1 Samuel18
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 As soon as he had to , the of was to the of , and him as his own .
2 And him that and would him to his .
3 Then a with , because he him as his own .
4 And himself of the was him and it to , and his , and his and his and his .
5 And and was him, so that him the of . And this was in the of the and in the of .
6 As they were home, when from the , the of the of , and , to , with , with songs of , and with .
7 And the one another as they , has his , and his .
8 And was , and him. He , They have to , and to me they have , and what can he have the ?
9 And that .
10 The a from upon , and he his while was the , as he did by . had his in his .
11 And the , for he , I will to the . But .
12 was the Lord was him but had .
13 So him his and him a of a . And he and the .
14 And had in his , for the Lord was him.
15 And when he had , he stood in him.
16 But and , he and them.
17 Then to , is my . I will her to you for a . be for me and the Lord ’s . For , Let my be against him, but let the of the be against him.
18 And to , am I, and are my , my in , I should be to the ?
19 But at the when , , should have been to , she was to the for a .
20 Now . And they , and the him.
21 , Let me her to him, that she may be a for him and that the of the may be against him. Therefore to a , You shall be my .
22 And his , Speak in and , , the has in you, and his you. then become the .
23 And those in the of . And , Does it to you a thing to become the , since I am a and have no ?
24 And the of him, Thus and did .
25 Then , shall you to , The a of the , that he may be of the . Now to make by the of the .
26 And when his , it well to be the . the had ,
27 and , along with his , and of the . And their , which were given in to the , that he might become the . And him his for a .
28 But when and the Lord was , and that , , him,
29 was even . So was .
30 Then the of the to battle, and as they had more the of , so that his was .
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1 Samuel 18Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 1 Samuel 18. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jonathan's friendship for David. (1–5). Saul seeks to kill David. (6–11). Saul's fear of David. (12–30).
vv1-5
The friendship of David and Jonathan was the effect of Divine grace, which produces in true believers one heart and one soul, and causes them to love each other. This union of souls is from partaking in the Spirit of Christ. Where God unites hearts, carnal matters are too weak to separate them. Those who love Christ as their own souls, will be willing to join themselves to him in an everlasting covenant. It was certainly a great proof of the power of God's grace in David, that he was able to bear all this respect and honour, without being lifted up above measure.
vv6-11
David's troubles not only immediately follow his triumphs, but arise from them; such is the vanity of that which seems greatest in this world. It is a sign that the Spirit of God is departed from men, if, like Saul, they are peevish, envious, suspicious, and ill-natured. Compare David, with his harp in his hand, aiming to serve Saul, and Saul, with his javelin in his hand, aiming to slay David; and observe the sweetness and usefulness of God's persecuted people, and the barbarity of their persecutors. But David's safety must be ascribed to God's providence.
vv12-30
For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there no sinful omission, no rashness of spirit, nothing wrong in our conduct? Opposition and perverseness in others, will not excuse wrong tempers in us, but should increase our care, and attention to the duties of our station. Consider Him that endured contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds, Heb 12:3. If David magnified the honour of being son-in-law to king Saul, how should we magnify the honour of being sons to the King of kings!
Key Words
כָּלָה: to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare, consume)
דָבַר: perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
שָׁאוּל: Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites
נֶפֶשׁ: properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
יְהוֹנָתָן: Jehonathan, the name of four Israelites
קָשַׁר: to tie, physically (gird, confine, compact) or mentally (in love, league)
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
אָהַב: to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)
לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
Cross References
1 Samuel 18Direct recurrence of the evil spirit coming on Saul as David plays, and Saul throwing a javelin.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Establishes the origin of Saul's affliction by the evil spirit from God.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Explicitly identifies Adriel the Meholathite as the husband of Saul's daughter, confirming the broken pledge.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
David later demands his wife Michal, mentioning the dowry of a hundred Philistine foreskins.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Highlights Jonathan's love for David, repeating that he loved him as his own soul.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Illustrates the high Eastern honor of wearing clothing worn by the king or heir.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the custom of women coming out with dances and tabrets to celebrate military victory.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Saul's earlier unfulfilled public promise of giving his daughter to the slayer of Goliath.
Supported by JFB
Identical Hebrew idiom for souls being 'knit' or bound together in deep love.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Classic precedent of women leading triumphal dancing and singing after national deliverance.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Philistines quote this exact triumphal song, showing its widespread renown and impact.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David later adopts Saul's wicked strategy: sending Uriah to the front to die by enemies.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The military/leadership idiom of 'going out and coming in' before the people.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the ancient Near Eastern custom of a bride price or dowry (mohar).
Supported by JFB
Reinforces the theme of David behaving himself wisely under all circumstances.
Supported by Matthew Henry