# Merab

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Elder daughter of Saul

*Saul presenting his daughter Merab, to David*. Engraving from the [Macklin Bible](/source/Thomas_Macklin), 1794.

For the (unrelated) masculine given name, see [Merab (given name)](/source/Merab_(given_name)).

**Merab** is a character in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible), mentioned in the [Book of Samuel](/source/Book_of_Samuel). She is the eldest daughter of [Saul](/source/Saul), and older sister to [Michal](/source/Michal).

After [David](/source/David) killed [Goliath](/source/Goliath), Saul offered Merab to him in marriage, but David respectfully declined.[1] Saul then gave Merab in marriage to [Adriel the Meholathite](/source/Adriel_the_Meholathite) (1 Samuel 18:19). David may, however, have actually wanted to marry her, and his response was merely a polite refusal. It appears that Saul went ahead with the scheduled wedding, simply with a different groom. Amy Kalmanofsky suggests that Merab is indifferent, and that this is contrasted in the text with Michal's passion.[2]

2 Samuel 21:8 refers to "the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite" ([ESV](/source/ESV)). This is the reading in the [Septuagint](/source/Septuagint) and two Hebrew manuscripts but in fact the [Masoretic Text](/source/Masoretic_Text) has "Michal" (which the [KJV](/source/KJV) follows). J. J. Glück argues for the "Michal" reading on the basis that if Merab were in view, there would be no need to mention her husband, but with Michal, it was important to indicate that these were not David's children.[3]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Brueggemann, Walter](/source/Walter_Brueggemann) (2011). [*David and His Theologian: Literary, Social, and Theological Investigations of the Early Monarchy*](https://web.archive.org/web/20200724141421/https://books.google.com/books?id=piVNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA110). [Wipf and Stock](/source/Wipf_and_Stock). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781610975346](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781610975346). Archived from [the original](https://books.google.com/books?id=piVNAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA110) on 24 July 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Kalmanofsky, Amy (2014). *Dangerous Sisters of the Hebrew Bible*. [Fortress Press](/source/Fortress_Press). p. 40.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Glück, J. J. (1965). "Merab or Michal". *[ZAW](/source/ZAW)*. **77**: 75.

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