1 Samuel 18:9
in 1 Samuel 18And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
KJV
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 18
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIt may be, he that composed the song only used a poetic liberty, and intended not any invidious comparison between Saul and David; or, if he did, it was below the great mind of a prince to take notice of such a reflection upon his personal honour, when it appeared that the glory of the public was sincerely intended.
This site's exposition
And Saul was furious and resented this song
on 1 Samuel 18:8-9
Saul’s arithmetic is envy’s arithmetic, two lines of a folk song read as a claim on his crown. Barnes takes his complaint about what more David can have but the kingdom as Saul naming his own fear before anyone else does. Verse 9 marks the turn in one clause, "from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David," a watchfulness that runs the length of the book.
This site's exposition
Saul kept a jealous eye on David
Matthew Henry held that the song meant no insult to the king and that a prince of great mind would have let it pass. Saul keeps the line in his memory instead. The watch he begins here turns to a spear the next day.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Therefore Saul did not look with right eyes at David, etc. The Jewish people did not accept the words of the Gospel with right understanding, from the time when inflamed with fires of envy, they began to hate its teachers or hearers, fearing namely that …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): his countenance was not towards him as it had been. Proud men cannot endure to hear any praised but themselves, and think all their honour lost that goes by themselves.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
And he raved. [Literally 'he prophesied'] but Targum renders, 'and he raved.' A prophet and a madman speak in unintelligible hints.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֥י | vayhi | and he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| עוֹיֵ֣ן | avon | looking at | H5770 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| דָּוִ֑ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| מֵהַיּ֥וֹם | mehaiyom | from the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֖וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וָהָֽלְאָה׃ ס | vahalah | and onwards | H1973 → | 16 times |
וַיְהִ֥יand he was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
עוֹיֵ֣ןlooking at
avonH5770 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
דָּוִ֑דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
מֵהַיּ֥וֹםfrom the day
mehaiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֖וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
וָהָֽלְאָה׃ סand onwards
vahalahH1973 →16 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ephesians 4:27and do not give the devil a foothold.
it leads to
- James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
- 1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
- Ephesians 6:16
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- Ephesians 6:11
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- 2 Corinthians 2:10–11
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,
- James 4:7
Through
Matthew 20:15Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
it leads to
- Matthew 6:23
But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 9:15–24
For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
- Deuteronomy 15:9
Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He…
- Matthew 6:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.