Episode 110: Two hundred Philistine foreskins

1 Samuel 18

Jonathan and David (were lovers?)

18 ¹ After David finished introducing himself to Saul, he met Saul's son, Jonathan. They hit it off, right from the start. Jonathan's soul was knitted to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved David as his own soul.

³ They made a covenant to each other. ⁴ Jonathan sealed it by taking off his clothes and giving his sword, bow, and girdle to David.

Saul and David compete (to see who can kill more people)

⁵ David went wherever Saul sent him and behaved himself wisely.

He became Saul's captain and everyone in Israel knew and loved him.

^6-7 After David killed Goliath, there were celebrations in every city of Israel, where women danced and sang these words,

Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.

⁸ Saul was angered by the 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.

⁹ Saul didn't trust David from that day forward.

¹⁰ The next day, the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied, while David played his lyre.

¹¹ Saul tried to kill David twice, by throwing a javelin at him. But David got out of the way.

^12-13 God was with David, and was no longer with Saul.

Saul made David his captain, although he was afraid of David.

¹⁶ And everyone in Israel loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

David buys a wife (with 200 Philistine foreskins)

¹⁷ Saul said to David, "Here’s my daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife."

¹⁸ David said, "Who am I that you'd give your daughter to me?"

¹⁹ So Saul gave his daughter Merab to someone else.

²⁰ Another daughter of Saul (Michal) loved David.

²⁵ Saul said to his servants,

Say this to David:

You can buy my daughter, Michal, with one hundred Philistines foreskins.

²⁶ When Saul's servants delivered the message to David, he liked what he heard.

²⁷ So David killed 200 Philistines and brought their foreskins to Saul.

And Saul gave Michal to David.

²⁸ After that, Saul knew that the Lord was with David, and his daughter, Michal, loved him.

^29-30 David became Saul's enemy, and he also became famous.