1 Samuel 18
Jonathan and David (were lovers?)
18:1-4
18:1
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that 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 let him go no more home to his
father's house.
18:3
Then Jonathan and David
made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
18:4
And Jonathan stripped
himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his
garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
After David finished introducing himself to Saul, he met Saul's son, Jonathan.
The two of them hit of off, right from the start. Jonathan's soul was knitted to the soul of David, and Jonathan
loved David as his own soul.
The two of them made a covenant to each other. Jonathan sealed it by taking off his clothes and giving his
sword, bow, and girdle to David.
Were David and Jonathan gay?
Strange Flesh: David and Jonathan
Saul and David compete (to see who can kill more people)
18:5-16
18:5
And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself
wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the
sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
David ... behaved himself wisely. [1]
David went wherever Saul sent him. He became Saul's captain and everyone in Israel knew and loved him.
18:6
And it came to pass as
they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine,
that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets,
with joy, and with instruments of musick.
18:7
And the women answered
one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.
After David killed Goliath, there were celebrations in every city of Israel, in which women danced and sang, saying:
Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands -- which seems strange, since up to this point David
had killed only one person: Goliath.
Is dancing a sin?
18:8
And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They
have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but
thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
18:9
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
Saul didn't like the women's song. He said, "They say David has killed tens of thousands and I have killed only thousands!
Next thing you know, David will have my kingdom, too." Saul didn't trust David from that day forward.
When did Saul become David's enemy?
18:10
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and
he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand,
as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
The next day, the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied, while David played with his hand.
18:11
And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the
wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
Saul tried to kill David twice, by throwing a javelin at him. But David got out of the way.
18:12
And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was
departed from Saul.
Saul was afraid of David, because God was with him and God was no longer with Saul.
18:13
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
18:14
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with
him.
18:15
Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid
of him.
18:16
But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
Saul made David his captain and David behaved himself very wisely.
Since David behaved so wisely, Saul was afraid of him. But all the people loved David, because he came in and
went out before them.
David buys a wife (with 200 Philistine foreskins)
18:17
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give
thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD's battles. For
Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the
Philistines be upon him.
Saul promised that he'd give his daughter to whoever killed Goliath,
so he offered David his daughter, Merab.
18:18
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?
David said to Saul, "Who am I that you'd give your daughter to me?"
18:19
But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have
been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
So Saul gave his daughter Merab to another guy.
18:20
And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing
pleased him.
18:21
And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and
that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to
David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.
18:22
And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and
say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee:
now therefore be the king's son in law.
18:23
And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David
said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that
I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
18:24
And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
Another daughter of Saul (Michal) loved David. Someone told Saul about it and he liked the idea of giving her to David, thinking she
would be a snare for him.
18:25
And Saul said, Thus
shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred
foreskins of the Philistines, to
be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the
hand of the Philistines.
Saul told his servants to deliver a message to David, saying: "You can buy my daughter, Michal, with 100 Philistines
foreskins."
18:26
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.
Saul's proposal "pleased David well."
18:27
Wherefore David arose
and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred
men and David brought their foreskins,and they gave them in full
tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave
him Michal his daughter to wife.
18:28
And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's
daughter loved him.
18:29
And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy
continually.
18:30
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after
they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the
servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
Get the SAB on CD