World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Samuel 18
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When he had finished speaking to , the of was knit with the of , and loved him as his own . took him that day, and wouldn't let him go home to his house any more. Then and made a , because he loved him as his own . stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to with his clothing, even including his , his bow, and his sash. went out wherever sent him, and behaved himself wisely; and set him over the men of war. It was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of servants. As they came, when returned from the slaughter of the , the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music. The women sang to one another as they played, and said, " has slain his thousands, and his ten thousands." was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, "They have credited with ten thousands, and they have only credited me with thousands. What can he have more but ?" watched from that day and forward. On the next day, an from came mightily on , and he prophesied in the middle of the house. played with his hand, as he did day by day. had his spear in his hand; and threw the spear, for he said, "I will pin to the wall!" escaped from his twice. was afraid of , because was with him, and had departed from . Therefore removed him from his , and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and was with him. When saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved ; for he went out and came in before them. said to , "Behold, my elder daughter . I will give her to you as wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight battles." For said, "Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the be on him." said to , "Who am I, and what is my life, or family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?" But at the time when , daughter, should have been given to , she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as wife. , daughter, loved ; and they told , and the thing pleased him. said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him and that the hand of the may be against him. Therefore said to a second time, "You shall today be my son-in-law." commanded his servants, "Talk with secretly, and say, 'Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore be the king's son-in-law.'" servants spoke those words in the ears of . said, "Does it seem to you a thing to be the king's son-in-law, since I am a man and little known?" 24The servants of told him, saying, " spoke like this." said, "Tell , 'The king no dowry except one hundred foreskins of the , to be of the king's .'" Now thought he would make fall by the hand of the . When his servants told these words, it pleased well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the deadline, arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the . Then brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. Then gave him his daughter as wife. saw and knew that was with ; and , daughter, loved him. was even more afraid of ; and was enemy continually. Then the princes of the went out; and as often as they went out, behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of , so that his name was highly esteemed.
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The world at this moment · The united kingdom, 1050 BC to 931 BC ›
Saul, David, and Solomon. A rare window when both Egypt and Mesopotamia are weak, which is how a small kingdom in the corridor between them could briefly become a regional power.
- The power vacuum
- This is the whole political explanation for the united kingdom. Egypt is fragmented, Assyria is recovering but still local, the Hittites are gone, and nobody is in a position to object to a strong state in the corridor. It lasts about a century, and Israel's golden age fits exactly inside it.
- Phoenicia
- Tyre under Hiram is the commercial power of the coast, and supplies the cedar, the craftsmen, and the shipping for Solomon's building programme. The alliance is trade, not charity: Israel had grain and a land route, Tyre had timber and ships.
- Egypt
- Weak enough that a pharaoh gives a daughter in marriage to an Israelite king, which is the opposite of Egyptian practice in stronger centuries. Late in the era it recovers under a new house, and Shishak will invade within five years of Solomon's death.
- Further afield
- Greece is still in its dark age but beginning to recover, and will adopt the Phoenician alphabet within a century or two. Carthage is founded by settlers from Tyre by tradition in 814 BC. In the Americas the Olmec centre shifts to La Venta.