שמואל א, פרק י״ח, פסוק כ״ה

King Saul uses standard marriage customs to set a deadly trap for David. Disguising his plot as a call for military bravery and national revenge, the king schemes to have David killed by enemy hands. Earlier, David argued that he lacked the wealth required to marry into the royal family. In response, Saul clarifies that he does not want a standard bride price, the customary payment given to marry a virgin [מצודת ציון]. Instead of money, the king demands one hundred Philistine foreskins as proof of their death. To Saul, this act of courage is worth more than any financial wealth [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Outwardly, Saul frames this demand as a noble desire to humiliate and take revenge on the Philistines [מצודת דוד]. However, this is merely a cover. Deep down, the king has no real interest in national vengeance. His true hope is that David will die while trying to complete the task [מצודת דוד].

Since David is already a highly successful military commander who constantly fights the Philistines, it is initially unclear why this specific mission would be more dangerous than his usual battles. One approach suggests that Saul expects David to carry out this task as a private citizen rather than with the backing of an organized army, which would drastically increase the danger to his life [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective focuses on the deeply degrading nature of the demand itself. In a standard war, an enemy army does not necessarily develop an intense personal hatred toward the opposing commander. However, attacking people who feel secure and mutilating them in such a shameful way violates the accepted norms of battle. Saul calculates that this extreme humiliation will spark a fierce, personal hatred within the Philistines, driving them to specifically target David for revenge [מלבי״ם].