The Devil's Highlighter

Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. (1 Samuel 18:27)

Interpretation: Upon reading the entire chapter (1 Samuel 18). we see that it is part of a story. It is essentially all explained in this single verse. Saul wanted David to die, so he gave him the task of getting 100 philistine foreskins. David not only survived, he over-delivered by bringing back 200 foreskins.  Now, none of this was commanded by God, so it does not point to his immorality. David, however, was said to have God's favor, which he did not lose through this act. The point of the story is that this is just plain disgusting. Offering any body parts as payment for the privilege of marrying a man's daughter is obscene in it's own right. Requiring that this body part be the severed skin from the tip of a man's penis is that much more obscene. This is not a verse you hear in church and it certainly isn't something you tell little kids in Sunday school. My question is: What was Saul going to do with these foreskins anyway? This is made even more humorous by the very nearly homosexual overtones in the beginning of 1 Samuel 18. Print This Post