Merab is a biblical figure mentioned in the Old Testament, specifically in the First Book of Samuel. She is the eldest daughter of King Saul, the first king of Israel, and his wife Ahinoam. Merab's account is primarily found in 1 Samuel 14:49 and 1 Samuel 18:17-19.

Family Background and Early Life

Merab was born into the royal family of Israel as the eldest daughter of King Saul. Her siblings included her sister Michal and brothers Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. As a member of the royal household, Merab would have been raised in a setting of privilege and responsibility, expected to uphold the honor and traditions of her family.

Betrothal to David

Merab's most notable biblical account involves her betrothal to David, the future king of Israel. After David's victory over Goliath and his growing popularity among the people, King Saul sought to bind David to his family. In 1 Samuel 18:17 , Saul offers Merab to David as a wife, saying, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife. Only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." Saul's offer, however, was not solely out of goodwill; he hoped that David would fall in battle against the Philistines, thus removing a perceived threat to his throne.

Marriage to Adriel

Despite the initial promise, Merab was not given to David. Instead, she was married to Adriel the Meholathite. The Bible does not provide specific reasons for this change, but it is clear that Saul's plans shifted. 1 Samuel 18:19 states, "So when it was time to give Merab, Saul’s daughter, to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah."

Legacy and Descendants

Merab's marriage to Adriel produced five sons. These sons are later mentioned in a tragic context in 2 Samuel 21:8, where they are handed over to the Gibeonites and executed as part of a reparation for Saul's earlier breach of a covenant with the Gibeonites. This event underscores the complex and often harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern politics and justice.

Theological and Historical Considerations

Merab's account, though brief, highlights several themes prevalent in the biblical narrative. Her life reflects the political dynamics of Saul's reign, the complexities of familial relationships, and the consequences of broken promises. Her betrothal to David and subsequent marriage to Adriel illustrate the intricate interplay of personal and political motives in the biblical text.

Merab's narrative also serves as a backdrop to the rise of David, providing insight into the challenges he faced even within the royal family. Her account is a reminder of the human elements within the biblical accounts, where personal ambitions and divine purposes intersect in the unfolding history of Israel.Merab

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Merab

(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)

Merab

The eldest daughter of king Saul, was promised to David in marriage, in reward for his victory over Goliath; but was given to Adriel, son of Barzillai the Meholathite, 1 Samuel 14:49 18:17,19. Merab had five sons by him, who were delivered to the Gibeonites, and hanged before the Lord, 2 Samuel 21:8,9. The text intimates that the five men delivered to the Gibeonites were sons of Michal; but see ADRIEL.

Increase, the eldest of Saul's two daughters (1 Samuel 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 Samuel 21:8). MERAB

me'-rab (merabh "increase"; Merob): The elder daughter of Saul (1 Samuel 14:49), promised, though not by name, to the man who should slay the Philistine Goliath (1 Samuel 17:25). David did this and was afterward taken by Saul to court (1 Samuel 18:2), where he was detained in great honor. Merab was not, however, given to him as quickly as the incident would lead one to expect, and the sequel showed some unwillingness on the part of some persons in the contract to complete the promise. The adulation of the crowd who met David on his return from Philistine warfare and gave him a more favorable ascription than to Saul (1 Samuel 18:6-16) awoke the angry jealousy of Saul. He "eyed David from that day and forward" (1 Samuel 18:9). Twice David had to "avoid" the "evil spirit" in Saul (1 Samuel 18:11). Saul also feared David (1 Samuel 18:12), and this led him to incite the youth to more dangerous deeds of valor against the Philistines by a renewed promise of Merab. He will have David's life, but rather by the hand of the Philistines than his own (1 Samuel 18:17). Merab was to be the bait. But now another element complicated matters-Michal's love for David (1 Samuel 18:20), which may have been the retarding factor from the first. At any rate Merab is finally given to Adriel the Meholathite (1 Samuel 18:19). The passage in 2 Samuel 21:8 doubtless contains an error-Michal's name occurring for that of her sister Merab-though the Septuagint, Josephus, and a consistent Hebrew text all perpetuate it, as well as the concise meaning of the Hebrew word Yaladh, which is a physiological word for bearing children, and cannot be translated "brought up." A Targum explanation reads: "The 5 sons of Merab (which Michal, Saul's daughter brought up) which she bare," etc. Another suggestion reads the word "sister" after Michal in the possessive case, leaving the text otherwise as it stands. It is possible that Merab died comparatively young, and that her children were left in the care of their aunt, especially when it is said she herself had none (2 Samuel 6:23). The simplest explanation is to assume a scribal error, with the suggestion referred to as a possible explanation of it. The lonely Michal (2 Samuel 6:20-23) became so identified with her (deceased) sister's children that they became, in a sense, hers.

Henry Wallace

4764. Merab -- older daughter of Saul
... 4763, 4764. Merab. 4765 . older daughter of Saul. Transliteration: Merab
Phonetic Spelling: (may-rawb') Short Definition: Merab. ...
/hebrew/4764.htm - 6k

David the Shepherd Youth.
... He offered him his daughter Merab for a wife, if he would go down the hills and
fight the Philistines in their own country; and the crafty king said this ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/david the shepherd youth.htm

War! War! War!
... WE shall not take these words in their literal application, as coming from the lips
of Saul, when he gave David his elder daughter, Merab, to wife; but shall ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/war war war.htm

How the Philistines Made Another Expedition against the Hebrews ...
... king of Zobah. He had three male children, Jonathan, and Isui, and Melchishua;
with Merab and Michal his daughters. He had also ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 6 how the philistines.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6. <. ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

Merab (4 Occurrences)
... Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MERAB. ... He will have David's life, but rather by the
hand of the Philistines than his own (1 Samuel 18:17). Merab was to be the bait. ...
/m/merab.htm - 11k

Adriel (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Flock of God, the son of Barzillai, the Meholathite, to
whom Saul gave in marriage his daughter Merab (1 Samuel 18:19). ...
/a/adriel.htm - 8k

Rizpah (4 Occurrences)
... David accordingly delivered up to them the two sons of Rizpah and five of the sons
of Merab (qv), Saul's eldest daughter, whom she bore to Adriel. ...
/r/rizpah.htm - 10k

Michal (18 Occurrences)
... In 2 Samuel 21:8 her name again occurs, but the name Merab should probably
be here substituted for Michal (Comp. 1 Samuel 18:19). Int. ...
/m/michal.htm - 16k

Meholathite (2 Occurrences)
... me-ho'-la-thit (mecholathi): The Gentiledesignation of Adriel, the son of Barzillai,
who married Merab, the daughter of King Saul (1 Samuel 18:19 2 Samuel 21:8 ...
/m/meholathite.htm - 7k

Older (43 Occurrences)
... (BBE). 1 Samuel 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua;
and these are the names of his daughters: the older was named Merab and the ...
/o/older.htm - 19k

Saul's (79 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 18:19 But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have
been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as wife. ...
/s/saul's.htm - 31k

Jishvi (4 Occurrences)
... Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn Merab,
and the name of the younger Michal. (DBY). 1 Chronicles ...
/j/jishvi.htm - 7k

Ishvi (4 Occurrences)
... 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names
of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the ...
/i/ishvi.htm - 8k

Ishui (1 Occurrence)
... 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua: and the names
of his two daughters were these; the name of the firstborn Merab, and the ...
/i/ishui.htm - 6k

Who was Michal in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the story of David and Michal? | GotQuestions.org

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