Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 18:25
And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a 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.
An hundred foreskins – This is merely another expression of the spirit which led to the constant application of the epithet uncircumcised to the Philistines 1Sa 14:6.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. But a hundred foreskins] That is, Thou shalt slay one hundred Philistines, and thou shalt produce their foreskins, as a proof, not only that thou hast killed one hundred men, but that these are of the uncircumcised. A custom similar to this still prevails among the Abyssinians, according to Bruce. See his Travels.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
An hundred foreskins: these he desires rather than their heads; partly, for the greater convenience of bringing them, and presenting them before him; partly, to cover his malice against David with a pretence of zeal for God, and for his people, and for the covenant of circumcision; and partly, that the Philistines might be the more enraged against David for this reproachful and barbarous usage of them, and might therefore watch all opportunities to destroy him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. The king desireth not anydowryIn Eastern countries the husband purchases hiswife either by gifts or services. As neither David nor his familywere in circumstances to give a suitable dowry for a princess, theking intimated that he would be graciously pleased to accept somegallant deed in the public service.
a hundred foreskins of thePhilistinesSuch mutilations on the bodies of their slainenemies were commonly practised in ancient war, and the number toldindicated the glory of the victory. Saul’s willingness to accept apublic service had an air of liberality, while his choice of sodifficult and hazardous a service seemed only putting a proper valueon gaining the hand of a king’s daughter. But he covered unprincipledmalice against David under this proposal, which exhibited a zeal forGod and the covenant of circumcision.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Saul said, thus shall ye say to David,…. In answer to his objections, and in order to remove them, and especially what concerned the dowry:
the king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies; that is, he required or desired no other dowry of David, but that he would slay an hundred Philistines, and bring their foreskins to him; by which he would be able to know that they were Philistines he slew, not Israelites who were circumcised; though it cannot well be thought that Saul should have any suspicion of that, or take such a method to prevent it; but as those were almost, if not altogether, the only uncircumcised persons that were their neighbours, since the Arabians, Edomites, Midianites, c. received circumcision from their ancestors, it would be a clear case to him that these were the men he slew and whom he the rather pitched upon, because they were his enemies, and the enemies of Israel, and abhorred of the Lord; which carried in it a show of zeal for the glory of God, and the good of his people, and because he hoped David would fall by them in the enterprise, or however render himself very odious to them, and they would bear him ill will, and seek his ruin. Strabo y reports of the people in Carmania, that no man among them marries a wife before he cuts off the head of an enemy, and brings it to the king; and the king lays up the skulls in a treasury, and he is the most famous that has the most heads brought unto him. Saul chose not heads, but foreskins, for the reasons before given:
but Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines; he hoped in the enterprise the Philistines would be too powerful for him, and kill him.
y Geograph. l. 15. p. 500. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. l. 1. c. 24.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(25) An hundred foreskins.Wordsworths note here, which he derives from Theodoret, is curious. Foreskins! why not heads? Here is a sign of Sauls suspicious and malignant spirit. He, judging for himself, impiously suspects that David would go forth and destroy some of the IsraelitesSauls own subjectsas he himself desired to destroy David, his own deliverer; and the foreskins were required as a proof that they who were killed were not Israelites. Josephus, however, with a strange exaggeration, mentions 600 heads as the price of Michal.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
25. A hundred foreskins This demand savours of the spirit and manners of that age, and reminds one of the American Indians preserving as trophies the scalps of their victims.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 18:25 And 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.
Ver. 25. !!An hundred foreskins of the Philistines. ] Not a hundred heads, as Josephus hath it, but foreskins; the more to enrage the Philistines against David: for besides the loss of so many men, they would take it for a foul disgrace and despite done to their whole nation: as also that this victory might be the more ignominious.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
dowry: Gen 29:18, Gen 34:12, Exo 22:16, Exo 22:17
but an hundred: That is, Thou shalt slay one hundred Philistines, and thou shalt produce their foreskins as a proof, not only that thou hast killed one hundred men, but that these are of the uncircumcised Philistines.
foreskins: 1Sa 17:26, 1Sa 17:36, Gen 17:11-14, Jos 5:3
to be avenged: 1Sa 14:24
thought: 1Sa 18:17, 2Sa 17:8-11
Reciprocal: Num 35:20 – by laying 1Sa 18:13 – removed 2Sa 3:14 – an hundred 2Sa 11:15 – Set ye 2Sa 19:9 – The king Hos 3:2 – I bought
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 18:25. The king desireth not any dowry It was customary in those times for the husband to give a present, or, as it is rendered, a dowry, to his father-in-law when he received his wife. But a hundred foreskins of the Philistines Saul made this demand of David, probably thinking that the necessity he would be under of attacking the Philistines at a disadvantage, or, at all hazards, in order to get the proposed number of foreskins within the time limited, would bring him into such dangerous encounters, as he could scarcely escape from. It is likely that Saul required the foreskins rather than the heads of the Philistines, to take away all possibility of Davids deceiving him, by bringing the heads of such of his own men as might fall in battle, and passing them on him for the heads of the Philistines.