Limitless Word
Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
  • KJV And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
  • NKJV Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
  • NASB Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they informed Saul, the thing was pleasing to him.
  • NLT In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Saul's daughter Michal loves David, and the news pleases Saul. He sees her love as a fresh opportunity to ensnare David.

Overview

Michal's love for David gives Saul a new occasion, which he welcomes for his own ends. What might seem a happy development becomes a tool in Saul's renewed plotting. The verse sets up another scheme in which Saul will again seek David's death while feigning favor, underscoring the king's persistent treachery.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • 1 Sam 18:28When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 18:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.

How 1 Samuel 18:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.