Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Samuel
Chapter 18: The LORD Was With David
Two hearts respond to David's victory in opposite ways. Jonathan, the crown prince, loves David as his own soul and strips off his royal robe to give it away. Saul, the king, hears the women's song and is consumed with jealousy, hurling a javelin and plotting David's death. Through it all runs one refrain: 'the LORD was with David.'
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Samuel chapter 18. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 18 sets the covenant love of Jonathan against the jealous hatred of Saul, with David rising under God's evident favor. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Jonathan's Love and Saul's Jealousy (1 Samuel 18:1-9)
Jonathan binds himself to David in covenant love, while Saul, hearing the women's praise of David, begins to eye him with envy.
Jonathan Loved Him as His Own Soul
"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. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 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. 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. 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. And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 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? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward."
Word Study
"knit," Hebrew qashar (קָשַׁר), "to bind, tie together, join." "The soul of Jonathan was knit (qashar) with the soul of David." The word pictures two souls bound together as one, the deepest covenant friendship in Scripture. What makes it so remarkable is who Jonathan was: the crown prince, the natural heir to Saul's throne, who had every earthly reason to see David as a rival. Yet he "loved him as his own soul" and, in a stunning act, "stripped himself of the robe... and gave it to David," his princely robe, his weapons, his very insignia of royalty. Jonathan willingly laid down his claim to the throne out of love. It is one of the purest pictures of self-giving love in the Old Testament, "greater love hath no man than this" (John 15:13). And it faintly images the love of Christ, the true Prince, who "stripped himself" of His glory and "made himself of no reputation" (Philippians 2:7), giving His robe of righteousness to those He loves. Love that gives up its own rights for another is the love of heaven.
Explanation
Two opposite responses to David frame the chapter. First, Jonathan: his soul is "knit" to David's, and he makes a covenant of love, stripping off his own robe and weapons to clothe David, the heir gladly honoring the one who would take his throne. David, meanwhile, "behaved himself wisely" and won the love of all. But then the second response: as the women sing, "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands," Saul is consumed with jealousy. He hears in the song a threat to his crown, "what can he have more but the kingdom?", and "eyed David from that day forward." The same victory that drew Jonathan's love drew Saul's envy. The difference was not in David but in their own hearts.
Gospel Focus
Jonathan and Saul model the two ways a heart can respond to another's success and to God's anointed one: love that rejoices and gives, or envy that resents and grasps. Jonathan, with the most to lose, loved David freely; Saul, threatened, hated him. Envy is a poison that begins with a single grudging thought, "they have ascribed unto David ten thousands", and grows into murder. "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?" (Proverbs 27:4). The gospel calls us to Jonathan's spirit, not Saul's: to "rejoice with them that do rejoice" (Romans 12:15), to love even those who eclipse us, and, like the true Prince, to lay down our own rights in love. Guard your heart against the first envious glance; it is the seed of Saul's ruin.
Saul Fears David (1 Samuel 18:10-16)
Saul hurls a javelin at David, but the LORD is with David, and his God-given wisdom only increases Saul's fear.
Saul Was Afraid, Because the LORD Was With Him
"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. 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. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them."
Word Study
"the LORD was with him," Hebrew YHWH immo (יְהוָה עִמּוֹ). Three times in this short passage the presence of the LORD with David is the hinge: Saul "was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him"; "the LORD was with him"; and it was because "the LORD was with David" that Saul feared him all the more. This is the secret of David's rising and Saul's terror. God's presence made David unassailable and unstoppable, and it was precisely what Saul lacked, for the Spirit "was departed from Saul." To have the LORD "with" us is the greatest of all advantages; it is the promise that runs through Scripture to Joseph ("the LORD was with Joseph," Genesis 39:2), to Israel, and supremely in the name Immanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). When the LORD is with a person, even a hurled javelin misses, and the schemes of enemies turn to their advancement. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Nothing so secures a life as the presence of God.
Explanation
Saul's jealousy erupts into violence. Tormented by the evil spirit, he hurls a javelin at David, twice, trying to pin him to the wall, but David escapes both times. Then comes the telling explanation: "Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul." Saul's fear is really the fear of a man who has lost God's presence facing a man who has it. Unable to kill David outright, Saul tries to be rid of him by sending him away to war as a captain, hoping he will fall, but David only "behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him," and grew more beloved. Every attempt to destroy David, God turned to David's advancement. Saul's fear deepened as David's favor grew.
Gospel Focus
The javelin could not reach the man the LORD was with. This is the security of the believer whose life is hidden in God: the enemy's darts fall short until God's purpose is fulfilled. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17), not because we are strong, but because "the LORD was with him." And notice David's response to persecution: he did not retaliate or seize power; he "behaved himself wisely," served faithfully, and left the outcome to God. Under the javelins of an unjust king, David simply kept doing right and trusting the LORD who was with him. So the believer, when opposed, is not to grasp or avenge but to walk wisely and rest in God's presence. The safest place in the world is where the LORD is with you, even in the throne room of a jealous king.
