“And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Samuel 18:6 Mean?
"And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick." The VICTORY CELEBRATION that creates the CRISIS: women from all the cities come out singing and dancing — the traditional welcome for returning warriors (cf. Judges 11:34, Exodus 15:20). The celebration is NORMAL. What makes it destructive is the LYRIC: 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands' (verse 7). The comparison that triggers Saul's jealousy.
The phrase "the women came out of all cities of Israel" (vatetzena hannashim mikkol arei Yisrael — the women came out from all the cities of Israel) shows NATIONAL scope: this isn't a local celebration. Women from ALL the cities participate. The welcome is COMPREHENSIVE — the entire nation celebrates. The comparison between Saul and David isn't whispered in one village. It's SUNG across the nation. The song that wounds Saul is heard everywhere.
The phrase "singing and dancing, to meet king Saul" (lashir vehammecholot liqrat Sha'ul hammelekh — singing and the dances to meet Saul the king) is IRONIC: the women come to meet SAUL — the king. The celebration is nominally HIS victory parade. But the song will give David MORE credit than Saul. The king's own victory celebration becomes the moment when his subordinate outshines him. The parade that should honor the king humiliates him.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What innocent comparison has created a wound that won't heal?
- 2.What does the celebration meant for SAUL becoming about DAVID teach about how public praise can destroy?
- 3.How does a folk song creating a king's lifelong jealousy describe the power of words in public spaces?
- 4.What 'thousands vs. ten thousands' comparison are you making — or being subjected to — that is shaping your emotions?
Devotional
The women come out SINGING. Dancing. Tambourines. Joy. Music. From ALL the cities — a national celebration of victory over the Philistines. Everything about this moment is beautiful, normal, traditional. Women celebrating warriors. The nation celebrating victory. And then the LYRIC: 'Saul has his thousands. David has his ten thousands.' The song that breaks a king.
The celebration is meant for SAUL — 'to meet king Saul.' It's HIS victory parade. HIS triumph over the Philistines. But the song COMPARES — and in the comparison, David gets TEN TIMES the credit. The king's parade becomes the king's humiliation. The moment that should be Saul's finest becomes the seed of his darkest jealousy. One song. One ratio. And everything changes.
The women singing don't INTEND destruction. They're doing what women always do at victory celebrations — singing praise, dancing, making music. The song is folk celebration, not political commentary. But the COMPARISON — thousands versus ten thousands — creates a wound that never heals. Verse 8: 'Saul was very wroth... and he eyed David from that day forward.' The jealousy that will define the rest of 1 Samuel is born in a SONG.
The power of WORDS in public spaces: a song sung in celebration becomes a weapon that wounds a king's soul. The women didn't know they were writing the script for Saul's descent into paranoia. The lyric that made the crowd dance made the king rage. The same words that celebrated one man destroyed another.
What comparison — what innocent ranking — has created a wound in you or someone you know?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And it came to pass, as they came,.... The armies of Israel, with their commanders at the head of them:
when David was…
The Philistine - Rather as in the margin. The allusion is not to Goliath, but to one of the expeditions referred to in…
When David was returned - This verse connects well with the 54th verse of the preceding chapter; and carries on the…
Now begin David's troubles, and they not only tread on the heels of his triumphs, but take rise from them, such is the…
The celebration of David's victory
6. And it came to pass, &c. The narrative has made a digression to relate the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture