1 Samuel 18:23

And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Saul’s	שָׁאוּל֙ sha.'Ul	H7586	Shaul · proper noun, a man's name
servants	עַבְדֵ֤י 'av.Dei	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine plural construct
spake	וַֽיְדַבְּר֞וּ vay.da.be.Ru	H1696	perhaps properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
words	הַדְּבָרִ֖ים ha.de.va.Rim	H1697	a word · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
ears	בְּאָזְנֵ֣י be.'a.ze.Nei	H241	broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in ma… · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct
David	דָוִ֔ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
David	דָּוִ֗ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
said	וַיֹּ֣אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Seemeth	בְעֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ ve.'ei.nei.Khem	H5869	an eye (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine plural
light	הַֽנְקַלָּ֤ה han.ka.Lah	H7043	to be (causatively · interrogative particle + verb, niphal active participle, feminine singular absolute
king’s	בַּמֶּ֔לֶךְ ba.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
law	הִתְחַתֵּ֣ן hit.cha.Ten	H2859	to give (a daughter) away in marriage · verb, hithpael infinitive construct
poor	רָ֥שׁ rash	H7326	to be destitute · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
man	אִֽישׁ 'ish-	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
esteemed	וְנִקְלֶֽה ve.nik.Leh	H7034	to be light (as implied in rapid motion) · conjunction + verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Samuel 9:21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of th…
Psalms 119:141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.
Proverbs 14:20 The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
Proverbs 19:6-7 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
Ecclesiastes 9:15-16 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 18:12–end

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. I. See how Saul expressed his malice against David. 1. He was afraid of him, Sa1 18:12. Perhaps he pretended to be afraid that David would do himself mischief, to force his way to the crown. Those that design ill against others are commonly willing to have it thought that others design ill against them. But David's withdrawal (Sa1 18:11) was a plain evidence that he was far from such a thought. However, he really stood in awe of him, as Herod feared John, Mar 6:20. Saul was sensible that he ha…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 18:20

Michal Saul's daughter loved David--This must have happened some time after. they told Saul, and the thing pleased him--Not from any favor to David, but he saw that it would be turned to the advancement of his malicious purposes, and the more so when, by the artful intrigues and flattery of his spies, the loyal sentiments of David were discovered.

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 18:21

That she may be a snare to him - Saul had already determined the condition on which he would give his daughter to David; viz., that he should slay one hundred Philistines: this he supposed he would undertake for the love of Michal, and that he must necessarily perish in the attempt; and thus Michal would become a snare to him.

John Gill on 1 Samuel 18:23

And Saul's servants spake these words in the ears of David,.... Those before related, which Saul commanded them to speak, which they delivered exactly according to their orders, with an audible voice, clearly, plainly, and distinctly, so that David might hear and understand them: and David said, seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law; a small a trifling matter, an easy thing to come into, every thing requisite to it: seeing that I am a poor man; and not able to give a dowry suitable to the daughter of a king; it being usual in those times for a man to give a dowry to, and not receive a portion with a wife; and which also was the custom of the Germans, as Tacitus (x) rela…

Dictionary and topics

David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Marriage — Was instituted in Paradise when man was in innocence (Gen. 2:18-24). Here we have its original charter, which was confirmed by our Lord, as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed (Matt.…
David · .Saul’s jealousy of — .Saul’s jealousy of
Humility · .David — .David
Jealousy · .Saul, of David — .Saul, of David
Philistines · David kills two-hundred men — David kills two-hundred men
Prudence · .David, in his conduct toward Saul — .David, in his conduct toward Saul

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Samuel 18:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 18:12–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 18:20

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 18:21

John Gill on 1 Samuel 18:23

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 18:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 18:12–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 18:20

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 18:21

John Gill on 1 Samuel 18:23

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 18:17–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 18:23

Rashi on 1 Samuel 18:21