David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife. Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him. Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually.
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1 Samuel 18:27-29 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Saul said, “Tell David, ‘The king desires no dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ ” Now Saul thought he would make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. When his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the deadline, David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife. Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him. Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually. Then the princes of the Philistines went out; and as often as they went out, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
Parallel Translations
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David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife.
Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him.
Saul was even more afraid of David; and Saul was David’s enemy continually.
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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.
And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David’s enemy continually.
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and 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 number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David; and Michal Saul's daughter loved him.
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (17)
- 2 Samuel 3:14 (v27) David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I was given to marry for one hundred foreskins of…
- Ecclesiastes 4:4 (v29) Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
- Genesis 4:4-8 (v29) Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but he didn’t respect Cain and…
- Genesis 30:27 (v28) Laban said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake.”
- Genesis 37:8-11 (v28) His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams…
Show all 17 cross-references
- Genesis 39:3 (v28) His master saw that Yahweh was with him, and that Yahweh made all that he did prosper in his hand.
- Judges 14:19 (v27) Yahweh’s Spirit came mightily on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck thirty men of them. He took their plunder, then gave the…
- 1 Samuel 18:12 (v29) Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with him, and had departed from Saul.
- 1 Samuel 18:13 (v27) 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.
- 1 Samuel 18:15 (v29) When Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him.
- 1 Samuel 24:20 (v28) Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.
- 1 Samuel 26:25 (v28) Then Saul said to David, “You are blessed, my son David. You will both do mightily, and will surely prevail.” So David went his way, and…
- Psalms 37:12-14 (v29) The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord will laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming. The…
- John 11:53 (v29) So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death.
- James 2:19 (v29) You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
- 1 John 3:12-15 (v29) unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s…
- Revelation 3:9 (v28) Behold, I give some of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie—behold, I will make them to come…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 Meaning, David and his soldiers.
Meaning, David and his soldiers.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv27–29 1Sa 18:27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and…
1Sa 18:27 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.
Ver. 27. Two hundred men.] He doubled the number of foreskins required: (1.) To cut off all cavils; (2.) To show to Saul his liberality and generosity. Strabo saith {a} that among the old Germans none might marry a wife, who had not first presented to their king the head of an enemy cut off. In the year 959 our King Edgar, to free his country from wolves, enjoined the prince of North Wales to bring him yearly three hundred skins of them for a tribute.
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{a} Geog., lib. xv.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 He doubled the number required; partly to oblige Saul…
He doubled the number required; partly to oblige Saul the more to the performance of his promise; and partly to show his great respect and affection to Saul’s daughter.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On v29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David,....…
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.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v27 Two hundred - He doubled the number required; to…
Two hundred - He doubled the number required; to oblige Saul the more to the performance of his promise; and to shew his great respect and affection to Saul's daughter.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v27 Verse 27. Slew - two hundred men.] The Septuagint…
Verse 27. Slew - two hundred men.] The Septuagint has only one hundred men. Saul covenanted with David for a hundred; and David himself says, 2Sa 3:14, that he espoused Michal for a hundred: hence it is likely that one hundred is the true reading.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v28 1Sa 18:28-29. Saul knew that the Lord was with…
1Sa 18:28-29. Saul knew that the Lord was with David — He was convinced of it, by the success which he constantly had in all his undertakings. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David — Having thus advanced him; and seeing no hope of bringing his designs to pass against him. And Saul became David’s enemy continually — He was every day more resolved to destroy him. Such strange blindness did his anger and hatred, and such like passions, bring upon him, that he set himself against him, who he saw and knew, had God for his friend! In what a lost condition must Saul’s mind have now been!
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v28 David. Of the subsequent verses, the Roman Septuagint has…
David. Of the subsequent verses, the Roman Septuagint has only the following words. "And all Israel lived him; (29) and Saul still continued to be in awe of him." The Alexandrian manuscript agrees with the Hebrew, only, instead of Michol, &c., it reads, "all Israel." If the contested passages were omitted, the history would be less perplexed. But we must wait for the decision of the Church in matters of this nature, and never decide to peremptorily. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 David . . . slew of the Philistines two…
David . . . slew of the Philistines two hundred men--The number was doubled, partly to show his respect and attachment to the princess, and partly to oblige Saul to the fulfilment of his pledge.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv27, 29 27. Two hundred men — Twice the number required.…
27. Two hundred men — Twice the number required. “This was another great exploit — far more arduous, although less renowned, than the overthrow of Goliath. It must have attracted great attention at the time, and have conduced in no small degree to the public estimation in which David was held.” — Kitto.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv27–28 27. two hundred men] He slew double the stipulated…
27. two hundred men] He slew double the stipulated number of Philistines. The Sept. however reads “one hundred.” Cp. 2Sa_3:14.
in full tale] “Tale” = a number told or counted off, a reckoning. Compare
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“Every shepherd tells his tale
Under the hawthorn in the dale.”
Milton, L’Allegro, l. 67.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v28 (28) Saul saw . . . that the Lord…
(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 1Sa_18:29, and the paroxysms of jealous hatred deepened into a lifelong enmity.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv28–29 Vers. 28, 20. The failure of his evil purpose,…
Vers. 28, 20. The failure of his evil purpose, and the knowledge that Michal loved her husband, and would protect him against his intrigues, and that the marriage had brought rank and influence to David, made Saul hate him all the more bitterly, because he could not now openly put to death one so closely connected with him.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v29 And Saul became Davids enemy continually.
1Sa_18:29
And Saul became Davids enemy continually.
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The evil of enmity
1. The possible doings of one sinful feeling. Jealousy was first awakened in the heart of Saul on that day when Hebrew females sung the praises of the young conqueror of Goliath. Jealousy is cruel as the grave. So it proved. At that moment when the dark feeling rose to consciousness it might not seem as if the new guest were endowed with any special capacities. But it soon swelled out to a proportion which dwarfed and overshadowed all the rest. What tremendous energies of evil lurk in our fallen natural. If God judicially let one slip, and cease to hedge it round with inward remonstrances and providential restraints, it will quickly grow to a tyranny beyond resistance, that shall desolate the soul, and sweep away before it the scruples of conscience, the dictates of prudence, the lingering power of affection, friendly counsels, and the pleadings of honour, interest, or decency. Oh, there are within us materials enough to make earthquakes and volcanoes of the soul! Let us pray that they be not set on fire of hell. Think not that you are not in danger because neither Sauls circumstances nor special tendencies are yours. Jealousy is one of a gang. Envy, pride, lust, intemperance, love of money, are notorious confederates. They operate singly or in company. Often quarrelling, they are horribly unanimous in destroying the souls purity and joy. O for Heavens healing hand to keep them down, to preserve the soul in holy equipoise, to stablish it in self-governing power, and impel it by restraining love.
2. The reality of an invisible power of evil. This is affirmed plainly and frequently. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. The Holy Spirit who had been striving with him for good was provoked away. His deserted soul was occupied by an evil spirit. And how untiring! The foul and cruel inspiration was no passing breath. It prompted many efforts. It suggested many varieties of operation. It absorbed all other energies into one lordly passion. And all this is sustained for years, in growing power, in spite of many obstacles. How awful this persistent malevolence! O what shall break the spell of this terrible witchery? Who shall put an end to this terrible possession? What power shall awaken fear, and bestow a scrupulous caution, and inspire a holy ardour to be free from the galling thraldom, and endow with a holy strength to resist it and to shut up all those avenues of indulgence through which on-waiting spirits of evil issue from their dwelling of darkness! Thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He hath destroyed the works of the devil.
3. The beautiful character to which Divine grace can frame the human soul. I suppose it will be regarded as sober truth to say that the worlds annals present no parallel to the character which the great persecution developes in David. Whence came that marvellous self-government, which kept him equally from despair and violence? The power that girt up all his faculties was from above. Men speak of virtue and its endurance, of heroism and its daring deeds. Both are good--but in the balance of the sanctuary they are electroplate, and nothing more. To be even ideally complete, a human character must have godliness as its central power. Practically to reach the highest level of what men call the virtues is impossible without the mighty presence of supreme regard to God, maintained by His own quickening Spirit. This it was that nerved the heart of the Hebrew outlaw with an enduring vigour that bore him on amid floods of sorrow, and formed his heart to a fortitude beside which the models of Greece and Rome look dim. Did ever Stoic endure so much with meekness so conspicuous? Did ever Epicurean show a sensibility so delicate and so pure as that which wept on the neck of Jonathan? Did the worlds men of honour ever spare an enemy as David did the tyrant who thirsted for his blood? I trow not. Such triumphs of noble feeling are wrought only by heavenly grace.
4. The opposition between the Church and the World. It will not be questioned that Saul belonged to the latter and David to the former. Nor, on reflection, will it be doubted that this is the secret of Sauls irreconciliable enmity. The two are ranged on opposite sides. Grace would have quenched the smouldering embers of jealousy. Had the feeling not been rooted in an unsanctified nature, prayer and pains would have dug it up to wither on the surface. And in the bitter, impious and unrelenting nature of this persecution we may see mirrored forth in fearful clearness the worlds irreconciliable opposition to the Church. The circumstances of Saul give us the advantage of seeing this feeling honestly displayed. He did not fear God; and as an absolute monarch he did not need to regard men. But, one way or other, the body of believers may count on meeting the worlds opposition, aye and until the conflict ceases by the everlasting separation of the parties. Every step of her earthly way lies through a wilderness haunted by enemies, whose hostility is sincere and operative, whether they strive to corrupt her like Midian, or meet her boldly with the Amorite.
5. Gods benignant care of His people. To one who looked only on the surface, and took into view nothing more than ordinary human probabilities, it would no doubt have appeared a hopeless folly for David to seek escape from Saul. A private man against a king; a Solitary man against one who had a nations forces at his back; a scrupulous man, whose conscience forbad violent resistance, against a reckless man, under the impulse of an over-mastering passion. Davids life lay constantly in the vicinity of death. He walked as if on a narrow ledge, over a frowning gulf. That he was preserved from falling is attributable to nothing but an over-ruling care which could not be surprised, defeated, or wearied out. Almighty energy, working in the service of love, wove the tangled texture of events round the living David, and secured his perfect safety. (P. Richardson, B. A.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v27 two hundred Philistines
two hundred Philistines
This can be rendered numerically. AT: "200 Philistines" (See: Numbers)
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they gave them in full number to the king
"David and his men gave all of them to the king"
Saul saw, and he knew
Here the words "saw" and "knew" share similar meanings and emphasize that Saul knew with certainty. AT: "Saul recognized" (See: Doublet)
Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him
Here "loved" means she had romantic feelings for David.
translationWords
king
Yahweh
love
fear
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v29 18:29 even more afraid: Saul’s fear was unfounded. Although…
18:29 even more afraid: Saul’s fear was unfounded. Although he made himself David’s enemy, David consistently honored Saul as king (see chs 24, 26).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.