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On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also Saul’s servants.[a]

When the men[b] arrived after David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women from all the cities of Israel came out singing and dancing to meet King Saul. They were happy as they played their tambourines and three-stringed instruments.[c] The women who were playing the music sang,

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

This made Saul very angry. The statement displeased him and he thought,[d] “They have attributed to David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed only thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?” So Saul was keeping an eye on David from that day onward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:5 tn Heb “it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.”
  2. 1 Samuel 18:6 tn Heb “them.” The masculine plural pronoun apparently refers to the returning soldiers.
  3. 1 Samuel 18:6 tn Heb “with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments.”
  4. 1 Samuel 18:8 tn Heb “said.” So also in vv. 11, 17.

And David [a]went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and [b]behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the [c]Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with [d]instruments of music. And the women [e]sang one to another as they played, and said,

Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.

And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:5 Or, went out; whithersoever Saul sent him, he etc.
  2. 1 Samuel 18:5 Or, prospered
  3. 1 Samuel 18:6 Or, Philistines
  4. 1 Samuel 18:6 Or, triangles Or, three-stringed instruments
  5. 1 Samuel 18:7 Or, answered one another