4324. Mikal
Lexical Summary
Mikal: Michal

Original Word: מִיכָל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Miykal
Pronunciation: mee-KAHL
Phonetic Spelling: (me-kawl')
KJV: Michal
NASB: Michal
Word Origin: [apparently the same as H4323 (מִיכָּל - brook)]

1. revulet
2. Mikal, Saul's daughter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Michal

Apparently the same as miykal; revulet; Mikal, Saul's daughter -- Michal.

see HEBREW miykal

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
wife of David
NASB Translation
Michal (17).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
מִיכַל proper name, feminine (according to Ol§ 277 f., contracted from מִיכָאֵל): — younger daughter of Saul, wife of David (ᵐ5 Μελχολ), 1 Samuel 14:49; 1 Samuel 18:20,27,28; 1 Samuel 19:11,12,13,17 (twice in verse); 1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:13,14; 2 Samuel 6:16 = 1 Chronicles 15:29; 2 Samuel 6:20,21,23; also 2 Samuel 21:8 (ᵐ5 Μιχολ), but error for מֵרַב (ᵐ5L Μεροβ).

מַ֫יִם see מַי

Topical Lexicon
Family background and early mentions

Michal is introduced as the younger daughter of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:49). Her royal upbringing placed her at the heart of Israel’s first monarchy, making every subsequent action she took significant to the narrative of Israel’s transition from Saul’s house to David’s.

Love for David and the bridal price

“Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And when this was reported to Saul, it pleased him” (1 Samuel 18:20). Saul exploited that affection, demanding a perilous bride-price of Philistine foreskins in hopes that David would be killed (1 Samuel 18:25-27). David exceeded the demand, and “Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage” (1 Samuel 18:27). The passage underscores both Michal’s genuine love and Saul’s manipulative hostility—yet the LORD used Saul’s scheme to knit David to the royal house in a covenantal bond that would later legitimize David’s claim to the throne.

Courage that preserved the anointed

When Saul sent assassins to David’s house, “David’s wife Michal warned him” and devised a daring escape (1 Samuel 19:11-13). Her quick thinking safeguarded the LORD’s anointed and allowed David to continue the path God had ordained for him. Michal employed an idol (teraphim) and deception, methods that Scripture reports without commending, yet her loyalty to David in that crisis remains a testimony of sacrificial courage.

Estrangement through Saul’s treachery

Saul later severed the marriage unilaterally, giving Michal to Palti son of Laish (1 Samuel 25:44). The action typified Saul’s disregard for covenant obligations and deepened the personal cost David bore while on the run.

Restoration and political reconciliation

After Saul’s death, David demanded Michal’s return as a non-negotiable term of alliance with Abner: “Do not appear before me unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me” (2 Samuel 3:13; cf. 3:14). Bringing her back served multiple purposes:
• It honored the original marriage covenant.
• It reinforced David’s legitimacy in the eyes of Saul’s remaining supporters.
• It symbolized the transfer of loyalty from Saul’s house to David’s.

Palti’s emotional parting (2 Samuel 3:16) reveals the human pain woven into larger redemptive movements.

Reaction to the Ark’s ascent

“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 6:16). Her ensuing confrontation questioned David’s decorum: “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today…” (6:20). David’s reply affirmed his God-centered worship: “It was before the LORD… and I will celebrate before the LORD” (6:21). The contrast highlights differing spiritual priorities—external dignity versus wholehearted worship—and warns against substituting formality for fervor.

Childlessness and final note

“And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death” (2 Samuel 6:23). Scripture links her barrenness to the episode with the ark, suggesting that despising true worship carries lasting consequence. The record closes without further detail, indicating that her legacy is inseparably tied to her response to the presence of God.

Textual note on 2 Samuel 21:8

Some manuscripts read “Michal” where the Berean Standard Bible, following Hebrew tradition and parallel accounts, reads “Merab.” The canonical narrative elsewhere affirms Michal’s childlessness, so the better textual witness supports “Merab.” This variant does not alter any doctrine and illustrates the providential preservation of Scripture through careful textual transmission.

Theological and ministry themes

1. Covenant faithfulness: Michal’s marriage to David, repeatedly attacked yet ultimately honored, illustrates the inviolability of covenant before God.
2. Cost of discipleship: Her courageous defense of David shows that loyalty to God’s chosen servant may demand personal risk and loss.
3. Heart-level worship: The ark narrative warns against despising expressive worship that exalts the LORD. Authenticity before God matters more than royal protocol.
4. Consequences of unbelief: Michal’s persistent disdain culminated in barrenness, reminding believers that unbelief can leave a lasting void.
5. Sovereignty over human schemes: Saul’s manipulations, Palti’s grief, and Michal’s own choices all served God’s larger purpose of establishing Davidic kingship, from which the Messiah would come.

Key passages for study

1 Samuel 18:20-29; 1 Samuel 19:11-17; 1 Samuel 25:44; 2 Samuel 3:13-16; 2 Samuel 6:16-23; 1 Chronicles 15:29.

Summary

Michal stands as a complex figure—loving, brave, politically significant, yet ultimately spiritually conflicted. Her account invites reflection on faithfulness to covenant, the posture of the heart in worship, and the unthwartable purposes of God that advance through and sometimes in spite of human choices.

