact that the compiler of the Books of Samuel lived after the final separation of the ten tribes from Judah and Benjamin, in the reign of Rehoboam. It is, however, clear from other notices (see, for instance, 1Samuel 11:8; 1Samuel 15:4, in this book) that at a period...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →David and Michal
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. valiant: Heb. a son of valour
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.</strong><br><br>Saul's offer of his daughter Merab concealed murderous intent: 'Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines.' The...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife.**—This was but the fulfilment of a much earlier promise. The king had said he would give his daughter in marriage to the hero who should slay the Philistine giant champion. For one cause or other he had declined, or at least postponed, the carrying out of his pledge; and the dark thought crossed his mind, Could he not endanger th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And David said unto 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?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And David said unto 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?</strong><br><br>David's threefold question - 'Who am I? what is my life? what is my father's family?' - expresses genuine humility rather than false modesty. The Hebrew construction emphasizes unworthiness: his person, his circumstances, his lineage all seem in...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **What is my life?**—These words in David’s modest and wise answer have been variously interpreted. (*a*) They have been taken to refer to David’s personal life; but surely *that *has been alluded to in the preceding words, “Who am I?” (b) As referring to the condition of life in which he was born and to which he was accustomed; so Keil; but it is doubtful if the Hebrew word here used ever ha...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.</strong><br><br>Saul's broken promise - giving Merab to Adriel instead of David - reveals royal treachery. The Hebrew structure emphasizes the violation: 'at the time when...should have been given.' Saul broke his sworn word without apparent co...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **She was given unto Adriel.**—Saul’s capricious wavering nature, so painfully prominent in the last part of his reign, displayed itself in this sudden change of purpose. It may have been brought about owing to some great fit of jealousy of David; or possibly the large gifts in money or valuables offered by the wealthy Adriel for the princess’s hand may have occasioned this arbitrary act of S...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. pleased him: Heb. was right in his eyes
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.</strong><br><br>Michal's love for David created another opportunity for Saul's scheming: 'she may be a snare to him' (v.21). The Hebrew <em>moqesh</em> (snare/trap) reveals Saul's intent to use his daughter as bait. The irony deepens: both royal children loved David, and Saul would use both their affecti...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David.**—But the love of the younger of the two royal princesses for her father’s brilliant officer gave the unhappy king a fresh excuse to expose David’s life to peril, while at the same time he appeared to be endeavouring to carry out an old formal promise.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.</strong><br><br>The narrator reveals Saul's inner thoughts: Michal as 'snare' (<em>moqesh</em>) and the Philistines as executioners. The phrase 'in the one of the twain' offer...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **That she may be a snare to him.**—Is it not possible that this dark plot of Saul against a life once so dear to him—a plot which in after days, when the enmity of the king was a matter of general notoriety, became of course known by David—suggested to him (David) the means by which, in the darkest hours of his life, he got rid of the brave Uriah, the husband of Bath-sheba, at the siege of R...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.</strong><br><br>The instruction to 'commune secretly' (<em>balat</em>) reveals Saul's calculated deception. The servants become unwitting accomplices in conveying false assurance: 'the king hath delight...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Behold, the king hath delight in thee.**—Lange quaintly sees in this fluent discourse of the courtiers “something of the flattering, conciliatory tone usual in such circles.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?</strong><br><br>David's response to the servants reveals continued humility: he describes himself as 'a poor man, and lightly esteemed.' The Hebrew <em>rush</em> (poor) and <em>qalal</em> (light/insignifica...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **I am a poor man.**—David dwells upon this fact of his utter inability to give the expected costly offering for the princess. He evidently attributes to his poverty and his successful rival’s wealth his former disappointment in the case of Merab.
