Were foreskins some sort of currency or...?
Uhhhh... So apparently Saul has this weird fetish for penis parts. Saul tells David that if he (David) goes out and collects 100 foreskins of the Philistines, he (David) can marry his (Saul's) daughter, Michal. Saul was afraid of David and saw his daughter's love for David as a way to be rid of him. Saul's plan was for David to fall to the Philistines, but his plan backfired when David brought back twice the amount of foreskins that had been asked of him. David brought Saul 200 foreskins! (I imagine David walking into Sam's Club with one of those big, flat heavy-duty buggies and grabbing a pallet of foreskins. "Hmm, better buy in bulk.") Saul then became even more afraid of David. I completely understand the purpose of Saul sending David into the "Battle at Foreskin Bend." I get why Saul did what he did; Saul wanted David to be killed because he was afraid of him. But why foreskins? Why would he even say that? Why not fingers or toes or ears or noses or any other part of the human body? WHY FORESKINS!?
One source believed that this was merely for proof that a man had been killed: "The foreskins were much like scalps in early America - or like rat tails in modern-day India. They were proof that the enemy soldier had indeed been killed (as a living soldier was not likely to allow his enemy to perform a circumcision). David probably did not think it odd because he probably viewed it only as a test by which he could prove his value as a warrior and leader of warriors to Saul. It may have seemed to him that only someone who could defeat 200 enemy soldiers was worthy to marry the daughter of the king (and gain all of the political advantage that necessarily entailed)."
Another source believed that this was a task that Saul knew would be of interest to David. Since foreskins represented a person who was not with Yahweh, David would enjoy defeating that person and removing something that mocked his faith. "Such actions demonstrate the hostility some feel towards those who still have their foreskins. This hostility was common amongst the early Hebrews (Genesis 17:14, Judges 14:3, 2 Samuel 1:20). Saul certainly felt this way (1 Sam. 31:4) and Saul knew that this hatred was shared by David (1 Samuel 17: 26, 36). It is also reflected in the command to circumcise."
A third source believed that foreskins were Old Testament war trophies: "A more modern version of this might be the taking of scalps, or other proofs of succesful battle engagements."
All of these sources have very interesting points, and I believe they are all probably true to some extent. Saul would have needed proof that the men were killed, so that takes care of the first source. Saul obviously wanted David to fail, so he would have given David an unachievable task that would still interest him enough to attempt; that answers the second source. And I'm sure that in a culture where cutting off 200 foreskins is acceptable and understandable by at least two individuals, saving them and collecting them as trophies would probably also be acceptable and understandable. Along with the three helpful theories above, I also read many, many, MANY theories that weren't really theories at all but more or less jokes that brought absolutely no help to the creation of this blog; however, their hilariousness did make me laugh and keep me sane as I struggled in the pit of quicksand/foreskins that is the Internet and its lack of knowledge on why Saul wanted foreskins. Some examples of those useless comedic theories: 1. Saul wanted to sew them together to make a sweater. 2. Saul wanted to make a foreskin scarf. 3. Saul wanted to fry them in order to make the world's first bag of pork rinds. You're welcome.
One source believed that this was merely for proof that a man had been killed: "The foreskins were much like scalps in early America - or like rat tails in modern-day India. They were proof that the enemy soldier had indeed been killed (as a living soldier was not likely to allow his enemy to perform a circumcision). David probably did not think it odd because he probably viewed it only as a test by which he could prove his value as a warrior and leader of warriors to Saul. It may have seemed to him that only someone who could defeat 200 enemy soldiers was worthy to marry the daughter of the king (and gain all of the political advantage that necessarily entailed)."
Another source believed that this was a task that Saul knew would be of interest to David. Since foreskins represented a person who was not with Yahweh, David would enjoy defeating that person and removing something that mocked his faith. "Such actions demonstrate the hostility some feel towards those who still have their foreskins. This hostility was common amongst the early Hebrews (Genesis 17:14, Judges 14:3, 2 Samuel 1:20). Saul certainly felt this way (1 Sam. 31:4) and Saul knew that this hatred was shared by David (1 Samuel 17: 26, 36). It is also reflected in the command to circumcise."
A third source believed that foreskins were Old Testament war trophies: "A more modern version of this might be the taking of scalps, or other proofs of succesful battle engagements."
All of these sources have very interesting points, and I believe they are all probably true to some extent. Saul would have needed proof that the men were killed, so that takes care of the first source. Saul obviously wanted David to fail, so he would have given David an unachievable task that would still interest him enough to attempt; that answers the second source. And I'm sure that in a culture where cutting off 200 foreskins is acceptable and understandable by at least two individuals, saving them and collecting them as trophies would probably also be acceptable and understandable. Along with the three helpful theories above, I also read many, many, MANY theories that weren't really theories at all but more or less jokes that brought absolutely no help to the creation of this blog; however, their hilariousness did make me laugh and keep me sane as I struggled in the pit of quicksand/foreskins that is the Internet and its lack of knowledge on why Saul wanted foreskins. Some examples of those useless comedic theories: 1. Saul wanted to sew them together to make a sweater. 2. Saul wanted to make a foreskin scarf. 3. Saul wanted to fry them in order to make the world's first bag of pork rinds. You're welcome.
1 Samuel 18:20-28
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 likes you, and his attendants all love 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 took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David 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.