1 Samuel 18:6 - meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Samuel 18:6
And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
David
דָּוִד֙da.Vid
H1732
David · proper noun, a man's name
returned
בְּשׁ֤וּבbe.Shuv
H7725
to turn back (hence · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
slaughter
מֵהַכּ֣וֹתme.ha.Kot
H5221
to strike (lightly or severely · preposition + verb, hiphil infinitive construct
Philistine
הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔יha.pe.lish.Ti
H6430
a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · definite article + noun, gentilic masculine singular absolute
women
הַנָּשִׁ֜יםha.na.Shim
H802
a woman · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
out
וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָהva.te.Tze.nah
H3318
to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine plural
cities
עָרֵ֤י'a.Rei
H5892
a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the wi… · noun, common masculine plural construct
Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · proper noun, a place name
singing
לָשִׁ֣ירla.shor
H7891
to sing · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
dancing
וְהַמְּחֹל֔וֹתve.ha.me.cho.Lot
H4246
a dance · conjunction + definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
meet
קִרְאָהqirʼâh
H7125
an encountering
king
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְha.Me.lekh
H4428
a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Saul
שָׁא֣וּלsha.'Ul
H7586
Shaul · proper noun, a man's name
tabrets
בְּתֻפִּ֥יםbe.tu.Pim
H8596
a tambourine · preposition + noun, common masculine plural absolute
joy
בְּשִׂמְחָ֖הbe.sim.Chah
H8057
blithesomeness or glee · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
musick
וּבְשָׁלִשִֽׁיםu.ve.sha.li.Shim
H7991
a triple · conjunction + preposition + noun, common masculine plural 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
Exodus 15:20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with danc…
Judges 11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his on…
Psalms 68:25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
Jeremiah 31:11-13 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 18:6-11
Now begin David's troubles, and they not only tread on the heels of his triumphs, but take rise from them, such is the vanity of that in this world which seems greatest.
I. He was too much magnified by the common people. Some time after the victory Saul went a triumphant progress through the cities of Israel that lay next him, to receive the congratulations of the country. And, when he made his public entry into any place, the women were most forward to show him respect, as was usual then in public triumphs (Sa1 18:6), and they had got a song, it seems, which they sang in their dances (made by some poet or other, that was a great admirer of David's bravery, and was more just than wise, in gi…
SAUL ENVIES HIS PRAISE. (Sa1 18:5-9)
the women came out of all cities of Israel--in the homeward march from the pursuit of the Philistines. This is a characteristic trait of Oriental manners. On the return of friends long absent, and particularly on the return of a victorious army, bands of women and children issue from the towns and villages, to form a triumphal procession, to celebrate the victory, and, as they go along, to gratify the soldiers with dancing, instrumental music, and extempore songs, in honor of the generals who have earned the highest distinction by feats of gallantry. The Hebrew women, therefore, were merely paying the customary gratulations to David as the deliverer of t…
When David was returned - This verse connects well with the 54th verse of the preceding chapter; and carries on the narration without any break or interruption. See the notes on Sa1 17:54.
The women came out - It was the principal business of certain women to celebrate victories, sing at funerals, etc.
