1 Samuel 18

David’s victory over Goliath brings him into Saul’s household, a deep friendship with Jonathan, and growing fame. Saul’s praise turns to jealousy and fear because the LORD is with David and has left Saul. Saul schemes to have the Philistines kill David, but each plot only raises David higher.

1 Samuel 18:1

Jonathan, the king’s son and natural heir, is drawn to David at once. Their friendship is not mere liking. It is a bond of the whole person, and Jonathan loves David with the same care he has for his own life.

BSA: souls (“living beings, essence of a person”): The bond reaches the deepest self, not just shared interests. knit together (“bound, tied”): Their lives were tied into one, like threads woven together.

Hebrew: קָשְׁרָה (qāshrāh, H7194) — “was bound, tied.” The Hebrew word is the ordinary word for tying a knot, so the friendship is pictured as a strong cord joining two lives.

1 Samuel 18:2

Saul takes David into his service and will not let him go home to Bethlehem. David leaves the sheepfold for the royal court. God is quietly preparing him for what lies ahead, though Saul does not see it.

See also: 1 Samuel 16:21-22.

1 Samuel 18:3

Jonathan binds himself to David by a solemn promise. A covenant made lasting loyalty a sworn duty, not just a feeling. Jonathan’s love is the reason for it. He gives this loyalty freely.

BSA: covenant (“a solemn promise, an agreement”): The friendship is made binding before God, not left to mood.

See also: 1 Samuel 20:16-17.

1 Samuel 18:4

Jonathan hands over his robe, armor and weapons. These were the marks of a prince and warrior. He gives David what belonged to the heir, a quiet sign that he yields to the one God has chosen. It is a costly, humble gift.

BSA: robe (“stripped himself, removed his outer garments”): Jonathan literally undresses himself of his royal standing to honor David.

1 Samuel 18:5

Whatever Saul sends David to do, David does well, and Saul gives him a command over the soldiers. Everyone is pleased, even Saul’s own officers. For now David’s success is welcome and brings no rivalry.

BSA: prospered (“was successful, had good success”): The word also carries the sense of acting wisely, so David’s success flows from good judgment.

1 Samuel 18:6

The army comes home after Goliath’s defeat, and the women of the towns meet the king with music and dancing. Welcoming returning warriors this way was an old Israelite custom. It is a happy scene, but it is where the trouble begins.

See also: Exodus 15:20-21.

1 Samuel 18:7

The women’s song sets Saul and David side by side, with David given ten times the credit. It was a simple, joyful verse of praise. But it names a comparison, and Saul cannot bear to come second.

BSA: tens of thousands (“myriads, a multitude, ten thousand”): The word means the largest number the language names, so the song makes David vastly greater than Saul.

1 Samuel 18:8

Saul’s anger shows what is in his heart. He did not need to take the song so seriously, but he leaps to the thought that David wants the throne. Wounded pride grows into fear and suspicion. Saul already knew God had spoken of taking his kingdom from him.

See also: 1 Samuel 15:28.

1 Samuel 18:9

From that day Saul watches David with a jealous, suspicious eye. Jealousy is slow poison. Nothing David has done is wrong, but Saul now sees an enemy in his most loyal servant.

BSA: jealous eye (“kept watching with suspicion, eyed”): Saul’s gaze is now a constant, hostile watch on David.

Hebrew: עוֹיֵן (ʿôyēn, H5770) — “eyeing, looking with suspicion.” The Hebrew word is built on the word for eye, so it says Saul kept his eye on David in distrust.

1 Samuel 18:10-11

A tormenting spirit allowed by God comes on Saul, and he rages in the house. While David plays soothing music, Saul hurls his spear at him, not once but twice. David escapes both times, and God keeps him safe.

BSA: prophesied (“spoke under divine influence”): Saul was swept into a frenzied speaking, not a godly word, showing he was out of control. spear (“javelin, lance, thrusting weapon”): It was the king’s own weapon, now aimed at his loyal musician.

See also: 1 Samuel 16:14-16.

