1 Samuel 18:25
ESV
Then Saul said, "Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king 's enemies.’" Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
NIV
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.
NASB
Saul then said, 'This is what you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’?' But Saul plotted to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
CSB
Then Saul replied, "Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price except a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’" Actually, Saul intended to cause David’s death at the hands of the Philistines.
NLT
he told them, 'Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.' But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
KJV
And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
NKJV
Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
What does 1 Samuel 18:25 mean?
Saul wants David to marry into his family. This is for cruel, jealous reasons. The king hopes the rising star of Israel will be obligated to continue fighting against the Philistines. This, he thinks, will lead to David being killed in battle (1 Samuel 18:17–21). But Saul's has misjudged David ever since the shepherd boy volunteered to fight Goliath. This has caused the king to struggle in attempts to convince David to marry a princess.David's motives escape Saul's understanding. David sincerely believes he's unworthy to be in the royal family. This comes despite assurances that he is warmly loved by both Saul's daughter (1 Samuel 18:20) and the king himself (1 Samuel 18:22–23). David doesn't believe he has proven himself as a man, despite his heroic victory over Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50).
Part of David's objection is the custom of the groom's family to pay a "bride price." The idea was to offset the loss of their daughter. David and his family have nothing to offer a man like Saul which he doesn't already have—or couldn't just take if he wanted it. This gives Saul an opportunity to motivate his enemy. He will issue a challenge for David to prove himself. The plan is clever: either the young champion will accept the offer of marriage or, even better, die in the attempt.
Saul's challenge is simple and gruesome: to kill a hundred Philistines and bring evidence proving it. During this era, armies would collect hands or heads as trophies or to verify the number of those killed. Later cultures would do the same with ears or scalps. In this case, Saul's proof is extremely specific. The foreskin is a flap of flesh removed from the penis during circumcision (Genesis 17:9–12). Philistines didn't practice this and wouldn't submit to it willingly. Israelites were circumcised as infants. The only way to provide this gruesome evidence would be to kill precisely that many enemies.
