How do the women’s song and David’s marriage to Michol affect Saul’s treatment of him?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The song angers Saul, who asks what David can have beyond the kingdom and looks on him badly from then onward. Saul later sets a Philistine-foreskin condition while intending to deliver David into their hands; David brings twice the required number and marries Michol, while Saul’s fear grows into continual enmity.

Chapter breakdown

After David finishes speaking to Saul, Jonathan’s soul is knit with David’s, and he loves David as his own soul. Saul takes David that day and will not let him return to his father’s house. David and Jonathan make a covenant because Jonathan loves him as his own soul. Jonathan gives David the coat he is wearing and the rest of his garments, including sword, bow and girdle. David goes on whatever business Saul sends him and behaves prudently. Saul sets him over the soldiers. He is acceptable to all the people and especially Saul’s servants.

When David returns after killing the Philistine, women come from all Israel’s cities singing and dancing to meet King Saul with timbrels of joy and cornets. They sing that Saul slew his thousands and David his ten thousands. Saul is exceedingly angry and displeased. He says they gave David ten thousands but him only a thousand, and asks what more David can have but the kingdom. The women’s plural thousands and Saul’s own singular thousand are retained as their respective words. From that day Saul does not look on David with a good eye. The next day an evil spirit from God comes upon Saul, and he prophesies in his house while David plays with his hand as at other times. Challoner separately explains prophesied as acting the prophet in a mad manner. Saul holds and throws a spear, thinking to nail David to the wall; David steps aside from his presence twice. Saul fears David because the Lord is with David and has departed from himself. He removes David from him and makes him captain of a thousand men. David goes out and comes in before the people, acts wisely in all his ways and has the Lord with him. Seeing his great prudence, Saul begins to beware of him. Israel and Juda love David because he goes in and out before them.

Saul offers his elder daughter Merob to David as wife, requiring him to be valiant and fight the Lord’s battles. Saul says within himself that his own hand should not be upon David, but the Philistines’ hands should. David asks who he is, what his life is or his father’s family in Israel, that he should be the king’s son-in-law. When Merob should be given to him, she is instead given as wife to Hadriel the Molathite. Saul’s other daughter Michol loves David. The report pleases Saul, who says he will give her to David as a stumblingblock so the Philistines’ hand may be on him. He tells David, In two things thou shalt be my son in law this day.

Saul orders his servants to tell David privately that he pleases the king and all his servants love him, so he should become the king’s son-in-law. They deliver all these words. David asks whether they think it a small matter, saying he is poor and of small ability. The servants report his words to Saul. Saul tells them to say he desires no dowry, only a hundred Philistine foreskins to avenge the king’s enemies. Saul intends to deliver David into the Philistines’ hands. When the servants report this, becoming the king’s son-in-law pleases David. After a few days he goes with his men, kills two hundred Philistines and brings their foreskins, numbering them before the king so he may be his son-in-law. Saul gives Michol to him as wife.

Saul sees and understands that the Lord is with David, and Michol loves him. Saul fears David more and becomes his enemy continually. The Philistine princes go forth. From the beginning of their going forth, David behaves more wisely than all Saul’s servants, and his name becomes very famous.

The story inside

Jonathan’s love, covenant and gifts accompany Saul’s taking David into service. David’s prudent business and acceptance precede the women’s song. Saul’s response names the kingdom, and his look changes. The spear attempt, David’s twice stepping aside and Saul’s stated fear are followed by command of a thousand and wider love for David. Saul offers Merob while naming a Philistine danger, but she marries Hadriel. Michol’s love brings another offer and private messages through servants. David’s poor-man reply precedes the hundred-foreskin condition; he brings two hundred and marries her. The chapter ends with Saul’s greater fear and continuing enmity while David’s conduct and name become more famous.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The account gives different responses to David. Jonathan loves him and gives named belongings; the people and servants accept him, while the women’s numbers anger Saul. Saul’s question about the kingdom is recorded without an added account of Jonathan giving up succession.
2
Some intentions are expressly supplied. Saul thinks of pinning David to the wall and of the Philistines’ hands being against him. David’s questions and poverty reply have no added statement about his inner humility or a required royal marriage custom.
3
The marriage condition keeps both numbers and timing. Saul names a hundred foreskins, David delivers two hundred after a few days and Michol becomes his wife. No unstated deadline or compulsion on Saul is needed to explain the recorded result.

Test your recall

What does Saul say after the song, how do his spear and marriage plans express the stated danger to David, and what happens after the hundred-foreskin condition is met with two hundred?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 30157–30179
1 Kings Chapter 18 The friendship of Jonathan and David. The envy of Saul, and his design upon David’s life. He marrieth him to his daughter Michol. 18:1. And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 18:2. And Saul took him that day, and would not let him return to his father’s house. 18:3. And David and Jonathan made a covenant, for he loved him as his own soul. 18:4. And Jonathan stripped himself of the coat with which he was clothed, and gave it to David, and the rest of his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 18:5. And David went out to whatsoever business Saul sent him, and he behaved himself prudently: and Saul set him over the soldiers, and he was acceptable in the eyes of all the people, and especially in the eyes of Saul’s servants.
Lines 30181–30217
18:6. Now when David returned, after he slew the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels of joy, and cornets. 18:7. And the women sung as they played, and they said: Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 18:8. And Saul was exceeding angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes, and he said: They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given but a thousand, what can he have more but the kingdom? 18:9. And Saul did not look on David with a good eye from that day and forward. 18:10. And the day after, the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David played with his hand as at other times. And Saul held a spear in his hand, Prophesied.... Acted the prophet in a mad manner. 18:11. And threw it, thinking to nail David to the wall: and David stept aside out of his presence twice. 18:12. And Saul feared David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from himself. 18:13. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him a captain over a thousand men, and he went out and came in before the people. 18:14. And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. 18:15. And Saul saw that he was exceeding prudent, and began to beware of him. 18:16. But all Israel and Juda loved David, for he came in and went out before them.
Lines 30219–30237
18:17. And Saul said to David: Behold my elder daughter Merob, her will I give thee to wife: only be a valiant man, and fight the battles of the Lord. Now Saul said within himself: Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hands of the Philistines be upon him. 18:18. And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law of the king? 18:19. And it came to pass at the time when Merob, the daughter of Saul, should have been given to David, that she was given to Hadriel, the Molathite, to wife. 18:20. But Michol, the other daughter of Saul, loved David. And it was told Saul, and it pleased him. 18:21. And Saul said: I will give her to him, that she may be a stumblingblock to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be upon him. And Saul said to David: In two things thou shalt be my son in law this day.
Lines 30239–30263
18:22. And Saul commanded his servants to speak to David privately, saying: Behold, thou pleasest the king, and all his servants love thee. Now, therefore be the king’s son in law. 18:23. And the servants of Saul spoke all these words in the ears of David. And David said: Doth it seem to you a small matter to be the king’s son in law? But I am a poor man, and of small ability. 18:24. And the servants of Saul told him, saying: Such words as these hath David spoken. 18:25. And Saul said: Speak thus to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but only a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. Now Saul thought to deliver David into the hands of the Philistines. 18:26. And when his servants had told David the words that Saul had said, the word was pleasing in the eyes of David to be the king’s son in law. 18:27. And after a few days David rose up, and went with the men that were under him, and he slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and brought their foreskins and numbered them out to the king, that he might be his son in law. Saul therefore gave him Michol, his daughter, to wife.
Lines 30265–30275
18:28. And Saul saw, and understood that the Lord was with David. And Michol, the daughter of Saul, loved him. 18:29. And Saul began to fear David more: and Saul became David’s enemy continually. 18:30. And the princes of the Philistines went forth: and from the beginning of their going forth, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very famous.