2 Samuel 3:14

14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, "Give [me] my wife Michal whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of [the] Philistines."

2 Samuel 3:14 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 3:14

And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son
When Abner's messengers returned to him, and acquainted him with the condition of David's entering into a league with him, it is highly probable that Abner sent them or others to David, to let him know that he could not do this of himself; that it was advisable for him to write to Ishbosheth, whose sister she was, and demand her of him; and that then he would use his interest with Ishbosheth to grant it, and this method David took:

saying, deliver [me] my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an
hundred foreskins of the Philistines;
two arguments he made use of to enforce his demand; one is, that it was his wife he required, to whom he had a right, and no other man; and the other is, that he had purchased her at a great expense, at the risk of his life, in slaying an hundred Philistines, whose foreskins he paid in for her at the instance of Saul; he mentions but one hundred, though he gave two hundred as her dowry, no more being required than one hundred; see ( 1 Samuel 18:25 1 Samuel 18:27 ) . Josephus very wrongly says six hundred ^F2; the Syriac and Arabic have here two hundred.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 Antiqu. l 7. c. 1. sect. 4.

2 Samuel 3:14 In-Context

12 Abner sent messengers to David {where he was}, saying, "To whom does the land [belong]? {Make your covenant with me}! Look, my hand [is] with you to bring all of Israel over to you!"

13 He said, "Good. {I will make a covenant with you}. I am asking only one thing from you: You shall not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul when you come to see {me}."

14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, "Give [me] my wife Michal whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of [the] Philistines."

15 So Ish-Bosheth sent and took her from [her] husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.

16 But her husband went with her, {weeping all along} after her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go [and] return." So he returned.

Footnotes

• [a] Hebrew "me"