Lexicon :: Strong's H7586 - šā'ûl

Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations, “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation? ” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man.

Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third,

and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,

but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.

“They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.”

What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him.

David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine! ”

But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,

Then David said, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor.

David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off.

[fn] When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner? ”

“Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied.

When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand.

Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man? ”

“The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered.

Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father’s house.

David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.

As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments.

As they danced, the women sang:

Saul has killed his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands.

Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom? ”

So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

The next day an evil spirit sent from God came powerfully on Saul, and he began to rave[fn] inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual, but Saul was holding a spear,

and he threw it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.

Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul.

Therefore, Saul sent David away from him and made him commander over a thousand men. David led the troops

When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him.

Saul told David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you as a wife if you will be a warrior for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I don’t need to raise a hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law? ”

When it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him.

“I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You can now be my son-in-law.”

Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

Saul’s servants reported these words directly to David, but he replied, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor commoner.”

The servants reported back to Saul, “These are the words David spoke.”

Then Saul replied, “Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.

David and his men went out and killed two hundred[fn] Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife.

Saul realized[fn] that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,

and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on.

Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight, David was more successful than all of Saul’s officers. So his name became well known.

so he told him, “My father, Saul, intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning and hide in a secret place and stay there.

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father, Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David. He hasn’t sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you.

Saul listened to Jonathan’s advice and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed.”

So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he did before.