Original Word: מֵרָב
Part of Speech: Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration: Merab
Pronunciation: MAY-rab
Phonetic Spelling: (may-rawb')
KJV: Merab
NASB: Merab
Word Origin: [from H7231 (רָבַב - many)]

1. increase
2. Merab, a daughter of Saul

Merab

From rabab; increase; Merab, a daughter of Saul -- Merab.

see HEBREW rabab

Word Origin
from rabab
Definition
older daughter of Saul
NASB Translation
Merab (4).

מֵרַב proper name, feminine elder daughter of Saul 1 Samuel 14:49, promised to David 1 Samuel 18:17; but given to Adriel 1 Samuel 18:19 (read also 2 Samuel 21:8 for מִיבַל ᵐ5^L ᵑ6 Th Dr Klo Kit Bu Löhr HPS). ᵐ5 Μεροβ.

מַרְבַדִּים see II. רבד.

מִרְבָּה, מַרְבֶּה, מַרְבִּית.

מַרְבֵּץ see רבץ. מַרְבֵּק see רבק

מַרְגּוֺעַ see II. רגע. [מַרְגְּלוֺת] see רגל

מַרְגֵּמָה see רגם. מַרְגֵּעָה see II. רגע

Name and Family Context

Merab, the first-born daughter of King Saul and his wife Ahinoam, is introduced in 1 Samuel 14:49. Her siblings are Jonathan, Ishvi, Malchi-shua, and Michal. By birth she stands at the intersection of Israel’s early monarchy, representing both the promise of Saul’s dynasty and its eventual failure.

Historical Narrative

In 1 Samuel 18:17 Saul offers Merab to David after the slaying of Goliath: “Then Saul said to David, ‘Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife; only continue to be valiant for me and fight the battles of the LORD.’”. The offer is strategic, aimed at binding David to the royal house while placing him in continual danger against the Philistines. David, displaying humility, responds, “Who am I, and what is my clan or my father’s family in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?” (18:18). When the wedding day approaches, Saul reneges and bestows Merab upon Adriel the Meholathite (18:19).

This abrupt transfer exposes Saul’s duplicity and underscores the declining moral authority of his reign. It contrasts sharply with David’s integrity and foreshadows the divine rejection of Saul’s line.

Covenant and Kingship Dynamics

Merab’s account highlights the covenantal tension between Saul and David. Although Saul attempts to manipulate family alliances for political gain, the LORD remains sovereign over the succession. Merab never becomes David’s wife; instead, Michal, her younger sister, is later given to him (18:27), marking God’s providential redirection of Saul’s schemes. The episode teaches that human covenants are subordinate to God’s covenantal purposes.

Typological Insights

1. Rejected Bride: Merab, offered but withheld, serves as an inverted type of the Church, the true Bride who will never be denied to the promised King.
2. False Alliance: Saul’s use of Merab to entrap David prefigures worldly powers that feign friendship with God’s anointed while plotting his downfall, a pattern fulfilled supremely in the opposition to Jesus Christ (Acts 4:25-27).

Lessons for Ministry and Discipleship

• Integrity Over Opportunity: David refuses to grasp at royal privilege, modeling servant leadership (cf. Luke 14:11).
• Trust in Divine Timing: Merab’s withheld hand reminds believers that apparent setbacks may guard them from entanglements outside God’s will.
• The Perils of Manipulation: Saul’s exploitation of his daughter warns leaders against using relationships as tools for self-preservation.

Intertextual Echoes

2 Samuel 21:8 mentions “the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel,” whose lives are later forfeited in the Gibeonite reparation. Though this verse employs an alternate spelling in some manuscripts, it confirms Merab’s enduring role in the tragic aftermath of Saul’s covenant breach with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:15). Her offspring’s fate reinforces the principle that covenant violations carry generational consequences.

Related Figures

• Adriel the Meholathite – Merab’s husband, representing a political alliance beyond Saul’s tribe.
• Michal – younger sister, contrasting with Merab by becoming David’s wife but later despising his worship (2 Samuel 6:16).
• Jonathan – brother who exemplifies covenant faithfulness, standing in stark relief to Saul’s manipulation of Merab.

Summary

Merab’s brief biblical portrait illuminates the complexities of Israel’s transition from Saul to David. Her withheld marriage to David exposes Saul’s failing legitimacy, underscores God’s overruling providence, and offers enduring lessons on integrity, covenant fidelity, and divine sovereignty.

מֵרַ֔ב מֵרַ֥ב מֵרַב֙ מרב mê·raḇ mêraḇ meRavInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts