Commentary - 1 Samuel 18:20-29

Bird's-eye view

In this gripping account, we witness the deepening apostasy of King Saul and the corresponding, God-ordained rise of David. Saul, consumed by a venomous jealousy, attempts to use his own daughter, Michal, as bait in a murderous plot. He devises what he believes is a clever scheme: setting a bloody and seemingly impossible bride price that will ensure David's death at the hands of the Philistines. But as is always the case when men plot against the Lord's anointed, the plan backfires with spectacular irony. David not only meets the gruesome demand but doubles it, further cementing his reputation as Israel's champion. The entire episode serves to reveal Saul's character as a man given over to fear and deceit, while highlighting David's courage, humility, and the unmistakable blessing of God. Every scheme Saul launches against David becomes another rung on the ladder of David's ascent to the throne.

The central conflict is between the failing, rejected king and the chosen, faithful king. Saul's actions are cloaked in the language of statecraft and paternal blessing, but his heart is full of murder. David, in contrast, operates with a humble awareness of his station but also with decisive, masculine courage. The outcome is precisely what Saul dreaded: he is forced to see and know that Yahweh is with David, his daughter loves David, and his own position is increasingly precarious. This confirmation of God's favor on David solidifies Saul's fear into a permanent, relentless enmity, setting the stage for the subsequent persecution.

Outline

Context In 1 Samuel

This passage is a crucial development in the escalating conflict between Saul and David. Immediately preceding this, David has been wildly successful in battle, and the women of Israel have been singing, "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (1 Sam 18:7). This song of praise ignited a murderous jealousy in Saul, who then made his first attempts on David's life, first with a spear (1 Sam 18:10-11) and then by sending him into dangerous battles (1 Sam 18:13). Saul had previously offered his older daughter, Merab, to David, but reneged on the promise (1 Sam 18:17-19). This new episode with his younger daughter, Michal, is not a fresh start; it is a more cunning and deceitful escalation of the same murderous intent. This story solidifies the battle lines: Saul is now David's implacable enemy, and David is the man whom God is with. This sets the stage for all of Saul's subsequent attempts to hunt down and kill David, and David's righteous flight as a fugitive king.

Key Issues

A Dowry of Death

When a man's heart turns against God, one of the first things to rot is his language. Words become tools not for revealing truth, but for concealing intent. This is what we see in Saul. He is the king, the head of the covenant people, and he ought to be a fountain of justice and truth. Instead, he has become a master of the half-truth, the manipulative suggestion, and the outright lie. He speaks of delighting in David, of national honor, of vengeance on God's enemies. But this is all a pious fog to cover the cold, hard reality of a murder plot. He wants David dead.

And into this web of deceit steps David, the Lord's anointed. God's plan for Israel is moving forward, and He will not allow the wicked schemes of a petty tyrant to stand in the way. In fact, in the deep irony of divine providence, God uses the very schemes of the wicked to accomplish His own righteous purposes. Saul intends the bride price to be a death sentence for David; God intends it to be another public demonstration of David's valor and another confirmation of his divine right to the throne. Saul is trying to write the story, but he is nothing more than a villainous character in the story that God is writing.

Verse by Verse Commentary

20 And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. So they told Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes.

The story begins with a simple, potent fact: Michal loved David. This is not presented as a schoolgirl crush, but as a significant providential development. For Saul, this is not a cause for fatherly joy, but an opportunity. The phrase "the thing was right in his eyes" is dripping with dark irony. It was not right in a righteous sense; it was fitting for his malicious purpose. He sees his daughter's affection not as a bond to be honored, but as a tool to be exploited. This is the first sign of his profound corruption; he is willing to use his own child as bait in a trap.

21 And Saul said, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.”

Here the narrator reveals Saul's unvarnished motive. He states it plainly: "that she may become a snare to him." He hopes the marriage will either make David complacent and easy to kill, or that the process of acquiring her will get him killed. The goal is that "the hand of the Philistines may be against him." Saul wants to outsource his murder. He then approaches David with a duplicitous offer, referencing the first botched offer of his other daughter as though this is now a second chance at a great honor. The hypocrisy is thick. He presents a poisoned gift with the wrapping of a blessing.

22-23 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; so now, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ” So Saul’s servants spoke these words in David’s hearing. But David said, “Is it trivial in your eyes to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?”

Saul doesn't even do his own dirty work. He uses his servants as intermediaries, instructing them to lie on his behalf. The message is pure flattery: the king delights in you, everyone loves you. It's a classic manipulation tactic. David's response is one of genuine humility. He is not being coy. In that culture, marrying into the royal family was a monumental step, and it came with expectations of a significant dowry, which he, as a young man from a modest family, could not afford. He asks, "Is it trivial...?" He rightly sees the high honor of the position, and he also rightly sees his own lowly status. This is not the false humility of a Uriah Heep, but the genuine perspective of a man who knows his place.

24-25 And the servants of Saul told to him according to these words which David spoke. Saul then said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

Saul's trap is now fully sprung. Hearing that David's objection is financial, Saul crafts a response that makes him look magnanimous and patriotic. He doesn't want money; he wants "vengeance on the king's enemies." This frames the task as a noble act of service to Israel. But the request is barbaric and designed to be lethal. To get one hundred foreskins, David would have to engage in incredibly risky, close-quarters combat. The foreskin was the sign of the covenant for Israel, so demanding the foreskins of the uncircumcised Philistines was a profound insult to them and a way of marking them as outside the covenant. The narrator again makes Saul's true intention explicit: "Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines."

26-27 Then his servants told David these words, and it was right in the eyes of David to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the days had expired, David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

The plan that seemed so clever to Saul was right in David's eyes as well, but for entirely different reasons. David saw it not as a death trap, but as an opportunity to serve his king, win his bride, and defeat the enemies of God. His response is immediate and overwhelming. He doesn't just meet the quota; he doubles it. This is not mere bravado. This is a demonstration of the blessing of God upon him. He and his men strike down two hundred Philistines. The gruesome evidence is then presented "in full number" to the king. Saul is cornered. He cannot back out now. The trap he set for David has snapped shut on himself, and he is forced to give his daughter to the man he hates and fears the most.

28-29 Then Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, so Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

This is the climax of the episode. Saul is confronted with two undeniable facts. First, he saw and knew that Yahweh was with David. The spectacular success of the mission was not luck; it was divine favor. This was not just an intellectual assent; it was a deep, gut-level recognition that terrified him. Second, he saw that his own daughter genuinely loved his rival. The very snare he had set had become a bond of affection strengthening David's position. The result is not repentance, but a hardening of his heart. His fear intensifies, and his opposition becomes a settled, permanent state: he was David's enemy continually. The plot to eliminate his rival has only succeeded in confirming his rival's divine appointment and cementing his own resolve to destroy him.

Application

This story is a stark reminder that the God we serve is utterly sovereign over the affairs of men, including the malicious plots of the wicked. Saul thought he was the master of events, pulling the strings of a clever conspiracy. But he was merely a pawn in the hands of a God who was working all things together for the good of His chosen one. For the believer living in a hostile world, this is a profound comfort. The schemes of those who oppose the church and the gospel may seem clever, powerful, and frightening. But they cannot, in the final analysis, succeed. God will turn their every effort on its head, using their opposition to refine His people, display His power, and advance His kingdom.

We also see a contrast in how to face challenges. Saul, the corrupt man, uses deceit, manipulation, and hypocrisy. David, the righteous man, responds with humility, courage, and decisive action. When faced with an impossible task, he did not despair or complain; he trusted God and went to work. This is a model for us. We are not to be passive, but active, trusting that as we step out in faith to do the will of God, He will be with us, just as He was with David.

Finally, this story points us to a greater David and a greater bride price. The Lord Jesus Christ came to win a bride for Himself, the Church. The price was not the blood of His enemies, but His own blood. The powers of this world, like Saul, plotted against Him, thinking they could destroy Him. They handed Him over to be killed. But in the glorious irony of the gospel, the very act they intended for His destruction became the means of our salvation and His ultimate victory. He paid the price in full, rose from the dead, and secured His bride forever. Saul's hatred was impotent against God's anointed, and the hatred of the world, the flesh, and the devil is ultimately impotent against Christ and His Church.