1 Samuel 18: 20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21 “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”
22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.’ ”
23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”
24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
This story is both violent and stupid. Once again, the Old Testament views non Jews as subhuman, much in the same way that Adolph Hitler viewed the Jews as subhuman thousands of years later. In this story, the lives of Philistines are of so little value that the King of Israel (Saul) requests that David murder 100 of them and chop off a part of their penis. David goes even further and kills 200 Philistines and presents 200 foreskins to obtain his wife. This is an evil, immoral, and nauseating act.
In the New Testament (Acts 13:22) , Paul claims that God states, ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ I find it strange that Christians can believe that a man who, according to God, is a man after God’s own heart, would have no trouble killing 200 men (100 more than was needed) and removing part of their penises in order to buy a wife. The God that Christians believe in is very strange.
As many of you know, I got married last week. I promise you that I did not kill any man and chop off any penis parts in order to get married.
Bible Verses Rarely Read on Sunday 
Not only that, but David was not pleased to become Saul’s son-in-law *until* this terrible act was required. That’s simply insane.
By: Jason on June 18, 2011
at 7:13 pm
Makes one wonder if they had gay porn back in Israel to accompany all the penis gifts for weddings shoppe.
By: mP on December 1, 2011
at 1:57 pm
@mP—-we have not all of the bible to understand that asking—we lack so much info==and the preacher and techer s do not teach us properly like we should be– compare to what God taught and the disiciples –we could go to a teacher and ask for a healing–death to life–exorcised ??? any of these famouslmpw how today>>>> NOPE..but they sure do know $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
By: Linda Gallant on April 9, 2015
at 11:52 pm
Context man, read the context. David had the “heart of God” in that he would follow what God wanted, but nevertheless he was human and to err is common. But the right context and u find those days cruelty was the order of the day, to survive then as a people u couldnt play holy joe! Its all in the context man. 🙂
By: piusmosad on October 23, 2013
at 1:52 pm
In what context would it be alright for me to kill 200 men and chop off part of their penises in order to buy a wife?
By: edhensley on October 23, 2013
at 1:54 pm
900BC international system-thats the context. worse things than this would happen back then, this is nothing compared to others at that time. 21st century?? I agree it looks horrible, bad, distasteful…it cannot be condoned in these modern times. Ciao
By: piusmosad on October 31, 2013
at 5:20 am
It wasn’t alright. God never said it was alright. David isn’t some hero in a movie where every decision he makes is the right one. The OT is history and you’re reading about the events. You can disagree with David’s actions, and Saul’s for that matter. Saul was a bad king and he wasn’t the king that God wanted for Israel.
By: Talon on March 20, 2024
at 10:31 pm
“David isn’t some hero…” He is described as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22). Yet, he killed 200 men (100 more than necessary) to buy a bride with their penis parts. That is the actions of a man described as after God’s own heart.
It is not history. It is a fairy tale.
By: edhensley on March 20, 2024
at 11:45 pm
So this was a common practice back then? I think not. If it were, why would we want to follow any of the beliefs of a people so savage they found this practice acceptable? The heroes of the OT are vile butchers.
By: Victor Lazareus on February 21, 2014
at 9:20 pm
@Vic—-we would tend to valuate that –but that is not the real story—- sin was rampant and terrible –it was the destroying of the sin and the amount of it–and the horrible ways it was hurting the people… they didn’t teach us all properly about the bible.. shame–and as God will say—DEPART –I NEVER KNEW YOU–
By: Linda Gallant on April 10, 2015
at 12:03 am
“vile butchers” due to the times they were living in. I mean, take a look even at the Dark Ages, or even the Classical Antiquities, you’ll struggle to find honorable kings and warriors – barbarism was deeply entrenched in their culture. However, read the NT and you no longer find such stories.
By: pius ogola on February 23, 2014
at 7:19 am
ok, does this mean that during the 1940’s it was ok to burn a few people, maybe not millions, but it was ok to do a few because that’s what was happening in Germany at the time? Does this make something like murder acceptable? I think not. If you think that way, then you will become brainwashed to be just like anyone else, and when authority is entered into the picture, people can do horrible things simply because they believe they are not responsible, they can believe its just the way things are, its not my fault, I am just doing what I am told…. And BAM millions are murdered horribly.
