1 Samuel 18 17

1 Samuel 18:17 kjv

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.

1 Samuel 18:17 nkjv

Then Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD's battles." For Saul thought, "Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him."

1 Samuel 18:17 niv

Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

1 Samuel 18:17 esv

Then Saul said to David, "Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD's battles." For Saul thought, "Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him."

1 Samuel 18:17 nlt

One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD's battles." For Saul thought, "I'll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself."

1 Samuel 18 verses

1 Samuel 18 17 Meaning

King Saul, driven by jealousy and a desperate desire to eliminate David, proposes a marriage alliance, offering his elder daughter Merab to David. This offer, seemingly a reward for David's valor and growing popularity, is a deceitful trap. Saul’s true motive is revealed in his inner thoughts: he hopes that in the perilous "LORD's battles" against the Philistines, David will be killed, thus achieving his removal without Saul's direct involvement or bloodguilt.

1 Samuel 18 17 Context

1 Samuel 18 begins with David's meteoric rise following his victory over Goliath, earning him the love of Jonathan and the Israelite people. His popularity sparks Saul's intense jealousy. David's success in every expedition frustrates Saul, leading him to demote David while ironically making him an army commander. This elevation puts David constantly in harm's way, a fact Saul intends to exploit. The verse immediately follows a series of escalating attempts by Saul to physically harm David, including spearing him. This marriage offer of Merab is a new, more insidious plot to have David eliminated by the Philistines, thus avoiding direct culpability. The narrative builds Saul's paranoid, regicidal obsession against the divinely favored David.

1 Samuel 18 17 Word analysis

• Then Saul said to David: Establishes the direct address and the king's initiative, seemingly beneficent.
• "Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you for a wife.":
  • Merab (מֵרַב, Merav): Means "much" or "abundance." The "elder" daughter often implies a higher status or first choice. This offer appears as a royal reward, signaling favor. However, it is a veil for malicious intent. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a royal marriage solidified political alliances or honored significant heroes; Saul perverts this custom.
• "Only be a valiant man for me and fight the LORD's battles.":
  • Valiant man (אִישׁ־חַיִל, ish-chayil): More than just courage; it implies effective strength, military prowess, and unwavering commitment. Saul's condition is deceptively noble, requiring David to continue engaging in intense, life-threatening conflict. This demand for relentless, self-sacrificing combat is Saul’s mechanism for David's death.
  • Fight the LORD's battles (מִלְחֲמֹת יְהוָה, milchamot YHWH): This phrase has deep theological significance. Israel's wars were considered God's wars, fought with divine backing and for God's purposes (Exod 14:14, Deut 20:4). Saul, the anointed king, here uses sacred language to justify and hide his evil, murderous intention. He manipulates David's piety and dedication to God to lure him into mortal danger.
• "For Saul thought,": Reveals the hidden, wicked motivation behind Saul's outwardly honorable proposition. This internal monologue highlights the deceptive nature of Saul's offer and the depths of his evil plotting.
• "Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.":
  • Let not my hand be against him (אַל־תְּהִי יָדִי בּוֹ, al-tehi yadi bo): Saul avoids direct culpability. He fears the direct divine and social consequences of slaying God's anointed or committing overt regicide against David, whose popularity makes direct action risky. This shows Saul's twisted understanding of his relationship with God, believing he could commit murder by proxy and escape divine judgment.
  • Let the hand of the Philistines be against him (וּתְהִי עָלָיו יַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּים, u-tehi alav yad-Plishtim): This explicitly names his instrument of murder – the Philistines. Saul plans to use Israel's national enemy to eliminate Israel's rising hero, thus perverting his own kingly duty to protect his people. This plot underscores Saul's moral decay and his desperate struggle against God's sovereign will.

1 Samuel 18 17 Bonus section

• Irony and Futility: Saul attempts to kill David through "the LORD's battles," but it is precisely in "the LORD's battles" that David finds protection and rises in divine favor. Saul's plan is fundamentally futile because God is with David, not against him.
• Failed Plot (Foreshadowing): This is one of many schemes Saul concocts to eliminate David, each failing, underscoring God's unwavering protection over His anointed. Saul's persistent evil only highlights God's faithfulness to His covenant promises.
• Contrast of Kingship: Saul's actions contrast sharply with true godly leadership. Instead of cherishing his valiant servant and recognizing God's hand, he attempts to destroy him. This prepares the reader for the eventual rise of David, a man after God's own heart, whose kingship will be founded on different principles.
• Fear vs. Righteousness: Saul fears laying a hand on David (perhaps fearing God's retribution for harming the anointed, or popular backlash), but his proxy murder plot shows he holds no actual regard for human life or God's command. His fear is not of God's holiness, but of the direct consequence of getting caught.

1 Samuel 18 17 Commentary

1 Samuel 18:17 exposes the calculated malice brewing in Saul's heart, a desperate king increasingly controlled by paranoia and jealousy rather than divine leading. His offer of Merab, superficially a kingly reward and a way to cement David's loyalty, is in reality a sophisticated trap. By demanding that David proves his worth through perpetual exposure to mortal combat, specifically framed as "the LORD's battles," Saul cloaks his murderous intent in religious garb. This chilling manipulation highlights Saul’s hypocrisy; he outwardly reveres "the LORD's battles" while using them for personal, evil ends. Furthermore, Saul's internal thought "Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him" is critical. It reveals his desire to outsource his sinful agenda, attempting to avoid direct bloodguilt while fully intending for David's death. This reflects not a change of heart, but a fear of the direct consequences of sin, possibly dreading further divine rejection, while paradoxically plunging deeper into rebellion against God's choice of David. This episode foreshadows Saul's ultimate downfall, demonstrating his increasing spiritual and moral deterioration.