1 Samuel 18:20 kjv
And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20 nkjv
Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20 niv
Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased.
1 Samuel 18:20 esv
Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20 nlt
In the meantime, Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.
1 Samuel 18 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 18:1 | Jonathan had a strong affection for David... | Jonathan's deep love for David. |
| 1 Sam 18:8-9 | Saul was very angry... saying, "They have ascribed... thousands to David... What more can he have but the kingdom?" So Saul eyed David from that day on. | Saul's intense jealousy and fear of David. |
| 1 Sam 18:12 | Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. | The spiritual basis of Saul's fear and malice. |
| 1 Sam 18:14-15 | And David behaved himself wisely... And Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, and he was afraid of him. | David's success and God's favor increased Saul's fear. |
| 1 Sam 18:17 | Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, provided you serve me courageously and fight the LORD's battles." | Saul's earlier attempt to trap David through marriage (Merab). |
| 1 Sam 18:19 | But at the time David was to marry Merab, Saul’s daughter, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. | Saul's deception regarding Merab. |
| 1 Sam 19:11 | Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. | Saul's persistent attempts to kill David. |
| 1 Sam 19:12-17 | Michal let David down through a window, and he fled... and Michal said to Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go, or else I will kill you!'" | Michal's pivotal action to save David's life. |
| 2 Sam 3:14 | David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I espoused to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines." | David's reclaiming Michal during political strife. |
| 2 Sam 6:16 | As the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. | Michal's contempt for David during a religious celebration. |
| 2 Sam 6:20-23 | And Michal... said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today..." ... Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. | Michal's criticism and barrenness, reflecting a broken relationship. |
| Ps 7:15 | He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. | The consequence of wicked schemes, fulfilled in Saul's end. |
| Ps 9:15 | The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their foot is caught. | Wickedness ensnaring the plotter. |
| Ps 35:8 | Let destruction come upon him unaware... and let him fall into that very destruction. | David's trust in God's judgment against his enemies. |
| Prov 26:27 | Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling. | Universal principle of retribution. |
| Ecc 10:8 | Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall a snake may bite him. | Reinforces the idea that malicious plans backfire. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him... | God's sovereignty working through human evil for divine purposes. |
| Gen 50:20 | As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good... | God's ability to turn evil intentions into good outcomes. |
| Phil 1:12 | I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. | Even difficult circumstances can advance God's plans. |
| John 13:2-3 | The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot... | Human actions, even malicious ones, are sometimes prompted by evil. |
| Acts 2:23 | This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God... | God's ultimate sovereignty over even the crucifixion of Jesus. |
1 Samuel 18 verses
1 Samuel 18 20 Meaning
Michal, Saul's daughter, developed a genuine affection for David. When King Saul was informed of this, the news pleased him because he saw it as an opportunity to ensnare David further, intending to use the demand for a dowry as a trap that would lead to David's demise at the hands of the Philistines.
1 Samuel 18 20 Context
1 Samuel chapter 18 details the spiraling jealousy of King Saul towards David following David's victory over Goliath. Saul's initial favor toward David quickly turns into malice. He tries to kill David with a spear (vv. 10-11) and then promotes him to a commander, hoping David will die in battle against the Philistines (vv. 13). When David thrives, Saul’s fear and hatred intensify (vv. 12, 15). Saul then attempts to trap David through marriage, first promising his elder daughter Merab, then reneging and giving her to another man (vv. 17-19). This is the immediate context of verse 20. The news of Michal’s genuine love for David presents Saul with a seemingly perfect, yet treacherous, opportunity to implement his lethal designs against the increasingly popular David, utilizing his own daughter's affection as a bait. Culturally, royal marriages were often strategic alliances, but Michal's love here is presented as personal.
1 Samuel 18 20 Word analysis
- And Michal (וְמִיכַל - v'miykhal): Michal, Saul's younger daughter. This highlights her identity as part of the royal family, which makes her affection significant and politically exploitable by her father.
- Saul's daughter (בַּת-שָׁאוּל - bat-sha'ul): Reinforces her status and direct lineage, crucial for the strategic use Saul intended for her. It underlines the twisted irony of Saul using his own flesh and blood to try and destroy the one chosen by God.
- loved (אָהֲבָה - 'ahavah): This verb signifies a genuine and deep affection, not merely an arranged convenience. It is crucial because Michal's love is portrayed as authentic, setting her apart from Saul's deceitful schemes. Her affection is a unique dynamic in this hostile royal environment.
- David (דָוִד - david): The focus of this affection, highlighting his magnetism and charisma even within the court of his greatest enemy. His growing popularity attracts genuine admiration and devotion.
- and they told Saul (וַיַּגִּדוּ לְשָׁאוּל - vayyaggidu l'sha'ul): "They" likely refers to Saul's inner circle, courtiers, or spies. This indicates that Michal's feelings were apparent enough to be observed and reported to the king, highlighting the king's constant surveillance and awareness of David's status within his household. It shows an open channel of information reaching Saul, feeding his paranoia.
- and the thing (וַיִּישַׁר הַדָּבָר - vayyishar haddavar): Refers to the development of Michal's love for David. "The thing" is this surprising romantic connection that presented itself.
- pleased him (בְּעֵינָיו - b'eynav): Literally "it was good/right in his eyes." This indicates Saul's satisfaction, but it's a sinister pleasure. He does not rejoice for Michal's happiness or David's worthiness; rather, he sees it as an opportunity for his murderous agenda against David. His "pleasure" is derived from the malicious potential he perceives.
1 Samuel 18 20 Bonus section
- Michal's explicitly stated love stands in stark contrast to the previous mention of Jonathan's "love" (1 Sam 18:1). While Jonathan's was a covenantal, loyal love, Michal's is romantic, leading to a marital bond. Both affections ultimately served to protect David, albeit in different ways and with different future outcomes for their respective relationships with David.
- The biblical narrative does not state David's immediate feelings for Michal at this point, only that he accepted the proposition of marriage. This keeps the focus on Michal's love and Saul's manipulative reaction.
- Saul's "pleasure" in this verse ironically leads to Michal becoming David's wife, a status David later emphasized (2 Sam 3:14), which solidifies David's connection to the royal house despite Saul's malicious intent. What Saul meant for evil, God was able to use for David's elevation towards the throne.
1 Samuel 18 20 Commentary
1 Samuel 18:20 presents a pivotal turning point in the deepening conflict between Saul and David, catalyzed by a sincere emotion: Michal's love for David. Unlike the previously offered Merab, who was given away, Michal's love is an active, reported affection. This genuine love from Michal inadvertently played into Saul's wicked strategy. Saul, consumed by paranoia and hatred fueled by God's Spirit having departed from him, saw this personal attachment not as a blessing but as another, perhaps more effective, snare for David. His "pleasure" was dark and tactical, planning to use Michal's affection as a lure for a dangerous, ostensibly impossible, dowry request. This moment exemplifies how God's divine plan for David's elevation was unstoppable, even using human deceit and malicious intentions (such as Saul's), or genuine affections (such as Michal's love), to fulfill His purposes. This dynamic reminds us that while individuals may plot evil, God remains sovereign, often working even through adverse circumstances for His greater good, just as the ultimate salvation through Christ came from humanity's sinful actions.