Michal
The younger daughter of Saul and David's first wife, given to him after he produced the bride-price her father demanded in the hope David would die getting it. She loved David and saved his life, letting him down through a window and putting an idol in the bed to deceive Saul's men. In his absence Saul gave her to another man, and years later David demanded her back as a political claim. Watching him dance before the ark in a linen ephod she despised him in her heart and mocked him for it — and the account closes by saying she had no child to the day of her death.
What we know — and how we know it
Where in scripture
1 Samuel2 Samuel1 ChroniclesNow the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
1 Samuel 14:49
Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
1 Samuel 18:20
David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife.
1 Samuel 18:27
Saul saw and knew that Yahweh was with David; and Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him.
1 Samuel 18:28
Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
1 Samuel 19:11
So Michal let David down through the window. He went away, fled, and escaped.
1 Samuel 19:12 — Lets David down through a window
Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes.
1 Samuel 19:13
Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”
1 Samuel 19:17
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 4 recorded sayings
“Then in that night Saul sent men to David's house to keep watch on him so as to put him to death in the morning: and David's wife Michal said to him, If you do not go away to a safe place tonight you will be put to death in the morning.” — 1 Samuel 19:11
“And when Saul sent men to take David, she said, He is ill.” — 1 Samuel 19:14
“And Saul said to Michal, why have you been false to me, letting my hater go and get safely away? And in answer Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, or I will put you to death.” — 1 Samuel 19:17
“Then David came back to give a blessing to his family. And Michal, Saul's daughter, came out to him and said, How full of glory was the king of Israel today, who let himself be seen uncovered by his servant-girls like a foolish person uncovering himself without shame!” — 2 Samuel 6:20
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
In art
