Michal מִיכַל
Daughter of Saul; wife of David.
Who is Michal in the Bible?
Michal was the younger daughter of King Saul who became the first wife of David, Israel's future king (1 Samuel 14:49, 18:20). Saul offered her hand to David as a bride price of 100 Philistine foreskins, hoping to ensnare him, but David fulfilled the requirement and married her (1 Samuel 18:27-28). When Saul later sought to kill David, Michal proved her loyalty by helping her husband escape through a window and cleverly deceiving Saul's messengers with an idol placed in David's bed (1 Samuel 19:11-17). After David became king, he demanded Michal's return from the man Saul had given her to, and she was restored to David (2 Samuel 3:13-14). Michal's story illustrates the complex tensions between family loyalty and personal conviction during Israel's turbulent transition from Saul's reign to David's kingdom.
Biography
Michal was the younger daughter of King Saul and became the first wife of David, Israel's future king. She first appears in the genealogy of Saul (1Sa.14.49) and is later mentioned as loving David (1Sa.18.20). Saul, seeking to ensnare David, offered Michal's hand in marriage, demanding a bride price of 100 Philistine foreskins. David fulfilled this requirement, and Michal became his wife (1Sa.18.27-28). When Saul attempted to kill David, Michal helped him escape through a window and deceived Saul's messengers by placing an idol in David's bed (1Sa.19.11-17). During David's exile, Saul gave Michal in marriage to Palti (1Sa.25.44). After Saul's death, David demanded that Michal be returned to him as a condition for peace with Abner (2Sa.3.13-14). Later, when David danced before the ark of the Lord, Michal despised him in her heart (2Sa.6.16; 1Ch.15.29). She confronted David, criticizing his behavior, but David rebuked her (2Sa.6.20-21). As a result, Michal remained childless until her death (2Sa.6.23). Michal's story illustrates the complex relationships and conflicts within Saul's family and the early years of David's rise to power.
Family
Parents
Siblings
- Jonathan Tribe of JudahSon of JadaSon of Jada, descendant of JudahView full profile →
- Abinadab MaleFather of Ben-abinadabSolomon's son-in-law, an official in his governmentView full profile →
- Malchi-shua Tribe of BenjaminSon of SaulSon of King Saul, killed in battle against the Philistines.View full profile →
- Merab Tribe of BenjaminSaul's daughterEldest daughter of King Saul.View full profile →
- Ish-bosheth Tribe of BenjaminSaul's sonSon of Saul, king over Israel.View full profile →
- Armoni Tribe of BenjaminSaul's familySon of Saul by Rizpah, killed by GibeonitesView full profile →
- Mephibosheth Tribe of BenjaminSon of SaulSon of Saul and Rizpah, given to the Gibeonites.View full profile →
In Scripture
3 biblical books1 Samuel 5 verses
- 1 Samuel 14:49
"Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter)."
- 1 Samuel 18:20
"Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, and when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him."
- 1 Samuel 18:27
"David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as payment in full to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage."
- 1 Samuel 18:28
"When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David,"
- 1 Samuel 19:11
"Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”"
2 Samuel 5 verses
- 2 Samuel 3:13
"“Good,” replied David, “I will make a covenant with you. But there is one thing I require of you: Do not appear before me unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me.”"
- 2 Samuel 3:14
"Then David sent messengers to say to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife, Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred Philistine foreskins.”"
- 2 Samuel 6:16
"As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart."
- 2 Samuel 6:20
"When David returned home to bless his own household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today!” she said. “He has uncovered himself today in the sight of the maidservants of his subjects, like a vulgar person would do.”"
- 2 Samuel 6:21
"But David said to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD, who chose me over your father and all his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD,"
1 Chronicles 1 verse
- 1 Chronicles 15:29
"As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | מִיכַל |
Michal
1Sa 18:20), was at last, on the payment of double the dowry asked, married to him (1Sa 18:27). Her love was soon put to the test. When Saul in his jealousy sent for David, she was quick to discern her husband's danger, connived at his escape, and not only outwitted and delayed the messengers, but afterward also soothed her father's jealous wrath (1Sa 19:11-17). When David was outlawed and exiled, she was married to Palti or Paltiel, the son of Laish of Gallim (1Sa 25:44), but was, despite Palti's sorrowful protest, forcibly restored to David on his return as king (2Sa 3:14-16). The next scene in which she figures indicates that her love had cooled and had even turned to disdain, for after David's enthusiastic joy and ecstatic dancing before the newly restored Ark of the Covenant, she received him with bitter and scornful mockery (2Sa 6:20), and the record closes with the fact that she remained all her life childless (2Sa 6:23; compare 2Sa 21:8 where Michal is an obvious mistake for Merab). Michal was evidently a woman of unusual strength of mind and decision of character. She manifested her love in an age when it was almost an unheard-of thing for a woman to take the initiative in such a matter. For the sake of the man whom she loved too she braved her father's wrath and risked her own life. Even her later mockery of David affords proof of her courage, and almost suggests the inference that she had resented being treated as a chattel and thrown from one husband to another. The modern reader can scarce withhold from her, if not admiration, at least a slight tribute of sympathy.
John A. Lees
mi-ke'-as: In 2 Esdras 1:39 equals the prophet Micah.
mik'-mas (mikhmac; Codex Vaticanus Machmas; Codex Alexandrinus Chammas): The form of the name "Michmash" foun