Forms and Transliterations
וּלְמִיכַל֙ וּמִיכַ֥ל וּמִיכַ֨ל ולמיכל ומיכל מִיכַ֔ל מִיכַ֗ל מִיכַ֛ל מִיכַ֜ל מִיכַ֣ל מִיכַ֤ל מִיכַ֥ל מִיכַֽל׃ מִיכַל֒ מִיכַל֙ מיכל מיכל׃ miChal ū·lə·mî·ḵal ū·mî·ḵal ulemiChal ūləmîḵal umiChal ūmîḵal
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 14:49
HEB: וְשֵׁ֥ם הַקְּטַנָּ֖ה מִיכַֽל׃
NAS: and the name of the younger Michal.
KJV: and the name of the younger Michal:
INT: and the name of the younger Michal

1 Samuel 18:20
HEB: וַתֶּאֱהַ֛ב מִיכַ֥ל בַּת־ שָׁא֖וּל
NAS: Now Michal, Saul's daughter,
KJV: And Michal Saul's daughter
INT: loved now Michal daughter Saul's

1 Samuel 18:27
HEB: שָׁא֛וּל אֶת־ מִיכַ֥ל בִּתּ֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃
NAS: gave him Michal his daughter
KJV: gave him Michal his daughter
INT: gave Saul Michal his daughter A wife

1 Samuel 18:28
HEB: עִם־ דָּוִ֑ד וּמִיכַ֥ל בַּת־ שָׁא֖וּל
NAS: was with David, and [that] Michal, Saul's
KJV: [was] with David, and [that] Michal Saul's
INT: was with David and Michal daughter Saul's

1 Samuel 19:11
HEB: וַתַּגֵּ֣ד לְדָוִ֗ד מִיכַ֤ל אִשְׁתּוֹ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר
NAS: in the morning. But Michal, David's
KJV: him in the morning: and Michal David's
INT: told David's Michal wife saying

1 Samuel 19:12
HEB: וַתֹּ֧רֶד מִיכַ֛ל אֶת־ דָּוִ֖ד
NAS: So Michal let David
KJV: So Michal let David
INT: let Michal David through

1 Samuel 19:13
HEB: וַתִּקַּ֨ח מִיכַ֜ל אֶת־ הַתְּרָפִ֗ים
NAS: Michal took the household idol
KJV: And Michal took an image,
INT: took Michal the household and laid

1 Samuel 19:17
HEB: שָׁא֜וּל אֶל־ מִיכַ֗ל לָ֤מָּה כָּ֙כָה֙
NAS: said to Michal, Why
KJV: said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so,
INT: Saul to Michal Why like

1 Samuel 19:17
HEB: וַיִּמָּלֵ֑ט וַתֹּ֤אמֶר מִיכַל֙ אֶל־ שָׁא֔וּל
NAS: so that he has escaped? And Michal said
KJV: that he is escaped? And Michal answered
INT: is escaped said to Michal to Saul

1 Samuel 25:44
HEB: נָתַ֛ן אֶת־ מִיכַ֥ל בִּתּ֖וֹ אֵ֣שֶׁת
NAS: had given Michal his daughter,
KJV: had given Michal his daughter,
INT: now Saul had given Michal his daughter wife

2 Samuel 3:13
HEB: הֱבִיאֲךָ֗ אֵ֚ת מִיכַ֣ל בַּת־ שָׁא֔וּל
NAS: bring Michal, Saul's
KJV: bring Michal Saul's
INT: first bring Michal daughter Saul's

2 Samuel 3:14
HEB: אִשְׁתִּי֙ אֶת־ מִיכַ֔ל אֲשֶׁר֙ אֵרַ֣שְׂתִּי
NAS: me my wife Michal, to whom
KJV: [me] my wife Michal, which I espoused
INT: Give my wife Michal to whom was betrothed

2 Samuel 6:16
HEB: עִ֣יר דָּוִ֑ד וּמִיכַ֨ל בַּת־ שָׁא֜וּל
NAS: of David that Michal the daughter
KJV: of David, Michal Saul's
INT: the city of David Michal the daughter of Saul

2 Samuel 6:20
HEB: בֵּית֑וֹ וַתֵּצֵ֞א מִיכַ֤ל בַּת־ שָׁאוּל֙
NAS: his household, Michal the daughter
KJV: his household. And Michal the daughter
INT: his household came Michal the daughter of Saul

2 Samuel 6:21
HEB: דָּוִד֮ אֶל־ מִיכַל֒ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה
NAS: said to Michal, [It was] before
KJV: said unto Michal, [It was] before
INT: David to Michal before the LORD

2 Samuel 6:23
HEB: וּלְמִיכַל֙ בַּת־ שָׁא֔וּל
NAS: Michal the daughter of Saul
KJV: Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul
INT: Michal the daughter of Saul

2 Samuel 21:8
HEB: חֲמֵ֗שֶׁת בְּנֵי֙ מִיכַ֣ל בַּת־ שָׁא֔וּל
KJV: sons of Michal the daughter
INT: and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul

1 Chronicles 15:29
HEB: עִ֣יר דָּוִ֑יד וּמִיכַ֨ל בַּת־ שָׁא֜וּל
NAS: of David, that Michal the daughter
KJV: of David, that Michal the daughter
INT: to the city of David Michal the daughter of Saul

18 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4324
18 Occurrences


mî·ḵal — 14 Occ.
ū·lə·mî·ḵal — 1 Occ.
ū·mî·ḵal — 3 Occ.

4323
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