By: dave on June 18, 2014
at 1:40 am
It was Saul, not God that desired 100 foreskins of the Philistines and it was neither God that made David go out to do it to gain a wife.
Later on, David paid a terrible price the rest of his life because of his failure to resist and subdue his sensual desires in re: of Bethseba.
Yes, David did have a heart after God’s own heart, the scriptures are correct. and he did he repent after his evil sin and David took God’s chastening in humbleness but we will reap what we sow and David ‘s terrible sin had consequences because as God had told him the sword never left his house till the end of his days.
By: Liz on January 29, 2016
at 12:22 pm
Yet you believe your god created foreskins in the first place but then demanded they be removed from all Jewish babies. The whole idea of god demanding the skin of a penis being removed is ridiculous.
By: edhensley on January 29, 2016
at 1:35 pm
Amen. I’m glad to see that you pointed out that it was Saul, not God who wanted those men killed, because King Saul thought that maybe David would be killed by the Philistines. Yes, David reaped what he sowed as we ALL will.
By: Jeff A on June 27, 2023
at 3:36 pm
David is “a man after god’s own heart” and an ancestor of Jesus. He chooses to kill 200 men rather than “just” 100 men. The whole idea that the god you worship would create penises with foreskins and then demand that his chosen people remove the foreskins is absolutely ridiculous.
By: edhensley on June 27, 2023
at 3:46 pm
Many people assume that the God of the Bible treated all “non-Israelite” people as worthless sub-humans throughout the Old Testament. This is not accurate.
The sanctioned very violent acts alluded to in this blog were limited to war-time actions against specific nations during a certain era of Biblical history. Now, that doesn’t mean that they are easily reconciled with 21st Century sensibilities. But – it does mean that – in order for us to seriously accept (or reject) them, we should first attempt to understand the Biblical framework within which these events reside.
The background setting the stage for 1 Samuel:
Way back in Genesis 15, Yahweh tells Abraham that he will end up leaving the land God promised to give to his (Abraham’s) descendants. God tells Abraham’s that his family line would reside in Egypt for four centuries. Much of that time would be spent in slavery to the Egyptians. One of the reasons God gives for this is that the iniquity of the people currently occupying the “promised land” had not yet reached its full measure. The depiction here is one of God waiting a long time while the people groups in the land of Canaan continued in violent wickedness, even to the point of sacrificing their own children on altars to their idols. The Bible presents this as justification for the judgment of God that would follow.
The context of 1 Samuel:
Thus, by the time the events of the books of Exodus, followed by Judges and First Samuel unfold (which is the timeframe of the Philistine battles cited by this blog), it was in the context of explicit and exceptional judgment upon the nations of this region after over four-hundred years of wickedness. More specifically, the Philistines had proposed a battle of “champions”. If Israel’s “champion” defeated their 9-foot-tall “champion” (named Goliath) in battle, they would subject themselves to Israeli rule – no longer fighting against them. Yet, after David defeated Goliath, they did not honor this agreement. They remained military rivals of Israel. Finally, the Biblical account depicts the Philistines as having superior weaponry and a much larger number of warriors. So David’s battles to win the hand of Saul’s daughter in marriage are presented as acts of bravery in an ongoing war against a hostile and well-armed enemy.
For the record, mainstream fundamentalist Christians believe that God – in the New Testament era – does NOT currently issue edicts for his people to destroy entire populations of cities or countries (men, women and children). But mainstream fundamentalist Christians do believe that God did issue such edicts against the residents of the land of Canaan at this point in the Old Testament era.
I’d also like to mention that Old Testament law actually commanded Israel to deal with resident aliens within their borders more generously and graciously than many of the surrounding cultures at that time.
I do understand there is plenty of room for genuine and sincere questions about all of this… I hope that helps provide
By: musicoptimist on June 23, 2017
at 7:06 pm
It is so sad that your religious beliefs lead you to justifying genocides.
