Adriel עַדְרִיאֵל
Saul's son-in-law; husband of Merab
Who is Adriel in the Bible?
Adriel was a man from Meholath and the son of Barzillai who became the husband of Merab, the eldest daughter of King Saul (1 Samuel 18:19). King Saul had initially promised Merab to David, but instead gave her to Adriel in marriage. Merab bore Adriel five sons together (2 Samuel 21:8). During David's reign, these five sons were surrendered to the Gibeonites as an act of blood vengeance for Saul's earlier massacre of the Gibeonites, an event that demonstrates the consequences of broken covenants and the cycles of violence that plagued Israel's early monarchy.
Biography
Adriel was the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. King Saul had promised his eldest daughter Merab to David, but instead gave her in marriage to Adriel. Merab bore Adriel five sons. During David's reign, these five sons were handed over to the Gibeonites and put to death to avenge Saul's earlier massacre of the Gibeonites, with whom Israel had a treaty. (1Sa.18.19; 2Sa.21.8).
Family
In Scripture
2 biblical books1 Samuel 1 verse
- 1 Samuel 18:19
"So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah."
2 Samuel 1 verse
- 2 Samuel 21:8
"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 & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | עַדְרִיאֵל |
Adriel
f>; 2Sa 21:8). "Michal" in 2Sa 21:8 is a textual error easily accounted for Adriel and Merab had five sons, whom David handed over to the blood vengeance of the men of Gibeon. The name Adriel seems to be Aramaic, the equivalent of the Hebrew name Azriel.
a-du'-el (Adouel): An ancestor of Tobit (Tobit 1:1).
(1) A city, with dependencies, and in ancient times having a king, mentioned five times in th