Lexicon :: Strong's H1732 - dāviḏ

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.

When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived,

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.

“He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason? ”

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

When war broke out again, David went out and fought against the Philistines. He defeated them with such great force that they fled from him.

Now an evil spirit sent from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his palace holding a spear. David was playing the lyre,

and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear. As the spear struck the wall, David eluded Saul, ran away, and escaped that night.

Saul sent agents to David’s house to watch for him and kill him in the morning. But his wife Michal warned David, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead tomorrow! ”

So she lowered David from the window, and he fled and escaped.

When Saul sent agents to seize David, Michal said, “He’s sick.”

Saul sent the agents back to see David and said, “Bring him on his bed so I can kill him.”

So David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel left and stayed at Naioth.

When it was reported to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah,

he sent agents to seize David. However, when they saw the group of prophets prophesying with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s agents, and they also started prophesying.

Then Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the large cistern at Secu and asked, “Where are Samuel and David? ”

“At Naioth in Ramah,” someone said.

But David said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor with you. He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.’ ” David also swore, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”

Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I’m supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I’ll hide in the countryside for the next two nights.[fn]

“If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to go quickly to his hometown, Bethlehem, for an annual sacrifice there involving the whole clan.’

So David asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly? ”

He answered David, “Come on, let’s go out to the countryside.” So both of them went out to the countryside.

“By the LORD, the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?

“don’t ever withdraw your kindness from my household ​— ​not even when the LORD cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD hold David’s enemies accountable.”[fn]

Jonathan once again swore to David[fn] in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

So David hid in the countryside.

At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal.

He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him[fn] and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David’s place was empty.

However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David’s place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today? ”

Jonathan answered, “David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem.

Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, so he knew that his father was determined to kill David.

He got up from the table fiercely angry and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

In the morning Jonathan went out to the countryside for the appointed meeting with David. A young servant was with him.

He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.