1 Samuel 18:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king 's son-in-law. Before the time had expired,

NIV: When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed,

NASB: When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the time had expired,

CSB: When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived,

NLT: David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired,

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired;

King Saul knows that God intends David to replace him as king (1 Samuel 15:28; 18:7–8). This will destroy the dynasty Saul has just barely begun. Saul's plan is to let the Philistines kill David in battle. But when David killed Goliath, he earned the right for his family to be exempt from forced service to the king (1 Samuel 17:25). Saul probably can't force David to fight. But he can if David marries Saul's daughter, and David becomes part of the royal family.

So, Saul offered his older daughter, Merab, to David. David insisted that his family didn't have the honor to be related to the king. Saul tried again with his younger daughter, Michal. This time, Saul made sure David knew he and his servants wanted the match. David still refused, saying he, himself, had neither money nor reputation (1 Samuel 18:17–23).

Saul produces a third plan. He tells David he can earn a reputation and pay off the bride price by killing one hundred Philistines and bringing back their foreskins. That way, Saul thinks, David will be killed before the wedding even happens. (1 Samuel 18:25). This grisly request would ensure that David was killing enemy fighters, leaving no reasonable way to fake the evidence.

David agrees. But to Saul's dismay, David survives and returns with double the required price. Saul now knows that God is with David, that his daughter loves David, and that he has truly little control. That makes him fear David even more (1 Samuel 18:27–29).

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.