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1 Samuel 18:21

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 18:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And 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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And 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.
1 Samuel 18:21 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 18

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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?
24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.
← 1 Samuel 18:201 Samuel 18:22 →
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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 Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, etc.] The cause and occasion of his fall and ruin, by means of what he should propose to him as the condition of marriage; but instead of proving a snare to him, as he hoped, she was the means of his deliverance, when Saul sent messengers to slay him, (<091911>1 Samuel 19:11-17), and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him; provoked by what he should put him upon doing to them. The scheme he had in his head after appears, and what he now said was not openly said before his servants and courtiers, whom he did not trust with his secrets, but this he said within himself, conceived and contrived it in his own mind:…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“In the one of the twain - Some prefer “the second time” Job 33:14. The first contract had been broken by giving Merab to Adriel. 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
“a snare: Exo 10:7; Psa 7:14-16, Psa 38:12; Pro 26:24-26, Pro 29:5; Jer 5:26, Jer 9:8 the hand: Sa1 18:17, Sa1 19:11, Sa1 19:12 this day: Sa1 18:26 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 18:22”
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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