Hebrew word · H4764

מֵרָב

merav

Merab

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament.

What it means

A woman of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.14.49;

daughter of: Saul (H7586G) and Ahinoam (H0293); married to Adriel (H5741);

sister of: Jonathan (H3083H), Abinadab (H0041H), Malchi-shua (H4444) and Michal (H4324);

half-brother of: Ish-bosheth (H0378), Armoni (H0764) and Mephibosheth (H4648H)

Also named: mi.khal (מִיכַל "Merab" H4324H)

§ Merab = "increase"

the eldest daughter of king Saul; promised to David but given instead to Adriel the Meholathite; mother of 5 children

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 3

  1. 1 Samuel 14:49 מֵרַ֔ב [was] Merab

    Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).

  2. 1 Samuel 18:17 מֵרַב֙ Merab

    Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

    Here: Saul's elder daughter (14:49). She is named here but never speaks, and her marriage later goes to someone else (v. 19).

  3. 1 Samuel 18:19 מֵרַ֥ב Merab

    So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.