Adriel

A´driel (the flock of God), the person to whom Saul gave in marriage his daughter Merab, who had been originally promised to David (1Sa 18:19). Five sons sprung from this union, who were taken to make up the number of Saul’s descendants, whose lives, on the principle of blood-revenge, were required by the Gibeonites to avenge the cruelties which Saul had exercised towards their race [GIBEON].

A son of Barzillai, married Merab, daughter of Saul, who had been promised to David, 1Sa 18:19 . Adriel had five sons by her, who were delivered up to the Gibeonites, to be put to death before the Lord, to avenge the cruelty of Saul their grandfather against the Gibeonites. In 2Sa 21:8, these are said to be the sons of Michal, whom she "brought up" for Adriel; but unless this is a copyist’s error, Michal had adopted the children of her sister Merab, who was perhaps dead; or possibly both sisters may have borne the name Michal. Compare under ABIATHAR.\par

A’dri-el. (flock of God). Son of Barzillai, to whom Saul gave his daughter Merab, although he had previously promised her to David. 1Sa 18:19. (B.C. about 1062). His five sons were amongst the seven descendants of Saul whom David surrendered to the Gibeonites. 2Sa 21:8.

Son of Barzillai the Meholathite, to whom Saul gave Merab his daughter in marriage, previously promised to David (1Sa 18:19). Five sons from this union were of the seven slain as a blood satisfaction to the Gibeonites whose blood Saul had, in violation of Israel’s covenant (Jos 9:15), shed. 2Sa 21:8; "Michal brought up for Adriel:" namely, Merab the mother died young, and her sister brought up her five nephews, as if she were their own mother. The Jewish targums favor this view. But as the Hebrew yalad means to bring forth or bear children, and Michal seems to have had no children (2Sa 6:23), perhaps Michal is a transcriber’s error for Merab. Still the term "bare" (margin) may mark how completely Michal, evidently a woman of strong affections (1Sa 19:11-12; 2Sa 3:16), acted as a true mother to them.

(Heb. Adriel’,עִדְרַיאֵל, flock of God; Sept. Α᾿δριήλ, Ε᾿δριήλ), a son of Barzillai the Meholathite. Saul gave him in marriage his daughter Merab, who had been originally promised to David (1Sa 18:19), B.C. cir. 1062. The five sons sprung from this union were taken to make up the number of Saul’s descendants, whose lives, on the principle of blood- revenge, were required by the Gibeonites to avenge the cruelties which Saul had exercised toward their race (2Sa 21:8). SEE GIBEONITE.

In this passage the name of Michal occurs as the mother of these sons of Adriel; but as it is known that Merab was the wife of Adriel, and that Michal never had any children (2Sa 6:23), there only remains the alternative of supposing either that Michal’s name has been substituted for Merab’s by some ancient copyist, or that the word which properly means bare (ילְדָה, yaledah’, Sept. ἔτεκε, Vulg. genuerat) should be rendered brought up or educated, as in the Auth. Vers. after the Targum. The Jewish writers conclude that Merab died early, and that Michal adopted her sister’s children, and brought them up for Adriel (Bab. Talm. Sanhed. 19, 2); but the word ילְדָהwill not bear this interpretation.— Kitto, s.v. See MICHAL.

Adriel. 1Sa 18:19. See Merab.

[A’driel]

Son of Barzillai, the Meholathite to whom Merab, Saul’s daughter, was given to wife, after having been promised to David. 1Sa 18:19. She bare Adriel five sons, and these were given up to death to avenge the Gibeonites because Saul had slain some of them. In 2Sa 21:8 these are said to be the "sons of Michal [or Michal’s sister, margin ] the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel." These were doubtless the sons of Merab and not of Michal: translators are agreed that it should be translated ’bare to Adriel,’ as it reads in the margin, and not ’brought up.’ It seems therefore most probable that the name Michal is here the mistake of an early copyist, and the passage should read, "the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bare unto Adriel;" or it might originally have stood, "the five sons of the daughter of Saul whom she bare to Adriel," and some one unadvisedly added Michal in the margin which afterwards found its way into the text.

By: John Dyneley Prince

The Meholathite to whom Merab (Saul's daughter) was given in marriage instead of to David (I Sam. xviii. 19); son of Barzillai (II Sam. xxi. 8). As to the meaning of the name, Adriel appears to be an Aramaized form of Azriel ("God is my Help"; I Chron. v. 24, xxvii. 19; Jer. xxxvi. 26), with which it is actually identified by the Syriac version, not only in the passage I Sam. xviii. 19, where Aramaisms might be expected, but also in II Sam. xxi. 8.

ADRIEL.—Son of Barzillai, the Meholathite. He married Merab, the eldest daughter of Saul, who should have been given to David as the slayer of Goliath (1Sa 18:19, 2Sa 21:8 [in the latter ‘Michal’ is a mistake for ‘Merab’]).

ā´dri-el (עדריאל, ‛adhrı̄’ēl, “my help is God”): The son of Barzillai the Meholathite, to whom Merab the daughter of King Saul was married when she should have been given to David (1Sa 18:19; 2Sa 21:8). “Michal” in 2Sa 21:8 is a textual error easily accounted for Adriel and Merab had five sons, whom David handed over to the blood vengeance of the men of Gibeon. The name Adriel seems to be Aramaic, the equivalent of the Hebrew name Azriel.