Saul's oldest daughter (1 Samuel 14:49). According to promise to the conqueror of Goliath, Saul betrothed Merab to David (1 Samuel 17:25; 1 Samuel 18:17), but with the secret design of inciting him thereby to expose himself to be slain by the Philistines. At the time when Merab should have been given to him Saul gave her to Adriel the Meholathite. Her five sons subsequently were crucified to Jehovah by the Gibeonites among the seven, for Saul's bloodthirsty zeal against them (2 Samuel 21:9). See Exodus 34:7; how Saul's sin recoiled on himself and his! "Michal" is a copyist's error for Merab (2 Samuel 21:8); reading "Michal" we must understand "brought up," not gave birth to (compare Ruth 4:16-17). (See MICHAL.)
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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