1 Samuel 18:27

18:12-30 For a long time David was kept in continual apprehension of falling by the hand of Saul, yet he persevered in meek and respectful behaviour towards his persecutor. How uncommon is such prudence and discretion, especially under insults and provocations! Let us inquire if we imitate this part of the exemplary character before us. Are we behaving wisely in all our ways? Is there no sinful omission, no rashness of spirit, nothing wrong in our conduct? Opposition and perverseness in others, will not excuse wrong tempers in us, but should increase our care, and attention to the duties of our station. Consider Him that endured contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be weary and faint in your minds, Heb 12:3. If David magnified the honour of being son-in-law to king Saul, how should we magnify the honour of being sons to the King of kings!

Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men,.... This he did himself, for the verb is singular, and which were an hundred more than required; this he did to show his regard to the orders of Saul, and his obedience to him, and to testify the sincerity of his afflictions to his daughter, for whose sake he risked his life in this expedition, as well as to express his zeal for God, and his country, against their avowed enemies; the Greek version has only one hundred men, see 2 Samuel 3:14 , and David brought their foreskins; along with him to Saul's court, having taken them off when slain. Josephus says (z) he cut off their heads, and brought them to him, and he makes the number to be six hundred; neither are according to the text, but to make his history more agreeable to the Gentiles, see 1 Samuel 18:21; an Arabic writer (a) makes mention of a people, that cut off the genital parts of men, and gave them to their wives for their dowry: and they gave them in full tale to the king; the messengers David sent in with them, even the full tale of two hundred, which were as many more as were demanded: that he might be the king's son in law; being now as desirous of it as the king was: and Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife; which he could not in honour refuse to do, seeing he had performed the condition he had required.

David's marriage of the younger sister, when upon various considerations it might have been expected that he should have married the elder, may be an emblem of Christ's espousing the Gentile church, when the Jewish church, her elder sister, is neglected by him, she having rejected him. (z) Antiqu. l. 6. c. 10. sect. 3.((a) Alcamus apud Bochart. Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 19. Colossians 130.

27 . two hundred men ] He slew double the stipulated number of Philistines. The Sept. however reads “one hundred.” Cp. 2 Samuel 3:14 . in full tale ] “Tale” = a number told or counted off, a reckoning. Compare “Every shepherd tells his tale Under the hawthorn in the dale.” Milton, L’Allegro, l . 67. 1 Samuel 18:27

Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and {m} they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. (m) Meaning, David and his soldiers.

27. on the morrow, which was the second day of the month—The time of the moon's appearance being uncertain—whether at midday, in the evening, or at midnight, the festival was extended over two days. Custom, not the law, had introduced this. Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse—The question was asked, as it were, casually, and with as great an air of indifference as he could assume. And Jonathan having replied that David had asked and obtained his permission to attend a family anniversary at Beth-lehem [Ac 20:28, 29], the pent-up passions of the king burst out in a most violent storm of rage and invective against his son.

But David was satisfied with Saul's demand, since he had no suspicion of his craftiness, and loved Michal. Even before the days were full, i.e., before the time appointed for the delivery of the dowry and for the marriage had arrived, he rose up with his men, smote two hundred Philistines, and brought their foreskins, which were placed in their full number before the king; whereupon Saul was obliged to give him Michal his daughter to wife. The words "and the days were not full" ( 1 Samuel 18:26 ) form a circumstantial clause, which is to be connected with the following sentence, "David arose," etc. David delivered twice the price demanded. "They made them full to the king," i.e., they placed them in their full number before him.