David the King's Son-in-Law (1 Samuel 18:17-30)
Saul offers his daughters to David hoping the Philistines will kill him, but every trap turns instead to David's honor.
David Behaved Himself More Wisely Than All
"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. 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? 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. And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 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. 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. 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? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. 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. 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. 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. And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually. 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."
Word Study
"a snare," Hebrew moqesh (מוֹקֵשׁ), "a bait, lure, trap." Saul gave Michal to David not in kindness but "that she may be a snare (moqesh) to him," a lure to lead him into a deadly bride-price of Philistine combat, hoping David would die in the attempt. Saul's whole strategy was deception cloaked in generosity: honeyed words ("the king hath delight in thee") hiding a murderous trap. But the snare failed; God turned it to David's advantage, and he came home the king's son-in-law, more honored than before. This is the recurring wonder of the chapter: the traps set for the righteous become the platform of their exaltation. "The wicked... is snared in the work of his own hands" (Psalm 9:16), and "he made a pit... and is fallen into the ditch which he made" (Psalm 7:15). Saul dug snares for David and God turned them to blessing; the enemy's schemes against those the LORD is with recoil to their own confusion and the servant's good.
Explanation
Saul's murderous cunning now works through marriage. He offers his elder daughter Merab, on the condition David "fight the LORD'S battles," secretly hoping "the hand of the Philistines" will kill him. David humbly demurs ("Who am I?"), and Merab is given to another. Then Michal loves David, and Saul sees a fresh opportunity: he sets a bride-price of a hundred Philistine foreskins, sure David will die collecting it. But David and his men slay two hundred, double the demand, and David becomes the king's son-in-law. Saul's snare has only bound David closer to the throne. The result: "Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David," and, instead of repenting, "became David's enemy continually." Every scheme failed, and David "behaved himself more wisely than all," his name ever more honored.
Gospel Focus
The whole chapter shows God overruling the malice of men for the good of His anointed. Saul's javelins, battlefield sendings, and marriage snares were all meant for David's destruction, and God turned every one into David's promotion. "Ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good" (Genesis 50:20). This is the believer's confidence under opposition: what enemies intend for harm, God weaves into His purpose, so that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28). And it points to the cross, where the worst malice of men, the killing of God's Anointed, God turned into the salvation of the world. Do not fear the snares set for you if the LORD is with you; He is able to make the very traps of the enemy the steps of your advancement. Keep behaving wisely, keep trusting, and leave the outcome to the God who is with you.
Chapter 18 in Review
1 Samuel 18 sets two responses to David side by side. Jonathan, the crown prince, loves David "as his own soul," makes a covenant with him, and strips off his own royal robe to give it away, self-giving love that lays down its own claim. Saul, hearing the women sing David's greater praise, is eaten with jealousy: he hurls a javelin, sends David to war hoping he will die, and offers his daughter as a "snare," all to destroy him. But every scheme fails, for "the LORD was with David," and each trap only turns to his honor, until "Saul became David's enemy continually" while David "behaved himself more wisely than all."
For the Apostolic reader, the chapter contrasts covenant love with the poison of envy, and shows the security of the one "the LORD is with." Jonathan's stripping of his robe images the self-emptying love of Christ the true Prince; Saul's envy warns how a grudging thought grows into murder. And God's overruling of every snare for David's good assures us that what enemies mean for evil, God means for good, as He did supremely at the cross. Rest in the presence of the LORD, love like Jonathan, and refuse the envy of Saul.
- Jonathan "loved him as his own soul" and gave up his robe, self-giving love that images Christ.
- Saul's envy grew from a grudging thought to murder; guard the heart against the first envious glance.
- "The LORD was with David", the presence of God made him unassailable and his enemy afraid.
- Every snare Saul set turned to David's honor; what men mean for evil, God means for good.
Questions for Reflection
- Do you respond to others' success with Jonathan's love or Saul's envy?
- Where do you need to rest in the truth that "the LORD is with" you against the javelins you face?
- Can you trust that the snares set against you, God can turn to good, as He did for David and at the cross?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- Jonathan's covenant love; the poison of envy: 1 Samuel 18:1-9; John 15:13; Philippians 2:7; Proverbs 27:4; Romans 12:15.
- The LORD with David; the javelin that missed: 1 Samuel 18:10-16; Genesis 39:2; Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 54:17; Romans 8:31.
- The marriage snare turned to honor; evil meant for good: 1 Samuel 18:17-30; Psalm 7:15; 9:16; Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28.