**And lightly esteemed.**—David looked upon himself as a mere successful soldier of fortune among the wealthy chiefs who surrounded Saul. His fathe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. On: Heb. According to these words
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.</strong><br><br>The servants faithfully report David's humble response back to Saul. This brief verse functions as narrative transition, but its presence highlights the court's communication structure. Every word David spoke reached the king. Such transparency left David no private space - his humility was observed and ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17-25. Samuel called the people together ... at Mizpeh--**a shaft-like hill near Hebron, five hundred feet in height. The national assemblies of the Israelites were held there. A day having been appointed for the election of a king, Samuel, after having charged the people with a rejection of God's institution and a superseding of it by one of their own, proceeded to the nomination of the new mon...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.</strong><br><br>The bride-price of 'an hundred foreskins of the Philistines' was designed as a death sentence. Saul expected David to die attempting to collect such a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **An hundred foreskins.**—Wordsworth’s note here, which he derives from Theodoret, is curious. *Foreskins! *why not *heads? *Here is a sign of Saul’s suspicious and malignant spirit. He, judging for himself, impiously suspects that David would go forth and destroy some of the *Israelites*—Saul’s own subjects—as he himself desired to destroy David, his own deliverer; and the foreskins were req...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. And Saul also went home to Gibeah--**near Geba. This was his place of residence (see Jud 20:20), about five miles north of Jerusalem.
**there went ... a band of men, whose hearts God had touched--**who feared God and regarded allegiance to their king as a conscientious duty. They are opposed to "the children of Belial."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired. expired: Heb. fulfilled
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.</strong><br><br>David's pleasure at the arrangement - even knowing its dangerous requirement - reveals his confidence in God's protection. The phrase 'the days were not expired' indicates a deadline for completing the bride-price, adding urgency to an already dang...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **It pleased David well.**—The king’s design succeeded well, and the prospect of the alliance with Saul spurred on this brave soldier to more daring achievements, and yet wilder feats of arms. The savage, half-barbarous state of the age, however, comes prominently into view when we reflect upon the ferocious cruelty of such an offer being made and accepted, and carried out with even more than...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents--**In Eastern countries, the honor of the sovereign and the splendor of the royal household are upheld, not by a fixed rate of taxation, but by presents brought at certain seasons by officials, and men of wealth, from all parts of the kingdom, according to the means of the individual, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.</strong><br><br>David's return with two hundred foreskins - double the required amount - demonstrated both divine protection and abu...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.</strong><br><br>Saul's recognition that 'the LORD was with David' combines with awareness that 'Michal Saul's daughter loved him' - God's favor and human affection both attached to his rival. Each plan to destroy David strengthened David's position. Saul's spiritual sight was clear enough to see ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **Saul saw . . . that the Lord was with David.**—The success of the last savage enterprise, and the return of David with his ghastly spoils, filled the unhappy king with dismay. His daughter’s love, too, for the rising soldier contributed to his trouble. Saul felt that all that David undertook prospered—that surely another and a higher Power was helping him. So his fear grew, we read in 1Samu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 11
1Sa 11:1-4. Nahash Offers Them of Jabesh-gilead a Reproachful Condition.
**1. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up--**Nahash ("serpent"); (see Jud 8:3). The Ammonites had long claimed the right of original possession in Gilead. Though repressed by Jephthah (Jud 11:33), they now, after ninety years, renew their pretensions; and it was the report of their threatened invasion that hastened...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.</strong><br><br>Saul's perpetual enmity (<em>'oyev</em>) toward David had become settled disposition rather than passing emotion. The Hebrew indicates permanent hostile status - 'enemy continually' marks the relationship's sad deterioration. What began as appreciation (16:21) degraded to jealousy, then fe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. thrust out all your right eyes--**literally, "scoop" or "hollow out" the ball. This barbarous mutilation is the usual punishment of usurpers in the East, inflicted on chiefs; sometimes, also, even in modern history, on the whole male population of a town. Nahash meant to keep the Jabeshites useful as tributaries, whence he did not wish to render them wholly blind, but only to deprive them of ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by. set by: Heb. precious
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.</strong><br><br>Chapter 18 concludes with David's reputation ascending while Saul's enmity deepens. The Philistine princes' campaigns provided context for David's continued military success. His w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Went forth.**—Probably to avenge the last raid of David (recounted in 1Samuel 18:27). Wordsworth, quoting from the Rabbis, suggests that they were emboldened to make this attack, supposing that their successful foe would, according to the Hebrew Law, claim exemption from warfare for a year after marriage (Deuteronomy 24:5).
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Text Courtesy of BibleSu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3-4. send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel--**a curious proof of the general dissatisfaction that prevailed as to the appointment of Saul. Those Gileadites deemed him capable neither of advising nor succoring them; and even in his own town the appeal was made to the people--not to the prince.
1Sa 11:5-11. They Send to Saul, and Are Delivered.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-30**
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there ...
Read full commentary →