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1 Samuel 18:20

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 18:20 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Michal, Saul`s daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Michal, Saul`s daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 18

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
17And Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight Jehovah`s battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.
18And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father`s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
19But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul`s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.
20And Michal, Saul`s daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
21And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law a second time.
22And Saul commanded his servants, [saying], Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king`s son-in-law.
23And Saul`s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king`s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David, etc.] His youngest daughter fell in love with him, because of the comeliness of his person, his gallant behaviour, his wise conduct, and the general esteem and reputation he was had in, as may be supposed: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him; not that his daughter loved David, or that he should be his son-in-law, but that he should have an opportunity, as he hoped, of destroying David, which he had lost by giving his elder daughter to another; as also of retrieving his credit with the people, which was greatly sunk by using David in the manner he did, who had become the darling of the people.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“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.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The thing pleased him - It partly relieved him from the charge of breaking his faith. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“loved David: Sa1 18:28, Gen 29:18, Gen 29:20, Gen 34:3; Judg. 16, 4, 15; 2Sam. 13, 1; 1Kings 11, 1, 2; Hos 3:1-5, 2 pleased him: Heb. was right in his eyes 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 18:21”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 18 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification