1 Samuel 18:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father 's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

NIV: But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?"

NASB: But David said to Saul, 'Who am I, and who is my family, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?'

CSB: Then David responded, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?"

NLT: Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?' David exclaimed. 'My father’s family is nothing!'

KJV: 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?

NKJV: So David said to 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?”

Saul had promised that whoever killed Goliath would marry one of the king's daughters. But that reward also came with freedom from service to the king for the entire family. (1 Samuel 17:25). Because of David's growing popularity, Saul wants him dead, and he wants the Philistines to do the killing. But it's not clear if Saul can force David to fight. To get David back under the umbrella of Saul's authority, he offers David the hand of his daughter Merab. If David becomes a member of the royal family, Saul can control him.

For the first of many times, David thwarts Saul's plan not by cunning or intelligence but through simple, humble dedication to God. David can't imagine marrying into the king's family. He and his father's clan don't have nearly enough status or wealth for such a marriage to make sense.

Saul should be comforted by David's response. If David is truly plotting to take the throne, he would jump at the chance to elevate his status in Israel. Although the crown is understood to pass to the king's sons, being the royal son-in-law would bring David one step closer to being able to justify a coup when the time came. Instead, David defers as an unworthy candidate. He is the king's servant, and that position is honor enough.

First Samuel 18:17–30 reveals the depths of King Saul's hatred toward David. When David killed Goliath, Saul thought he had a champion (1 Samuel 17). The moment they return from battle, however, the people's affections transfer to David, and the king grows furious. Saul's direct attempts to kill David fail (1 Samuel 18:6–16), so he uses his daughters to lure David into a fatal battle with the Philistines. Again, Saul's plan fails, and the king realizes God's protection over David is too great. Soon, Saul will watch as even his children favor David (1 Samuel 19).

Saul's son Jonathan becomes David's best friend. David succeeds in every military mission Saul sends him on. The people praise David as being even mightier than Saul. The king is furious and terrified that David will take his throne. After Saul's direct attempts to kill David fail, the king sends David to battle the Philistines using marriage to his daughter as bait. David not only survives, but he continues to prove himself to be a mightier warrior and leader than Saul. Saul knows the Lord is with David and not with him and cements himself as David's permanent enemy.

First Samuel 18 begins the story of how the changed work of the Holy Spirit on both Saul and David (1 Samuel 16:13–14) leads to the king's destruction and David's rise. David faithfully serves both Saul (1 Samuel 16:14–23) and Saul's kingdom (1 Samuel 17—18). But David wins the hearts of Saul's people and his children. Saul can't handle the competition (1 Samuel 19—20). Finally, David flees the royal court and raises his own army. He spends years fighting Israel's enemies from afar, patiently waiting until Saul dies in battle and the shepherd boy can take his rightful crown (1 Samuel 21—31).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.