Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, You shall this day be my son-in-law a second time.
God protected David, however, and he was able to provide the king with twice as many foreskins as Saul had specified (1 Samuel 18:27). David’s accomplishment was similar to scalping practices in the Indian wars in the United States. This time Saul gave David his daughter. [Note: For a study of four important women in David’s life, see Adele Berlin, "Characterization in Biblical Narrative: David’s Wives," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 23 (July 1982):69-85.] Saul saw in these events evidence that Yahweh’s blessing was with David (1 Samuel 18:28), and this made him even more fearful of him (1 Samuel 18:29). Ironically, Saul from then on became David’s enemy continually (1 Samuel 18:29), even though David had become his son-in-law, as well as his faithful commander-in-chief and his effective field general. By setting himself against David, Saul was setting himself against God since David was the Lord’s anointed (cf. Genesis 12:3).