Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Samuel 18:25 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 25. 25And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Sets one hundred Philistine foreskins as Saul's lethal bride-price.
Courtiers are sent to say in secret what the king wants David to hear
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27
The line at 1 Samuel 18:25 sets one hundred Philistine foreskins as Saul's lethal bride-price. Its place in 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27 matters because Courtiers secretly persuade David, Saul demands one hundred Philistine foreskins, David and his men kill twice that number, and Michal is given in marriage.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The unit “A violent bride-price completes Saul's marriage scheme” needs this line's precise work: it sets one hundred Philistine foreskins as Saul's lethal bride-price. The verse remains one part of the scene rather than its complete claim.
Follow the Context
- Opening movement: Courtiers secretly persuade David, Saul demands one hundred Philistine foreskins, David and his men kill twice that number.
- Developing movement or outcome: Michal is given in marriage.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“foreskins”
In plain language: Saul demands body trophies as a lethal bride-price.
The scheme uses Michal's marriage and Philistine bodies for royal policy.
Why it matters: The degradation and coercion must be named without sensationalism.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
First Samuel 18:25 does not stand alone from 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27: it sets one hundred Philistine foreskins as Saul's lethal bride-price. The episode does not commodify Michal ethically, commend body trophies, glorify killing for marriage, or justify racialized and sexualized violence.
What Remains True
Sets one hundred Philistine foreskins as Saul's lethal bride-price. Within 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27, this contribution supports the unit's enduring claim: The enduring claim is contextual rather than triumphal: Courtiers secretly persuade David, Saul demands one hundred Philistine foreskins, David and his men kill twice that number, and Michal is given in marriage. The episode does not commodify Michal ethically, commend body trophies, glorify killing for marriage, or justify racialized and sexualized violence.
Teach It Back
Explain 1 Samuel 18:25's precise role in 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27. Include the first historical horizon, material uncertainty, one person or cost a leader-centered reading could obscure, and one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27 — A violent bride-price completes Saul's marriage schemeSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The narrative reports both court manipulation and David's exceeding the lethal price without giving Michal a negotiating voice in this exchange.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV words, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete unit coverage.
Exact location: 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology, with the two KJV-Hebrew versification shifts stated rather than silently offset.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Sam.xml, OSIS 18:22–18:27; KJV 20:42 spans Hebrew 20:42–21:1, KJV 21:1–15 maps to Hebrew 21:2–16, KJV 23:29 maps to Hebrew 24:1, and KJV 24:1–22 maps to Hebrew 24:2–23
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: 1 Samuel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only the translator notes actually printed for these verses, used for lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and older-English controls.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Notes, 1 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 504–543, exact tc/tn/sn entries attached to 18:22–18:27
Open source ↗scholarly monograph abstract and contents
Divine Violence in the Book of Samuel
Rachelle Gilmour
Oxford University Press, 2021 online; 2022 print
Supports: One literary, ethical, and political account of divine and human violence; publisher-visible scope does not establish consensus.
Exact location: Gilmour, Divine Violence in the Book of Samuel (2021/2022), official abstract and TOC: relevant discussion for 1 Samuel 18:22–18:27, including 1 Samuel 12 pp. 71–81, Saul's rejection pp. 90–139, Eli's house pp. 140–150, or ark violence pp. 154–185 as applicable
Open source ↗scholarly monograph frontmatter and table of contents
The Theology of the Book of Samuel
John Goldingay
Cambridge University Press, 2024
Supports: Only the publisher-visible book architecture and theological scope; the paywalled body is not treated as inspected.
Exact location: Goldingay, The Theology of the Book of Samuel (2024), official frontmatter and TOC: 1 Samuel 13:1–20:42[21:1], pp. 77–110
Open source ↗