1 Samuel 18:12

Saul is afraid of David because he can see that God’s presence has moved from himself to David. Fear of a faithful servant is a sign of a guilty conscience. The real difference between them is not skill but the LORD’s nearness.

BSA: departed (“to turn aside, depart”): God’s favor turned away from Saul, and that loss lies behind his fear.

See also: 1 Samuel 16:13-14.

1 Samuel 18:13-14

Saul sends David away, hoping to keep him at a distance and get him killed in battle, and makes him captain of a thousand. David simply does well wherever he goes. Peter-like steadiness is not the cause. The text says it is because the LORD was with him.

BSA: with (“together, in accompaniment”): God’s presence goes alongside David as a companion, not just as a power.

See also: Genesis 39:2.

1 Samuel 18:15-16

The more David succeeds, the more Saul fears, while the whole nation loves him. David is a leader who goes before his people in battle and brings them home safe. Saul’s fear and the people’s love pull in opposite directions.

BSA: successful (“behaving himself wisely, prudent”): David’s success came from wise, careful conduct, not luck.

1 Samuel 18:17

Saul offers his eldest daughter and calls David to fight the LORD’s battles. It sounds like honor, but he hopes the Philistines will do what he dares not do himself. A kind offer is used as a trap, and evil sometimes wears a religious face.

BSA: hand (“power, strength”): Saul wants the enemy’s strength to do his killing, so his own hands stay clean.

1 Samuel 18:18

David answers humbly. He does not claim the king’s offer as a reward for killing Goliath. Sudden fame has not made him proud. He still sees himself as a shepherd’s son from a small family.

BSA: Who (“what person”): David’s question is a humble one, saying he has no claim on such honor.

1 Samuel 18:19

When the time comes, Saul breaks his word and gives Merab to another man, Adriel. David has done nothing wrong. Saul’s promise was never sincere, and David is left quietly dealt with unfairly.

See also: 2 Samuel 21:8.

1 Samuel 18:20-21

Michal, Saul’s younger daughter, loves David, and Saul is pleased because he sees a chance. He means to use her as bait to lure David into danger. A daughter’s love is made part of the king’s plot. It is a sad picture of how jealousy twists even family ties.

BSA: snare (“trap, bait”): The word is the one for a trap’s lure, so Saul plans to catch David by his hopes.

1 Samuel 18:22-23

Saul sends servants to flatter David in private, saying everyone loves him. David again refuses to think himself worthy. In that world a bride-price had to be paid, and he says he has no wealth or standing to pay it.

BSA: lightly esteemed (“treated with contempt, dishonored”): David sees himself as someone of little account in the eyes of the great.

1 Samuel 18:24-25

Saul names a strange bride-price: a hundred Philistine foreskins. It sounds like a patriotic demand, but the text says his hope is that David will die trying. The Philistines were uncircumcised, so this was proof of a kill.

BSA: foreskins (“proof of conquest”): They served as a count that could not be faked, showing each enemy had really been killed.

1 Samuel 18:26-27

David is glad to accept and doubles the price, bringing two hundred. He is eager to serve the king and trusts that God will keep him. Saul has no choice but to give Michal as his wife, and the plan has failed.

BSA: payment in full (“to fulfill the king’s requirement”): David does more than was asked, completing the king’s demand to the letter and beyond.

1 Samuel 18:28-29

Now Saul can no longer deny that the LORD is with David, and even his own daughter loves him. That makes his fear grow. He becomes David’s enemy for good. Fighting against the one God favors is a battle Saul cannot win.

BSA: enemy (“adversary, one who hates or opposes”): Saul’s hostility becomes a settled attitude, lasting all his days.

See also: Proverbs 21:30.

1 Samuel 18:30

The Philistines keep coming out to fight, and David keeps winning more than any of Saul’s officers. His good name grows. The chapter ends with the one Saul meant to destroy standing higher than ever, because God was with him.

BSA: esteemed (“precious, valuable”): David’s name was prized by the people, like something of great worth.