1 Samuel 18:9

9 So Saul was watching David [with suspicion] from that day onward.

1 Samuel 18:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 18:9

And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
] Instead of looking pleasantly, and with a smile, upon him, as a courtier and favourite, he was justly entitled to by his gallant behaviour, he looked at him with a sour, ill natured look; he looked at him with an evil, spiteful, malicious, and envious eye; or he diligently watched and observed all his motions and actions, whether they tended to disloyalty and treason, to dethrone him, and take the kingdom to himself, which he was suspicious of; he laid wait for him, as the Targum, and laid snares too, as the following history shows.

1 Samuel 18:9 In-Context

7 And the women sang as they danced, and they said, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands!"

8 {Saul became very angry}, and {this saying displeased him}, and he thought, "They have attributed to David ten thousands, but to me they have attributed thousands! {What more can he have but the kingdom}?"

9 So Saul was watching David [with suspicion] from that day onward.

10 {On} [the] next day, the evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. Now David was playing [the lyre] with his hand on [that] day {as usual}, and the spear was in Saul's hand.

11 Then Saul hurled the spear and thought, "{I will pin David to the wall}." But David eluded him twice.

Footnotes

• [a] The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads "sin"; the translation follows the reading tradition (Qere) which has "eyeing" or "watching"