“Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?”
The full verse · 1 Samuel 18:23 · KJV
And those in the of . And , it to you a thing to be a son in , seeing that I am a , and lightly ?
Asked by
The Scene
Saul planned to give David his daughter Michal "that she may be a snare to him," and sent his servants to tell David secretly, "the king hath delight in thee... now therefore be the king's son in law" (1 Samuel 18:21-23).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionDavid's objection is practical and honest: a king's son-in-law needed to bring a fitting gift for the bride, and David had nothing to bring. Keil & Delitzsch explain "Poor" as "utterly unable to offer anything like a suitable dowry to the king," and say the reply "was given by David in perfect sincerity." Gill reads "lightly esteemed" as a quiet reference to how Saul had treated him, "who had slighted him in giving his elder daughter to another man." Matthew Henry reads it the other way: David "took no notice of the affront Saul had put upon him... but continued in the same mind" of humility.
The Response
What Scripture records"The servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David" (1 Samuel 18:24). Saul sent back an answer that seemed to remove David's problem: "The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies." But the text adds, "Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines" (1 Samuel 18:25). "It pleased David well to be the king's son in law" (1 Samuel 18:26); he and his men killed two hundred Philistines, "And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife" (1 Samuel 18:27).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyDavid spoke honestly about his poverty, and Saul used that honesty to set a deadly price. The text lets the reader see both sides: the friendly message (1 Samuel 18:22) and the hidden aim (1 Samuel 18:21, 25). Yet Saul's plan turned against him. David doubled the price and came back alive (1 Samuel 18:27), "And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David" (1 Samuel 18:28). Matthew Henry observes that Saul gave Michal "to be a snare to him, but in this respect that marriage was a kindness to him," because being Saul's son-in-law made David's later succession "much the less invidious." Gill notes that instead of proving a snare, Michal "was the means of his deliverance" when Saul's men came to kill him (1 Samuel 19:11-12).
Matthew Henry turns David's words toward the reader: "if David thus magnified the honour of being son-in-law to the king, how should we magnify the honour of being sons (not in law, but in gospel) to the King of kings!" He quotes 1 John 3:1, "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us!"
The Commentaries
Voices from across the centuriesGenerations of believers have studied this verse. See what they noticed.
Look Closer
How did Saul tell his servants to approach David?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, when I feel too small or too poor for what is in front of me, what do You want me to understand about the honour of belonging to You?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- David said, "I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed." When have you felt you did not measure up to an opportunity, and what did you do with that feeling?
- Who has made you feel valued at a time when you felt "lightly esteemed"?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
David told the truth about himself: he had no wealth and no standing to bring. He did not pretend otherwise to win the king's daughter. Matthew Henry takes his humility and points it toward God's love: if a king's son-in-law was such an honour, how much greater is it to be called a child of God? Your place with God does not rest on what you can bring to Him.
This doesn't mean every flattering offer comes from God. Saul's message of "delight" hid a plan for David's death (1 Samuel 18:21-25). Honest humility and clear judgment belong together.
Scripture's own application: 1 John 3:1
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Who am I? And what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?”
“What can he have more but the kingdom?”
“Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? Why should I kill thee?”