By: edhensley on July 7, 2017
at 5:57 pm
I do understand there is plenty of room for genuine and sincere questions about all of this… I hope my comments helped provide some insight into a pro-Christian perspective.
By: musicoptimist on June 23, 2017
at 7:07 pm
It is so sad that your religious beliefs lead you to justify genocide.
By: edhensley on July 7, 2017
at 5:58 pm
The Philistines were evil giants.
By: Balmighty on February 23, 2024
at 10:18 am
The Philistines are known as Palestinians today. Modern Palestinians also include DNA from all the groups that have ruled over them for millenia.
By: edhensley on March 20, 2024
at 11:47 pm
Philistines were not innocent they were the slave masters of the children of Israel. Killing 200 evil slavers is a good start.
By: Hugh mongusdong on August 18, 2019
at 4:32 pm
You have no evidence that any of the 200 killed were slave owners. The bible permits Hebrews to own non-Hebrew slaves for life (Lev 25:44-46), and slave owners can beat their slaves until they are unconscious (Exodus 21:21). Thousands of Christian ministers promoted slavery and fought against abolition in the 1800s. The book Bible Evicence for Slavery was published by a Christian minister in my home town of Louisville, KY, in 1851. Your argument about David killing them because they are slave owners is total nonsense and is not supported by any evidence. The fact of the matter is that the “man after god’s own heart” supposedly killed 200 men so he could chop of a portion of their penis in order to buy the right to marry a woman. The bible is a cesspool of immoral filth.
By: edhensley on August 18, 2019
at 11:28 pm
Ed, I really feel sorry for you. You appear to be angry at God for some reason. You need a good ole dose of Salvation, something that will cleanse you, wash you, and remove all animosity from your heart. Jesus Christ is the answer and He alone is the only way to Heaven. But, you should already know this since you have been quoting Biblical Scriptures like you know it really well. I will say a prayer for you.
By: Jeff A on June 27, 2023
at 3:43 pm
No need to feel sorry for me. My family adjusted gross income was over $200,000 last year. I have traveled the world and have a wonderful wife. My 4 older kids have all graduated from college and have wonderful careers, and my youngest appears to be on the same track. I am doing just fine without your imaginary god and your imaginary need for salvation.
I heard many prophecies in the churches I grew up in. I will now make a prophecy. Jesus will not return before you die. Of course, he will not return before anyone dies, but my prophecy still stands. When you are on your death bed, you will remember that my prophecy came true. I had that is not too late for you to continue living a life based on falsehoods.
By: edhensley on June 27, 2023
at 3:51 pm
They were at war, it wasn’t a senseless act. The 200 men would’ve been killed regardless of this foreskin seeking man, as it wasn’t the main objective of the killing. They were killed in war, which happens often in the Bible.
By: Aidan on November 20, 2022
at 5:28 am
They were currently at war with Philistines, they weren’t just random people Saul told him to kill. These we’re literally giant warriors who attacked and killed the Israelites for nothing. Not just this but the Philistines weren’t really human, they had Nephilim blood which is why they had many giants. Also, Saul only did this because he thought that David would die because of this, Saul wanted David dead. But God was with David and helped him not only survive but also triumph over the Philistines.
By: Nelson on April 13, 2023
at 12:32 pm
Do you have any Philistine DNA to back up your claims that they were not human?
By: edhensley on April 14, 2023
at 11:50 pm
Well let’s take a look at genealogies. The Philistines were filled with giants just as the Canaanites were,(Read Joshua/Judges/Samuel for info on giants) and this was because of their nephilimic blood (read Genesis 6 for info on Nephilim) that was passed down to them from the wife of Ham. (Read Genesis 10 to see genealogies) They were really only half human and God needed them dead because they could taint the blood of the Messiah, which was their plan from before Noah. They were also constantly attacking Israel so it’s not like it was a random attack, they were at war.
By: Nelson on April 15, 2023
at 4:42 am
Where in Genesis 10 does it state that the wife of Ham was Nephilim? What was her name? Do we have any fossils of the Nephilim?
By: edhensley on April 15, 2023
at 10:06 am