With instruments of music - The original word (שלשים shalishim) signifies instruments with three strings; and is, I think, properly translated by the Vulgate, cum sistris, "with sistrums." This instrument is well known as being used among the ancient Egyptians: it was made of brass, and had three, sometimes more, brass rods across; which, being loose in their holes, made a jingling noise when…
The Church Fathers
When David returned after striking down the Philistine, etc., the Lord, having returned after defeating the ancient enemy through His suffering and appearing in the glory of resurrection to His chosen ones, the glory of this triumph having been spread throughout Judea, the lowly souls, conscious of their own frailty, came out from all the cities of Israel, rejoicing in Christ, whom they recognized as the author of life and the conqueror of death. Through the many churches which form one catholic church, they celebrated Him with concordant praise, each one manifesting the gifts of virtues given by the one and the same Spirit, devoting themselves to Him with appropriate services of humble devotion, and with eager faith above all declaring, as with a triumphal song, that although the institution of the law commanded works of justice, it had delivered no small number of enemies to destruction and snatched not few souls from the enemy's grasp. Yet with incomparable strength, the grace of Christ, by bestowing the wages of heavenly life, even tore down the very gates of death as a victor; so much so that He assured that those who receive eternal life will mock death and say: "Where, O death, is your contention? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor. 15:55). And it is to be noted that not all the women of Israel, but women from all the cities of Israel came forth. For not all have faith, but from all persons, conditions, places, and ages, those who receive the faith are chosen by Him who said: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). He did not say all, but all kinds; to signify that believers from every kind of human being would come forth. It is also to be noted that while women are said to have come out to meet Saul, they raised their voices in praise of David; for the souls piously believing in Christ publicly proclaimed to the people zealous for the law what ought to be understood about the shadow of the law itself and the light of the gospel, so that by preaching, they might also summon this people to the path of grace and truth. We can also say that when the Lord Christ returned to the heavens with immortal flesh, angelic hosts from all realms came to meet Him with the fitting exultation of praise, accepting Him as the victor over the enemy and the giver of life to us.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Dance — Found in Judg. 21:21, 23; Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Jer. 31:4, 13, etc., as the translation of hul, which points to the whirling motion of Oriental sacred dances. It is the rendering of a word…
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.…
Music — Jubal was the inventor of musical instruments (Gen. 4:21). The Hebrews were much given to the cultivation of music. Their whole history and literature afford abundant evidence of this. After the…
Music, Instrumental — Among instruments of music used by the Hebrews a principal place is given to stringed instruments. These were, (1.) The kinnor, the “harp.” (2.) The nebel, “a skin bottle,” rendered “psaltery.” (3.)…
Musical Instruments Of The Hebrews — (There has been great obscurity as to the instruments of music in use among the Hebrews, but the discoveries on the monuments of Egypt and Assyria have thrown much light upon the form and nature of…
Tabret — (Heb. toph), a timbrel (q.v.) or tambourine, generally played by women (Gen. 31:27; 1 Sam. 10:5; 18:6). In Job 17:6 the word (Heb. topheth) “tabret” should be, as in the Revised Version, “an open…
Timbrel, Tabret — (Heb. toph). In old English tabor was used for any drum. Tabouret and tambourine are diminutives of tabor, and denote the instrument now known as the tambourine. Tabret is a contraction of tabouret.…
Armies Of Israel, The · Congratulated on returning victorious — Congratulated on returning victorious
And it came to pass, as they came,.... The armies of Israel, with their commanders at the head of them:
when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine; either from the slaughter of Goliath, with his head in his hand, going to Jerusalem, and Saul accompanying him; or rather from the slaughter of the Philistines at some other time, the singular being put for the plural; since, according to the order of the history, this seems to be done after David was brought to court, and had been made a captain, and had been sent out on military expeditions, and had been successful therein, and from one of which he now returned:
that the women came out of all the cities of Israel; through wh…
Saul's jealousy towards David.
(Note: The section Sa1 18:6-14 is supposed by Thenius and others to have been taken by the compiler from a different source from the previous one, and not to have been written by the same author: (1) because the same thing is mentioned in Sa1 18:13, Sa1 18:14, as in Sa1 18:5, though in a somewhat altered form, and Sa1 18:10, Sa1 18:11 occur again in Sa1 19:9-10, with a few different words, and in a more appropriate connection; (2) because the contents of Sa1 19:9, and the word ממּחרת in Sa1 19:10, are most directly opposed to Sa1 18:2 and Sa1 18:5. On these grounds, no doubt, the lxx have not only omitted the beginning of Sa1 18:6 from their version, but also S…
Out of his love for David and recognition that God had chosen David to be Israel’s next king (see 20:13-17, 30-31; 23:17), Jonathan made a solemn pact of friendship with David. By giving David items that symbolized his official status as the king’s son and crown prince, Jonathan symbolically gave David his right of succession to the throne.
Rashi on 1 Samuel 18:6
And cymbals. Targum Yonoson renders, 'and with cymbals,' a type of musical instrument.1Perhaps a three [=שָׁלשׁ] stringed harp.—Radak.
Harp · With three strings (margin) — With three strings (margin)
Music · The Jews used: To celebrate victories — The Jews used: To celebrate victories
Prudence · .David, in his conduct toward Saul — .David, in his conduct toward Saul
Victories · By women — By women
Woman · Often engaged in: Celebrating the victories of the nation — Often engaged in: Celebrating the victories of the nation
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).
