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David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions

David went out whenever[a] Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased[b] all the people and even pleased[c] the servants of Saul. When they were coming back[d] after David had returned from striking down the Philistine, the women went out from all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. And the women sang as they danced, and they said,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,
    but David his ten thousands!”

Saul became very angry,[e] and this saying displeased him,[f] and he thought, “They have attributed to David ten thousands, but to me they have attributed thousands! What more can he have but the kingdom?”[g] So Saul was watching[h] David with suspicion from that day onward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “in all that”
  2. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
  3. 1 Samuel 18:5 Literally “was good in the eyes of”
  4. 1 Samuel 18:6 Literally “And it happened at their coming”
  5. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And it was very hot for Saul”
  6. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “this thing was bad in his eyes”
  7. 1 Samuel 18:8 Literally “And still for him is only the kingdom”
  8. 1 Samuel 18:9 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “sin”; the translation follows the reading tradition (Qere) which has “eyeing” or “watching”

David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well.

As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,(A) singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they danced, the women sang:

Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands.(B)

Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” (C) So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

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