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1 Samuel 18

Chapter 18 in 30 seconds

Jonathan, Saul's son, loves David like his own soul and gives him his robe and his sword. The women sing, Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. Saul does not love this song. He throws a spear at David twice and makes him a deal: marry my daughter for a hundred dead Philistines.

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In this chapterThe Big QuestionDavid and Jonathan · after verse 9

Jonathan Befriends David

¹After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself. ²And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.

1SA 18:1[NOTE]KNIT TOGETHER. See the Big Question pages David and Jonathan.

³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ⁴And Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

Saul Envies David

⁵So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.

⁶As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments. ⁷And as the women danced, they sang out:

“Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands.”

1SA 18:7[NOTE]Thousands and tens of thousands was a common way to praise in a song. Saul heard it as an insult.

⁸And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

The Big Question

David and Jonathan

A Covenant Friendship

1 Samuel 18:1 to 4 · 20:14 to 17 · 20:41 to 42 · 23:16 to 18 · 2 Samuel 1:26 · 9:1 to 7

KNIT TOGETHER: After David beat Goliath, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself, 18:1. They made a covenant, a sworn promise, 18:3.
THE ROBE AND THE SWORD: Jonathan gave David his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt, 18:4. Jonathan was the king's son and next in line for the throne. Many see this as Jonathan handing David the things of a prince, as if to say, You should be king, not me.
A FRIEND WHO RISKED HIS LIFE: Jonathan warned David when Saul wanted him dead, 19:2, and his father threw a spear at him for it, 20:33. Later he found David in the wilderness and said, You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you, 23:17.
A PROMISE FOR THEIR CHILDREN: They swore to be kind to each other's families forever, 20:14 to 17 and 20:42. Years later David kept that promise and gave Jonathan's son Mephibosheth a seat at his table, 2 Samuel 9:7.
THE GOODBYE: They kissed each other and wept, and David wept the most, 20:41. When Jonathan died, David sang, Your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women, 2 Samuel 1:26.

David and Jonathan · Every View

Genesis 33:4 · 45:14 to 15 · 1 Kings 5:1 · Proverbs 18:24 · John 15:13

VIEW 1: A COVENANT FRIENDSHIP: This is how Jewish and Christian readers have understood it for many centuries. Love in Bible covenants often means loyalty. The Hebrew of 1 Kings 5:1 says King Hiram loved David, where this Bible says friend. Men in the ancient world kissed and wept openly, like Jacob and Esau, Genesis 33:4, and Joseph and his brothers, Genesis 45:14 to 15. Both men married and had children. An old Jewish teaching in the Mishnah calls their love the kind that never ends because it did not depend on getting something.
VIEW 2: SOMETHING MORE: Some modern writers read the story as a romance between two men, pointing to the strong words of love, the kiss and David's line about the love of women.
WHAT EACH SIDE ANSWERS: Traditional readers answer that the covenant words, the politics of the throne and both men's marriages point to friendship. The other side says love language between men can mean more than loyalty.
MORE THAN THE LOVE OF WOMEN: David had just lost his best friend in battle. Many readers take this line to mean that Jonathan's loyalty was greater than anything David found in his marriages, which were often about politics.
WHAT ALL AGREE ON: Jonathan should have been king, and he gave it up gladly for the one God chose. He risked his life for his friend. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, Proverbs 18:24. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends, John 15:13.

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, ¹¹and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

1SA 18:10[DEMONIC]Evil spirit returned to Saul as he attempted to kill David

¹²So Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with David but had departed from Saul. ¹³Therefore Saul sent David away and gave him command of a thousand men. David led the troops out to battle and back, ¹⁴and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because Yahweh was with him.

¹⁵When Saul saw that David was very successful, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he was leading them out to battle and back.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight Yahweh’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

¹⁸And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?” ¹⁹So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

²⁰Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him. ²¹“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”

²²Then Saul ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately and tell him, ‘Behold, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become his son-in-law.’”

²³But when Saul’s servants relayed these words to David, he replied, “Does it seem trivial in your sight to be the son-in-law of the king? I am a poor man and lightly esteemed.”

²⁴And the servants told Saul what David had said.

²⁵Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king desires no other dowry but a hundred Philistine foreskins as revenge on his enemies.’” But Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.

²⁶When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived, ²⁷David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as payment in full to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage.

²⁸When Saul realized that Yahweh was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, ²⁹he grew even more afraid of David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.

³⁰Every time the Philistine commanders came out for battle, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers, so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 Samuel 18

Jonathan Befriends David

Saul Envies David

David Marries Michal

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