17 And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines.
And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man? Clearly he has come out to put shame on Israel: and it is certain that if any man overcomes him, the king will give that man great wealth, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's family free in Israel.
And Saul said, Then say to David, The king has no desire for any bride-price, but only for the private parts of a hundred Philistines so that the king may get the better of his haters. But it was in Saul's mind that David might come to his end by the hands of the Philistines.
And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a cause of danger to him, and so that the hands of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David, Today you are to become my son-in-law for the second time.
And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hands.
Then Moses said to them, If you will do this, arming yourselves to go before the Lord to the war,
But your servants will go over, every man armed for war, before the Lord to the fight, as my lord says.
The hands of the witnesses will be the first to put him to death, and after them the hands of all the people. So you are to put away the evil from among you.
And in the letter he said, Take care to put Uriah in the very front of the line, where the fighting is most violent, and go back from him, so that he may be overcome and put to death.
Why then have you had no respect for the word of the Lord, doing what is evil in his eyes? You have put Uriah the Hittite to death with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife; you have put him to death with the sword of the children of Ammon.
Everyone says false words to his neighbour: their tongues are smooth in their talk, and their hearts are full of deceit.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Samuel 18
Commentary on 1 Samuel 18 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 18
In the course of the foregoing chapter we left David in triumph; now in this chapter we have,
1Sa 18:1-5
David was anointed to the crown to take it out of Saul's hand, and over Jonathan's head, and yet here we find,
1Sa 18:6-11
Now begin David's troubles, and they not only tread on the heels of his triumphs, but take rise from them, such is the vanity of that in this world which seems greatest.
1Sa 18:12-30
Saul had now, in effect, proclaimed war with David. He began in open hostility when he threw the javelin at him. Now we are here told how his enmity proceeded, and how David received the attacks of it.