Woman living at the time of United Monarchy
Merab, the eldest daughter of King Saul, was promised to David but given to Adriel.
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Also known as Mikal · Michal
Merab was the eldest daughter of King Saul (1Sa.14.49). She was initially promised to David as a wife, with the condition that he fight valiantly for Saul and the Lord (1Sa.18.17). However, when the time came for her to be given to David, she was instead given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife (1Sa.18.19). Merab had five sons with Adriel, and these sons were among the seven descendants of Saul who were handed over to the Gibeonites for execution, as a means of atonement for Saul's attempt to annihilate the Gibeonites (2Sa.21.8). This event occurred during David's reign, when a three-year famine prompted David to seek the Lord's guidance.
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Increase, the eldest of Saul’s two daughters (1 Sam. 14:49). She was betrothed to David after his victory over Goliath, but does not seem to have entered heartily into this arrangement (18:2, 17, 19). She was at length, however, married to Adriel of Abel-Meholah, a town in the Jordan valley, about 10 miles south of Bethshean, with whom the house of Saul maintained alliance. She had five sons, who were all put to death by the Gibeonites on the hill of Gibeah (2 Sam. 21:8).
(increase), eldest daughter of King Saul. (1 Samuel 14:49) In accordance with the promise which he made before the engagement with Goliath, ch. (1 Samuel 17:25) Saul betrothed Merab to David. ch. (1 Samuel 18:17) Before the marriage Merab’s younger sister Michal had displayed her attachment for David, and Merab was then married to Adriel the Meholathite to whom she bore five sons. (2 Samuel 21:8)
he that fights or disputes
ME'RAB, the eldest daughter of Saul, who promised her to David in marriage; but she married Adriel of Meholath, by whom she had five sons, and David took her sister Miehal. 1 Sam 14:49. The five sons of Merab suffered a violent death at the hands of the Gibeonites. 2 Sam 21:8.
ME'RAB, the eldest daughter of Saul, who promised her to David in marriage; but she married Adriel of Meholath, by whom she had five sons, and David took her sister Miehal. 1 Sam 14:49. The five sons of Merab suffered a violent death at the hands of the Gibeonites. 2 Sam 21:8.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
4 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H4764
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).
Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORDʼs battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
So when it was time to give Saulʼs daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.